10 years in Delhi

Life lessons I hadn't thought I'd get

Raw and Real Conversation

Heya my friend,

Exactly 10 years ago, I moved to Delhi. With my bag and baggage. Or to make it a bit dramatic, with just one suitcase :)

Here are 10 unexpected and unusual lessons the capital city has taught me over this past decade:

1. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.
   Every city that you live in, it is a reflection of who you are, as well. Which is why every person living in the same city also has a different lens to view it. The city is mostly as beautiful or as bizarre as the one living in it. For me, fortunately it has been the former.

2. I have learnt to take things lightly.
   As a kid and teenager, everything that was a deviation from normal was a matter of tension in our family. I didn’t know when I picked it up unconsciously. Over this decade, I have learnt to take even the worst situations as they come and go. Situations aren’t bold or gold. We make them so, through our perceptions.

3. I have learnt to speak to strangers.
   I walk up to random strangers complimenting their looks (if I like them) or ask someone reading a book to put it up to show me the cover, or just smile at people while walking. The city has opened up the smiley side of me, if you can say :))

4. I have found home here.
   “Home is not where you are born; home is where all your attempts to escape cease." —Naguib Mahfouz. For me, Delhi is that home.

5. I have learnt to say no.
   I had much of it beforehand also, but the vastness of this city has taught me to understand no one is really thinking of you. Nothing could be more liberating.

6. It’s okay to send work messages at odd hours :)
   I just make sure I respond to them at even hours. Zyada pareshan nahi hona. People message when they find convenient. I would respond when I am working. It is that simple.

7. The city welcomes you with all your quirks.
   I have only been respected, admired and applauded for my weird lifestyle and life choices; including by those who are high up in the hierarchy.

8. Hard work always wins.
   I am blessed to be working with multibillionaires, who often refer me to their friends or acquaintances. Without me asking. Goes on to show that hard work and ethics always win. Even in a metro city. Because the tip of the iceberg is always undercrowded.

9. A big city teaches you how to flow.
   You drive 10-20 kms for a friend’s book launch party. Or to go to Bahri Sons bookstore to buy some books. Or go to the airport and have fun just by sitting in the food court instead of the lounge. These are monumental things for everyone in my family. But this big city has taught me that this s a part of life. And you can be at peace even on days you travel so much.

10. Lastly, I have found friends and family here.
    My landlord uncle and aunty are just the best. They treat me like their daughter. Make me meet their firang son and daughter, whenever they are home. Get everything repaired in an instance, without ever charging. Even the friends at my spiritual class. Early this week I went to visit a doctor (all good now), and was met by an uncle from spitritual class, who works with the hospital I visited. He assisted me with everything, going for reports, offering his employee discount (even though I didn’t ask for it). While returning, I stopped at a vegetable vendor, when a friend on her scooty passed by, and offered to escort me home. These are tiny things, but aren’t we all humans made up of love? Well, I found love, for me :)))

There are myriad of other things I can write about the city, but I guess I will pause for a moment and see if these were helpful to you.

I have also found that cities match our personalities. I like the elite-ness of Delhi NCR and its spirit, while making sure I can be me. It allows me to not only dream big, but know all will come to pass. Even though on most days I am working from home, the city rubs off on you. It always does.

Reminds me of this:

For me, that person was the one I found in the mirror. And have eventually come to be proud of :)

I am writing this as I am in a carpool with a bunch of friends, and we are going from Noida (where I stay) to Gurgaon, for a meditation retreat over the weekend.

For a nature and spiritual kid like me, nothing is bliss. And I guess no city other than Delhi NCR would be able to offer that.

I really hope if you get to live in a city that is not your hometown, you feel the same love I have been given by the city of Delhi, and continues to give.

May you find home, wherever you are, my friend.

2 Raw One Liners:

• Everyone must become a part of the rat race in order to escape it one day. Jim Carrey version of the corporate life.

• Learn to dance with your trauma, instead of wishing it didn't exist. A part of growing up is to understand that you can't change your past, but you can make better choices in the present.

3 Real Gratitudes:

1. To be driven on an empty weekend road on NH 44. If you have ever been stuck in Gurgaon traffic, you must experience what the opposite even feels like :)

2. To be healthy. I visited the hospital 4x last week. To visit the doctor, to get my tests done 2x, and then again to visit the doctor. To be able to walk with grace and health, and smile at the guard in the hospital is a privilege most of us have. Can’t say enough gratitude for it.

3. Went to a friend’s book launch party, just to support him. Felt so good to be able to cheer up for a friend. Oh, btw, I returned home and devoured his book “Pixels to Profits” in just one sitting. WHAT. A. BOOK. If you are someone who is remotely related to the Creator Economy or just wants to understand where it came from, you must pick this book up. No, he didn’t click a good selfie of ours, so I’m not posting it. Do pick up the book btw.

On that note, I’ll see you next week my friend.

Stay raw, stay real, and never stop reading :)

Nishtha Gehija

LinkedIn | X | Daily blog | Weekly newsletter

---

Instant access ebooks for your reading, and spend some time with yourself:

The Corporate Life Handbook: The book everyone working a corporate job needs :)
The Career Changing Guide: My bestseller so far :)
How to Deal with Heartbreak: Because, life happens :(
Every Writer Needs to Read this: I wish I had this one, when I was starting out as a writer

This is What You are Looking for (Paperback): Small Life Lessons for a Happier Life