Urban jungle, city of beasts?

ALLEN O'BRIEN / TNN / Sep 8, 2005, 23:02 IST

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Some socio-economic reasons make a Delhiite perennially hot under the collar.

Gussa kyon aata hai?
Numerous factors are responsible. ''For a city with an irreverent lifestyle and the unadulterated use of 'behen****', trivial issues are enough to make one person harm another. Even in day to day conversation, fisticuffs are the next step when things heat up,'' says sociologist Arindam Sen of DU.
Singer Shibani Kashyap reasons that ''Delhi's road rage stems from the frustration of power and water shortage.'' Analyses psychiatrist Samir Parikh: ''With no social life and a constant race to overtake the other person, the Delhiite feels that the only way for him to get recognised is to be violent.
'' As DJ Vishal Mallick says: ''The rule is simple: give it back right there, even if costs someone his life. Nobody has patience.''

Gussa kisko aata hai?
Model Shefali Talwar feels that it's primarily men who turn violent. ''Women keep a display of anger at the lowest possible level; men, on the other hand, make a big show of whatever they do.'' however, age, social status and gender seemingly have nothing to do with the Delhiite blowing his top.
Elaborates Vishal: ''It's all about ego. If somebody is a threat to your narcissism, let him have it. While the elite mostly do it behind closed doors, others are capable of doing it in public.''

Gussa kitna aata hai?
Extreme violence isn't an exception. Vishal relates incidents involving ''bones being broken, heads being smashed amid the war cry: we win, you lose.'' Lalit Tiwari, an MBA student at ICFAI feels that ''the extent to which an angry Delhiite can harm you is difficult to evaluate. It's not like this in other metros.
'' That's because, reasons Ferdinand Soreng of DSE, ''Delhi doesn't have a culture of its own. Everybody has a different perspective. It's the survival of the fittest here.''
Anger management
Enough of the blame game, insists Parikh. ''Somebody must set an example. Delhiites must be responsible enough to own up to their own faults. This will not only stop the rights of people being trampled over but also improve socio-cultural relationship in society.
'' VJ Cyrus Sahukar suggests a take-it-easy policy: ''It's time the Delhiite adopted the American mantra of live and let live, just as he has adopted America's fastfood culture.'' Will that ever happen? ''Of course.
Delhi is the centre of infotainment; it can't be long before Delhi is able to hold its cool,'' says event manager Neha Vohra.

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