Posted:
| Chronicling Delhi's evolution since The Pioneer came here 15 years ago |
| From city of djinns to city of pioneers Delhi has changed incredibly in the 15 years that The Pioneer has been here. We aren't suggesting that India's Capital has metamorphosed because of us, but we are proud to be an integral part of that change. Established in 1864, The Pioneer was essentially a UP paper, with full-fledged editions published from Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Moradabad till the early 1990s. It was only when Ballarpur Industries Ltd (Bilt) took over the ownership from the Jaipuria Group in 1991 that the headquarters shifted from Lucknow to Delhi and the Capital's discerning reader got an opportunity to savour a smart, thought-provoking newspaper that dared to be different, along with their morning cuppa. Since we journalists at CMYK Printech took over the then ailing publication in 1998, India's only "Paper with passion" has grown from strength to strength thanks to your blessings. |
| It was about the same time that Delhi's transformation began. From what was essentially a sarkari city it blossomed into the throbbing nerve centre of India. In 1991, India opened a new chapter in its evolution breaking through the bondage of moribund socialism and license-permit raj. Economic liberalisation opened new vistas of growth and unshackled the Indian genius as nothing else had done before. |
| In 1993, Delhi got its own elected Assembly and a significant measure of self-government. By the time the new millennium dawned, Delhi had taken wing, soaring over all other metros in India and knocking at the doors of the exclusive club of world cities such as London, Paris, New York, Singapore and Tokyo. |
| Cities are living organisms and need energy, commitment, passion and compassion to thrive. In other words it's the people who make the difference between a somnolent city and a vibrant megapolis. To celebrate The Pioneer's 15th anniversary in this city, we pooled together the men and women who have made a real difference to Delhi over the last decade-and-a-half. The idea was to capture their sterling qualities in their own words, to bring you a collage of pioneers of contemporary Delhi. |
| Today you cannot think of Delhi without its swank flyovers and landscaped gardens, the metro that has dramatically altered the way we travel, the shopping malls and boutiques that have reoriented the way we look and dress, multiplexes that have added a new dimension to entertainment, the cuisine revolution that's altered our food habits, the ubiquitous cellphone that has revolutionised interpersonal communication, super-speciality hospitals that have changed the manner in which we handle ailments, the gym boom that's made us acutely health conscious, or the real estate explosion that has brought a home of one's own within the grasp of the middle class. |
| Incredibly, the quality of life in Delhi has improved in the last decade with innovations like a CNG-run public transport system that has miraculously upgraded the ambient air quality despite the city having nearly 6 million vehicles on its roads. No other city has witnessed so much change in so short a time span and that too for the better. |
| Personally speaking, I came to this city in 1972 as a lanky 18-year-old to study at St Stephen's College, one of India's landmarks. I hated being uprooted from Kolkata and was determined to return after completing my studies. But, like AR Rahman's music, Delhi crept into my soul within a few years. It's kept me here virtually ever since. Like millions of others who came here in search of opportunity and excellence, I too regard myself as an unabashed Dilliwala today. |
| I want to see my city get better and better, eventually obtaining its rightful place in the select category of world cities in my lifetime. More than 150 years ago, it was prophetically asked "Kaun jaye, Zauq, Dilli ki galiyon ko chhodkar?" Today, the answer is loud and clear, "Koyi nahin, kabhi nahin"! http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Col umnist&file_name=mitra%2Fmitra222.txt&writer=mitra |
Cricket
Arjun
Jhanak
Tum Se Tum Tak
