Geetanjali Krishna: The melting pot of Humayunpur

These days, from early mornings to late nights, the roads of our neighbourhood are filled with young people either getting off or waiting for their call centre cabs. Most of them are from the north-east, girls and boys alike, taking advantage of the relatively cheap rents in Arjun Nagar and Humayunpur, the two villages behind Safdarjung Enclave in Delhi. Over the last three years, I've watched with interest as their advent has changed the socio-cultural landscape of these Jat-dominated villages. Hip little cafes with names such as Druk and Freedom have come up cheek by jowl with mithai shops and gyms advertising pictures of beefy wrestlers. Shops that sell trendy export surplus western wear do brisk business in an area where women always cover their heads. And recently, I discovered a busy American-style launderette, with an Indian-style press-wallah right outside.
 

I've often wondered what it is like for the locals to have Khasi, Naga and Manipuri neighbours, and vice versa. A recent UN survey asked people in 80 countries whether they were willing to live with a racially distinct person as their neighbour. Based on the responses, it concluded that India was the second most racist country in the world. Mulling one afternoon over the survey findings, I found myself striking up a conversation with a Manipuri girl, Mary Angom, who was waiting for her friends to join her for lunch in one of the area's many ethnic restaurants.

"I came here six years ago because there were hardly any opportunities for young people in Imphal," said Angom, who lives here with her elder sister. Arjun Nagar was the obvious choice for a place to live as many of their friends and cousins lived here already. "The locals here are already used to seeing people like us," she said. In other localities, her friends have reported that neighbours objected to the smell of their cooking, mode of dressing and so on. "But here, there are so many of us, that these things don't happen anymore," she said. Instead, over the years, she says, Arjun Nagar and Humayunpur have developed the infrastructure that they need. "We have special beauty salons, grocery stores, restaurants nearby... even vegetable vendors!" she laughed, pointing out to an old fellow selling greens.

Angom works in a call centre in Gurgaon, while her sister manages a restaurant nearby. "Finding a job in Delhi is very easy for us. We are educated, speak English and always keep in touch with available openings through our network," she said. In fact, she is currently helping her cousins move in to a small flat near her house. "We helped them find the house as they have just moved from Manipur and don't know anybody," she said. I ask who they're renting their apartment from. "Oh, it's a local guy. We never see him. In fact, we hardly ever interact with our local neighbours," she said. "There are so many of us, you see, that we don't really need to mix..."

By then, Angom's friends began to trickle in. She waved at them and then looked thoughtful: "Actually, come to think of it, none of our friends are Indian... Sorry, I meant local." I watched her go into the bustling cafe that promises ethnic food with a 'taste of home'. As she disappeared, I reflected that the Great Melting Pot of Humayunpur isn't melting any identities, even though it is alive and thriving with new business opportunities. I wonder if when in the sixties, Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Nathan Glazer postulated that you can throw together people from different communities into what you hope is one large melting pot, but they'll still retain their unique ethnic identities - they knew that it would hold true half a century later.