Language studies in New Delhi

Everything is contrast. Boulevards and large major roads of generous dimensions on one side, a jumble of entangled small streets on the other. Buildings of steel and glass on which the sensual architecture of Islamic India is reflected. A dazzling heritage not far from the bazar with its spice scents. Cappucino in a state-of-the-art café or lassi in a traditional small shop. Not choosing will mean getting to know all the aspects of this city, the seat of the national government. In this energising city, English dominates the commotion of languages spoken. Fluently used by the majority of inhabitants of the capital, it is learned with fervour in the rest of the country and allows this multicultural nation to build a common linguistic platform for themselves. From the four corners of the subcontinent, students flock to New Delhi in order to learn the language which has the value of a door-opener. The old city of Delhi and the centre of New Delhi together form an urban agglomeration of 19 million inhabitants. An adminstrative and industrial centre, a crossroads of the main transport routes and a bastion of culture, the capital captivates as much by the energy it gives off as by the serenity it inspires in the contemplation of its monuments of astonishing beauty. Whether it provokes gut reactions or real moving shocks, this city communicates all the complexity of the immoderate growth and of the respect of individual limits. A lesson in life, megalopolis style.