Just back from a trip to Mathura via. Delhi. It’s so cold up there, you hardly feel like unwrapping from the huddle you get yourself into even to visit the restroom. And, Mathura really needs some vacuuming; the birth place of Lord Krishna is a virtual garbage dump – with filthy streets and every building an eyesore. But, the people up there are genuinely warm and welcoming. I find it fascinating to observe that these people, exposed to centuries of poverty, warfare and the wrath of the seasons are less excitable compared to those of the South, who have had a relatively easier time with those very enemies of peace.

Of course, I’ve heard of the notorious tempers of the residents of Delhi, but I’ve found the common man to be less sohisticated and more open than one from the the South.