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New Delhi, September 17: There is Afghanistan in my blood,’’ says Sukhbir Kabli. An unusual, simple confession from a Sikh who has lived all his life in the city and has never even visited Afghanistan. It’s a matter of sentiment for the man whose father and grandfather before him have lived in and loved the barren straits of Afghanistan. And for the Afghanis coming to the city—reaching here through an exclusive, expensive, air-only route—it is also a trip of faith.
‘‘We love this land, the people are kind, the police are friendly. Though Pakistan is cheaper, and Iran is closer. We hope to always come here, it’s a matter of tradition for us,’’ say a group of Afghanis in Delhi. For the past thirty years, these people—though a motley, erratic group, arriving here for different reasons—have been converging at Kabli, a hotel run by Sukhbir at Bhogal. With its old sprawling grounds, the attendants speaking Dari—an offshoot of Pharsi and a common Afghani tongue, and with Sukhbir and his son, Inder, looking on, Kabli has been a favourite stopover. ‘‘There were no Afghanis coming in at all between 1992 and 2000,’’ says Sukhbir. Following the fall of the Taliban, however, the number has normalised once again.
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‘‘I have been coming to India for the past twenty years,’’ says Mohammad Kabir, a carpet trader. ‘‘After the fall of the Taliban, I am glad I can make it here fearlessly,’’ he smiles. Most Afghanis come to the city for small businesses, bringing in exquisite Pashmina hand woven six metre carpets, dry fruit and precious gems and taking away shawls and electronic gadgets. Others—a large number—come here for medical treatment. ‘‘We respect people who respect us,’’ says Mohammad Tariq, in impeccable English. Mohammad is the modern product of Afghanistan’s new private academies that teach English and is here accompanying an ailing uncle.
‘‘Indians are friendly and we have centuries old links,’’ he smiles. The current links are those of the happy kind. Afghanis love Bollywood movies. ‘‘There is only one cinema hall in Kabul—and it plays Hindi movies,’’ grins Inder, who’s pet name, Rinku, has been adopted by the Afghanis dropping in.
Apart from watching Hindi movies in the city, another favourite pastime is visiting Ballimaran, which over the years, has emerged as an entertainment hub for Afghanis. Says Amhed Shah, who runs a restaurant, Kabuli, specialising in Afghani Biryani—called Pulao here, ‘‘I am from Afghanistan but had to come to India following the Taliban uprising. When I came here, I saw fellow Afghanis eating bananas and curds and chappatis because Indian food is too spicy for the Afghani palate! I knew then that it would be very lucrative to open a restaurant selling Afghani food in the city.’’
Flavours, not spices, are rich in the Afghani menu—and for Afghani cooking, spices like turmeric and cardamom—used liberally—are sourced from everywhere. And while in the city, MacDonald’s with its simple food is also a must visit.
Shy Afghani women, who refuse to be photographed, have a very special love. They like to pick up Indian saris and convert them to salwar kameezes. The old market in Amar Colony, with its ethnic shops run by Afghanistan- returned Sikhs, is a treasure trove for colourful sarees and suits. Popular shops here like Sunshine cater to women who take home armloads of cloth in bulk.
At Kabli, another evening passes with the drinkling of traditional green tea —poured from a Russian kettle—into glass cups. For the onlooker, it’s hard to decipher the cultural differences between the turbaned Sikhs and green eyed Afghani visitors. Mahman navazi—in this part of the world—is not a lost art. |