My New Shoes Cost A Bomb

“Delhi is all about show-off.” True words. Spoken by a friend of mine laced with contempt, I found those words to be one of the truest spoken about the city in quite a few years. Delhi may or may not be a lot of things, but one of the things that is indisputably true about Delhi, is that it is all about show-off. If your neighbors do not see you carting in that huge TV, it’s right next to worthless. Delhiites whole heartedly believe in making others aware of how much they spent on that watch, or those boots.

Display of wealth; inherited or earned, lawful or unlawful, momentary or permanent, dominates the minds of delhiites around the clock. It permeates everything, ranging from where you live, what you drive, what you drink, where you dine, to what brands you wear. Delhiites are happily riding the smartphone wave, posting the name of the high end mall where they are dining or shopping on facebook, foursquare or BBM etc., along with the location tag to give it the seal of authenticity. It matters not that this information is posted online on a phone bought on one of several credit cards that everybody owns, or that the dinner they are about to consume will add a few more thousand rupees to their ever increasing debt heap. Delhiites enjoy, they never worry.

A true delhiite will know that they cannot afford a new car or a winter coat or even a fancy dinner. They will know that they should wait for the first week to start before splurging, but they would still go ahead and do it. The trouble with waiting for the first week is that most people are cash strapped by the second week itself. Who can abstain from shopping for two weeks eh? Delhi is heaven for the credit card companies, the consumers keep accumulating debt to try to get ahead in the rat race. Everybody here has a rich friend that they try to match but never can.

Irony of the entire scene plays itself out in the flea markets of the city. Everybody visits the flea markets and everybody acts like the biggest cheapskates in the world. The same girl who wouldn’t flinch at paying 2000 rupees for a piece of clothing at some store in a mall would haggle fiercely to get the price of a similar item here down by 20 rupees. It’s only about show-off, it doesn't need to cost a bomb when they can avoid it. Everybody is a cheapskate at flea markets, irrespective of their hordes of wealth, or lack thereof. If you want to distinguish the truly rich people from those who are pretending to be thus, look out for those who pay the first price demanded for by the shopkeeper at the flea market.

Delhiites are big show-offs, and proud of it. It’s a trait that will not change in a hundred years. The metropolis is a huge melting pot of people from all over the country, belonging to different castes, religions and backgrounds. In the modern day, such things have started losing significance, especially among the youth. A subculture has emerged among the spendthrift, plastic money toting youth which cuts right through all pre-existent social barriers and unites everybody; and it is all about show-off. Do not be surprised if you meet somebody for the first time and they throw the price of their brand new shoes in your face. Assume an expression of mild surprise, fuss over said shoes, pay them a compliment and move on. It happens.

Only In Delhi.