Meet the Carrie Bradshaws of Delhi. They came here with big dreams & haven't looked back
The 20s are to enjoy yourself. The 30s are to learn. And the 40s are to pay for your drinks. When Carrie Bradshaw uttered those words in Sex and the City-The Movie, she had women all over the world hooked. The line had a resonance in New York, London, Paris, Singapore and New Delhi alike, where a new breed of women armed with their dreams, ambitions, open-mindedness, guy troubles and of course, a chic and individual sense of style, is making its presence felt. You can see these women everywhere-at the gym, in the park, juggling shopping bags at the mall, living next-door or downing a pint or two with friends at your favourite pub.
The sequel to the first movie of Candace Bushnell's famous series is hitting theatres this month-end. It's rumoured that this film goes back in time to trace the beginning of the journey among four friends. Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Samantha Jones and Charlotte York came to Big Apple with even bigger dreams. Despite their differing personalities, they stuck with one another sipping their successes and even drowning their sorrows in gallons of Cosmopolitans. The story isn't very different in Delhi either. Thousands of women come here every day with a bagful of ambition and confidence to see their dreams come true. They are as eager to climb the corporate ladder as they are to fill their walk-in closets.
Sharmili Rajput, marketing director of Oriflame, is one such person living in Delhi. She grew up in Patna, leading quite a protected life as an IAS officer's daughter. But she knew she wanted to achieve success and lead life on her own terms. ''I led an extremely cocooned life during my school years. It's only when I came to Delhi for my engineering that I began to see what life was all about outside the protective periphery of my family,'' she says.
That was the early 1990s. Sitting pretty now at her Connaught Place office, where she's in charge of marketing one of the leading cosmetic brands in the world, Rajput wears the look of confidence that she has earned in the last 14 years. She is as proud of her diamond bangle and Tag Heuer watch that she bought with her own hard-earned money, as she is of the chair that she earned through sheer hard work. Like her, Harpreet Ghumman, head of CSD training, Videocon Mobiles, is enjoying her days in the spacious three-bedroom apartment she has all to herself in Gurgaon.
Growing up in an Army family gave her the advantage of a cosmopolitan upbringing. Though she belongs to Chandigarh, she's been bitten by the travel bug early in life and has decided that no matter what she will not let her intrepid spirit ever take a backseat. ''I am enjoying my space in Delhi after spending a few years in Mumbai,'' she says. It took her just 30 days, she says, to settle down in her new life in Delhi when she moved here in end-2009. ''I was always used to my freedom, even while growing up. That's one of the reasons why I go out of the country at least once a year. It broadens your horizons and teaches you a lot,'' says Ghumman. After a long hard day or over the weekends, Ghumman likes to hit the Hard Rock Cafe or F-Bar at the Ashok Hotel, with friends to chill out.''
A generation that was given the confidence to go out in the world, explore it and make a mark for themselves is doing just that. Though still a minority in developing India with its many identities, this breed is slowly and steadily emerging to define the character of cosmopolitan cities.
Chandrika Rastogi, an international travel consultant, finds Delhi very different from her hometown, Lucknow, with its slower pace. ''What this city has taught me is to be patient. Back home, I would scream at my maid if she didn't follow my directions because there would be others available, but here you have to be careful. You have to learn the tricks of survival in a big city when you come from a smaller town,'' Rastogi says.
She finds her problem-solving ability has gone up manifold since she moved here. She spends her free time exploring the cultural diversity that Delhi offers, and when the going gets tough, she flies off to a Mauritius luxury resort where her husband works.
Gen Now believes in working hard not just to build a future but to enjoy the present to the maximum. And to reach the stage where they can assure themselves a comfortable life, they are beginning early in their careers. Chandigarh girl Bhavna Anand came to Delhi when she joined the Shri Ram College of Commerce.
''The thing I enjoyed the most was that I was no longer under the microscopic eyes of relatives and family friends. A city like Delhi gives you the anonymity to do your own thing and be independent,'' she says. Anand spent some time working for Deloitte before deciding to join her family business as the vice-president of MyNutrition Supplements Pvt Ltd (MNSPL). ''I decided to focus on my family business with a long term goal rather than be in an assembly line,'' she says confidently. Anand typifies the goals and aspirations of today's 20-somethings who are as determined about being wellplaced in life as they are about exploring it on their own terms. Like Anand, Kirat Waraich, also from Chandigarh, has just begun her independent life in this city. ''I have lived in a hostel and spent a couple of years studying in London, so I wouldn't say this is my first experience of living away from my family. But yes, it's a first of sorts because now I am earning, being responsible for myself and exploring and enjoying life as it comes,'' says Waraich, who's working in the sales and marketing team of Oberoi Trident, Gurgaon.
A self-confessed shopaholic, Waraich says the shopping bug first hit her when she went to Bangkok with her mother on her 18th birthday. ''These days I like buying things with my own money. Delhi is a great place to shop with all the international brands opening their stores here. You do not have to travel to get a Zara skirt or a Fendi bag anymore,'' says Waraich, who treasures the Armani watch and Gucci belt she bought herself when she interned as a beauty consultant for John Lewis, one of UK's biggest retailers.
Though the move to a bigger city is a conscious, well-thought-over choice made by some, for others it's an impromptu decision. Lopamudra Roy, who works in the publishing industry, says, ''Frankly, I didn't think I would last even six months in Delhi when I moved from Kolkata. But here I am after four years.'' This is the city that taught Roy how to cope with the downside of life.
''The friends I made in Delhi are my closest ones now. They were with me when I was emotionally distressed, feeling low and extremely lonely. Now they are family,'' she says. It's the loneliness in the big city that still makes even the most independent-minded women think twice about living alone, away from their family. ''But till you do that you have learnt nothing about yourself. Today I can say that I can do everything by myself- from signing rent leases to getting my bank documents in order to cooking and cleaning my own apartment. Guess what? My friends back home tell me I have even developed a far better dressing sense since I moved here,''says Roy.
Delhi, certainly, has a way of growing on you. Despite concerns about security, its barely-existent public transport system and feudal attitude, more women are choosing this city for their livelihood, and looking forward to living an independent, single life here. Event management executive with Wizcraft, Malvika Agarwal, says her life in Delhi saved her. ''I come from Bareilly. Both my parents are doctors and they wanted me to be one too, as does any traditional family in India. But I was mortified.
I remember when I was in medical college discussing guys, dating and condoms would be such blasphemous topics that no one would even want to talk to me later.'' Agarwal knew that her calling in life involved interacting with diverse people since she loved the idea of meeting different types of people and learning something from them. ''I love my life today,'' she says. Why wouldn't she? She meets people from all over the country, lives life according to her terms, buys clothes and accessories that defines her character and has enough friends in the city who would rush to help her if any problem came up. With the second sequel to Sex and the City exploring Morocco, maybe the third should move to India.
Guess what?
The sequel to Sex and the Citysees Carrie's ex, Aidan, back. Does that mean her husband moves out of the picture? It's rumoured Spanish hottie Penelope Cruz will keep him company
>Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.
Source:http://in.news.yahoo.com
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