Delhi is car-free today. I have been car-free for a while now. It began on a Wednesday, exactly 6 months ago.
At 9:30 am that day, I got into my car, started it and braced myself for a long drive from Gurgaon to Delhi. Five minutes later, having driven towards the Mehrauli Gurgaon Road, I was at standstill. Stuck in a jam on the Ridge Road.
For the next 50 minutes, my sole companion was a motor mouth radio jockey, as I inched towards Delhi. At half past ten, exhausted already, I steered the car in the other direction and parked at the nearest metro station. And boarded the next metro to work.
Sitting in the train as it sped to Delhi, I saw cars crawling on the road below, heaved a sigh of relief and in that instant I knew that I would not be driving to work anymore.
Much as I love driving, two years of the Gurgaon-Delhi-Gurgaon commute had left me scarred. Not only had I lost all patience but also was inching towards insanity. An hour and a half each side, and that on good days. When there were no Kavarias on the roads, no festivals around the corner and no VIP movement.
I would stumble into office muttering profanity, fuming over run-ins with other irate drivers and the lack of basic civic sense in the city. Day after day, I reached work exhausted having navigated congested roads and in a matter of hours, it would be time to do all of that again on the drive back home. My colleagues heard out my complaints patiently every day, for two years. Till the day my own voice started bothering me. I no longer had the stamina. The roads had taken a resolve to become more menacing and the traffic had sucked the will to complain out of me.
That was then. Today, having found the Metro, I am that calm person who walks in to work with a smile on her face and a swing in her step.
And now, I am appalled when I meet people in Delhi who say they have not ridden the metro yet. Not because it does not run on their route, but because they would rather drive. It is even more bewildering when the same people come back from a holiday abroad and talk about having used metros and trams on their trip.
Really? Where have they been? While they were really not looking, the Delhi Metro has in the last 13 years expanded its network in the city considerably and is ranked the second best metro system in the world.
Why drive, use public transport. That is one car less on the road, lower noise pollution and air pollution, lesser heat emission, lesser traffic jams and above all fewer chances of road rage and accidents. Not to forget the peace of mind.
Don't blame me if I sound like I'm judging people because I'm not. But I feel sorry that they are not grabbing an opportunity for a better life.
Especially now, when car-free is the buzzword. The Gurgaon Police recently announced that every Tuesday will be a car-free day (certain corridors in the city will be car-free) and is encouraging the use of alternate modes of transport. Delhi starts today and every Thursday hereafter.
My resolve to use the metro has much collateral benefit too. I walk more, for one. Yes, much of it is through the main roads of one of the most polluted cities in the world, but I would not trade that walk for a ride in the air-conditioned comfort of a car any more, even if the temperatures are soaring high. For all the fitness enthusiasts out there it is the best way to put their fitbit wristbands to use.
Then there is the ladies coach, your dose of livewire entertainment. In peak hour, observe its high-decibel chatter and you realize that you can't hear the public announcement for your station. There are no private conversations here, as people from different worlds come together in the camaraderie of shared experiences. Two women talk about demanding in-laws. There are sympathetic nods all around. And glances that say, "hang in there, it will get better." From drooling over Fawad Khan to arguing over whether Jon Snow is dead or alive, being in this coach is like watching 15 different channels at the same time without touching the remote!
It is nice to see a man offer his seat to women with children or the elderly. There are still those who will make you acutely uncomfortable with their stares, but you also realize that they are the exception not the rule. The people of Delhi have become more tolerant and respectful of each other.
And then there are the love stories. Every now and then comes along one love struck couple, oblivious to their surroundings and the envy of all eyes and make the world seem so much better.
Far away from the madding world of honking cars and knuckles white from holding the steering wheel too tight, it is that haven where I have the luxury of isolating myself in that sea of humanity and just read my book.
The other day, I overheard a gentleman tell someone on the phone, "Please book me business, I only fly Business class". He was clearly a Delhi metro regular.
I smiled. Business class while flying may be, but when it comes to comfort on Delhi's roads, it is on that train.
(Shikha Chugh is Supervising Producer and Technical Director with NDTV Special Projects and Events. She's a globetrotter and explores the world through her lens.)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.