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After watching ‘Dilli Ki Bewafa Sardi: A Forgotten Romance With Delhi Winters’, one is forced to think whether there will even be any winters left for future Delhiites to savour and hold on to.
A yearning for the winters, as they once used to be, along with a tremulous, yet firm reconstruction of the little joys the sardi bestows on us... the visualisation leaves you asking for more!
A piping hot kullar of chai, a huddle formed primarily to savour easy banter... Delhi winters are an experience one never forgets.
A determination to resurrect the past. Isn’t that what our nostalgia-riddled beings are craving constantly?
But, for how long?
The video weaves a narrative around Delhi winters where routine visits to the nukkad chai-walla are replaced by indoor activities.
You shut yourself in to protect yourself from the formidable smog. Playgrounds remain deserted and the city, in its entirety, is plagued by respiratory problems.
What was once an affectionate relationship has now festered into a fractured one, feebly supported by face-masks, asthma filters and the need for clean air. The narrator, however, refuses to give up on his beloved. He will fight for her, no matter what.
The narrative encourages the audience to cut down on pollution levels and concludes with suggestions to plant more trees, car-pool with others and take public modes of transportation.
Despite the romanticising of the cold weather, it manages to not give in to excesses at any point!
Delhiites tormented by the not-so-clear air you are breathing in... you cannot miss out on this one.
Written and performed by: Tapan Babbar
Camera: Srishti Chaturvedi
English Subtitles : Tanvi Butola
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