56 august 2019
Reader’s Digest
#WHOISYOURCITY: AGE, SEX, LOCATION?
In July 2019, a Lahore-based digital
media manager posted a quote by the
famed English art critic John Berger from
her twitter handle @izahshahid: “Every
city has a sex and an age which have
nothing to do with demography. Rome
is feminine. So is Odessa. London is a
teenager, an urchin, and in this hasn’t
changed since the time of Dickens. Paris,
I believe, is a man in his twenties in love
with an older woman.” Soon, India's
Twitterati began responding with
descriptions of our cities in human
form. Here are some of our favourites:ÊChennai is a matriarch.
Grounded, loved, earthy. Gives
us the yummiest of food and the
best of advice. Is full of stories that
demand rapt attention. Laughs and
cries with equal vigour. Keeps the
door open for beef biriyani dinners.
— @caselchris1ÊBenarasis an old shayar who
was in love with a courtesan in his
prime and still writes love sonnets
about her performance on his ghazals.
He often sits with his friend Ganga
and talks about how she used to
put flowers in her hair. Ganga never
confessed her feelings for the shayar.
— @Pooja_TripathiiÊSrinagar is a damaged teen
that was abused in his childhood
and also sent to prison even though
he was innocent. All these brutalities
and injustice are turning him into
something even he doesn't know
but the beauty in his heart is still alive,
it's pure. Nothing will change that.
— @sameedshah7ÊMysore is a beautiful woman, royal
and charismatic. Had a glorious past,
but now wakes up every day to realize
that the past is well behind, and the
glory long gone. She lulls slowly wait-
ing for another chapter of her life.
— @sreedhanyaÊ#Shimla is an English lady's rest-
less soul trapped in the body of an old
Pahari woman, it misses the charm of
its youth and writes fog poems for a
lost lover.— @SoulVersifiedÊBombay: late 30s, jaded, bit
weathered. Smokes bidis, carries
pocket watches. Broods alone by the
sea. Man of many talents, gets the job
done. Isn't classically handsome, has
strange scars, really long legs. Throws
his head back & laughs. Has secrets.
Try but you can't help swooning.
— @Shayonnita15