Too busy to have fun? - Living in fast-paced cities can be fun, but that doesn't seem to be the case with young professionals in Delhi, who yearn for star spangled nights, a brush with nature, more time with friends and family, relaxing vacations or even doing simple things like catching a movie or going for coffee with friends.
We got talking to professionals in their 20s working in the metro or the NCR region about what they are missing out in life because of working in fast-paced cities, even as they spelled out if they loved or hated the 'metro buzz'.
Says Kamala Bopana, 25, who works in the HR department of an IT company, "With me it's not always long hours but irregular hours too that I have to contend with. As I work in something which supports business directly, so it could require me to work in the middle of the night or cut short a vacation." A film buff, Kamala says, "I wouldn't mind catching a movie a week, but thanks to my work by the time the weekend comes I am too tired to make it to the theatre. I also lose out on things I really want to do, like picking up a dance class." The young professional, who lives in Delhi and commutes to Noida for work says, "Staying in a metro takes away that quiet, alone time with yourself and relaxing moments with family and friends." She says, "My cell phone keeps buzzing with mails, worrying me even on vacations." Kamala, who concedes that, "Just basic chilling out is not happening," says that she does try to get "a Saturday night out with friends." And no Delhi is not all pain either. "The thing I love about this metro is the so many million things to do that it offers. And I like the metro noise sometimes," she smiles.
Harpreet (name changed on request), 25, who works in the energy sector moans, "I spend ten hours in office every day. Even if you are with friends on a Sunday, you are up against time, especially in a place like Delhi where you may have to commute for two hours to meet a friend." And yes Harpreet, would only be too happy to trade his life in Delhi for a quieter one in a smaller town. The only thing that's keeping him here, he says is his work with a theatre group.
Kaashika Bhalla, 26, who works for an international consultancy says, "On weekdays, I don't really get to spend time with my folks or friends because I am either in office or commuting between Delhi and Gurgaon, where I work. The commute takes everything out of me. But yeh, I have weekends to myself." Kaashika, who prefers going home on days she gets free from work early because she is "too tired to go anywhere" admits, "I am too much of a Delhi girl to live elsewhere."
Apurv Sharma, 28, senior manager, business initiative, working with a corporate training company, says that he has been missing out on "tons of things" because of the long working hours and difficult timelines on certain projects. "I've had to skip three marriages of my first cousins in the last couple of years. A lot of time which I should spend with my family is devoted towards office," says Apurv, who has not gone on a vacation in the last two-and- a-half years. "I feel that people living in Delhi cannot stay for long elsewhere but for an even faster paced Mumbai. Despite the stress, if you go on a break to a slower paced place, after a week or ten days, you want to return to Delhi.Even if you go for work, the way those cites move, it's not enough to give you that kick." He adds, "I may not have the energy to go to discs on Saturdays but on weekdays I do catch up with my friends for coffee." Apurv, who lives in Delhi puts in nine hours of work everyday, besides three to three-and -a-half hours of travel to reach his work place in Gurgaon, which tots up to around 12-and-a-half hours of time devoted to work. The one thing that he really misses living in a metro is the connect with nature. Once in a while you want to be in a place where you don't hear the regular metro buzz, just a quiet place where you can introspect, he says. However, he concedes that his hectic pace doesn't leave him with time even to go to nearby places for a break. ( indiatimes.com )
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