7 February 2025
India feels different. Or perhaps I am different. In just over two years, everything about me has changed—yet, at my core, I am still me.
Even for a confident, experienced traveler, India can be a challenge. I will never forget the first day I arrived in 2022. Excitement quickly turned into bewilderment as my taxi wove its way through Paharganj. Exhausted and overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of it all, I felt a flicker of fear whispering, “You could be one of those newspaper headlines—’Tourist disappears in the alleys of New Delhi, never seen again.'” If the taxi driver hadn’t walked me to the door of my hostel, I would have never found it. The maze of market stalls and alleys blurred into one, and even after days of exploring, I would still find myself staring up and down the main street, utterly disoriented.
But today, in the crisp winter air, Paharganj feels different—less overwhelming, more familiar. It’s a funny thing to say, but without the relentless summer heat causing sweat to drip down my spine, it somehow feels less intimidating. The streets are quieter, the crowds thinner, and the atmosphere lighter. Perhaps, though, the real shift is within me.
We don’t always realize how much we shape our experience of the world—how much control we truly have when we master our own energy and perception. The maze of copy-and-paste shops, the relentless honking of motorbikes and tuk-tuks, the sensory overload—it’s all still here. But this time, it no longer throws me off balance.
Steaming coffee in hand, I watch sleepy shopkeepers sweeping the dusty streets, setting up for the day. I take a deep breath and smile. Amidst the peaceful madness, the unhurried rhythm of “Indian time,” and the comfort of a perfectly spiced thali, I feel something unexpected.
I am happy. Happy to be back in this land of vibrant contradictions. And somehow, even though Delhi has never been my favorite place, this time, it feels a little bit more like home.
