We have the New Delhi bug, but the virus doesn't bug the beautiful, of course

Makeover capital

We have the New Delhi bug, but the virus doesn't bug the beautiful, of course. Cosmetic surgery is the new rage in India, and Dilli it seems is the nip-and-tuck capital of the country. Looking good is clearly a very serious affair for 'capitalistas', with the ever deeper pockets of the burgeoning Indian middle class as well as the fact that medical facilities in Indian metros match global standards, Delhi's vain want even more assistance.

A large number of people checking into local hospitals for cosmetic surgery are foreigners but this year alone the number of such surgeries in Dilli has seen increased by 40 per cent over the last year. The trend is nowhere near peaking yet, with the local populace taking to it with enthusiasm. And an obsessed populace with a yearning for cosmetic beauty that is skin deep will clearly keep cosmetic surgeons in Dilli happily occupied in the future.

Two rainy cities
It may be too early to give kudos to the BMC, but it seems Mumbai has, unlike Dilli, had a flood-free monsoon so far. The spotlight has rightly been on Dilli's mounting monsoon woes, which have once again exposed the authorities much-vaunted claim of preparedness for the grotesque chimera called the Games.u00a0

Dilli, a motorist's nightmare at the best of times, experienced some of the heaviest downpours in ages, and so the worst traffic snarls, as commuters tried to navigate waterways, that once were roads. Apart from the litany of lame excuses trotted out by the municipal authorities, the government, racing to finish the Commonwealth Games projects, is an obvious and inviting target for Dilli's resenting commuters. Lucky blokes, Mumbaikars. But the thought that citizens should be grateful for the absence of man-made crisis must be irksome!

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