A Sweet Welcome to Delhi


As I landed after a very comfortable Air India flight, I stepped out of the terminal, wondering which gate to meet my mom at. Using the Airtel phone booth, I figured quickly and coordinated where to meet her. Soon after the call, I realized I didn’t have any local credit card to make the payment. I took out the little cash I had from my previous trip. He looked at the notes and smiled at my ignorance - unfortunately they were not usable after demonetization. I felt deeply embarrassed with no way to pay him.

While the amount was not significant for a quick phone call, he was perhaps responsible to account for every call made through his booth. But despite the accountability and the loss, he smiled to me and said “chalo aap next time de dena”.  Secretly, both of us knew that there would be no next time and I won’t be able to pay him at least the next few years.  It was a small yet sweet act - more so not easy for someone who runs an airport phone booth for a living.

His gesture epitomized the communal spirit I miss staying in the West - a friendliness of the familiar and a connected sense of belonging. Now I know that not every man or woman in Delhi is so generous especially when money is involved, but his act reminded me of the city I grew up in – warm, loving, grounded, diverse yet united. In that moment, there were no gender or caste differences between us – it was just an Indian helping another Indian. I felt gratitude toward him for not only letting me go for free, but giving me a warm welcome to my city! Thank you, buddy for making me feel at home right away.  

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