JOIN USAfter states like Kerala, Goa, Meghalaya and Punjab getting their tagline, it was finally the chance of Delhi to get a new identity for itself. The national capital decided to go for ‘Dildaar Delhi’ as its tagline.
The idea behind the tagline was to sum up the essence of Delhi, its history, culture, modernity and diversity as the city is the gateway to India and receives a record number of tourists every year.
The Delhi Tourism, in association with the Delhi government, had organised a contest, inviting tagline from public. ‘Dildaar Dilli’ turned out to be the chosen one, and it is hoped that the name change would help promote Delhi on the global map.
Although the city is marred with numerous controversies and criminal acts and most
recently with the rape and torture of a 5-year-old, the tagline hopes to change the perception of Delhi.
Metrolife spoke to a few migrants in the city to know their reactions to the tagline.
Spriha Jha, a third year student of Delhi University, said, “I am from Bihar and have come here for my graduation. My parents were always apprehensive about me coming to Delhi, but now these regular rape incidents have only increased their worries. I seriously think ‘Dildaar’ does not suit the image of Delhi.”
Another student Eena Sharma too shares her horror of staying in Delhi, notoriously known as the rape capital. “Although I live with my cousins and aunt in Delhi, my parents living at my native place are always worried about my well-being. And why not? After all, with such incidents happening everyday, anyone’s parents would be worried. ‘Dildaar Dilli’ sounds just the opposite of what the city really is.”
The national capital has mostly been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Though the city has numerous historical places and is a power hub, the rise in crime has left a blot on its image.
“‘Dildaar’ translates to magnanimous, but does it really suit the nature and image of this city? Absolutely not. There are rapes happening every day, there are policemen beating a woman and all sorts of things. Delhi is definitely not ‘Dildaar’,” said Akshay
Kumar from Agra.
If there are some who are angry and don’t like the tagline, there are also a few who are positive about the latest development. “Prior to this tagline, Delhi was always known as Dilwaalo ka Shehar. The tourism department has also played a vital role in attracting tourists and this new tagline initiative will surely rescue the city at least in terms of saving its image and promoting Delhi as a tourism-friendly destination,” said Waseem Khan, a mediaperson from Srinagar.