Home away from home

10 years now and it still never ceases to amaze me the buzz I get when I walk down the streets of London. What is it about cities like London, Paris, New York or Mumbai? Is it their long histories or the numerous generations that have lived and shaped them in their one special way? Is it the millions of dreams that people bring that light them up or is there something more?
Be it the murky, mystical waters of the winding Thames, the historical stone buildings of Whitehall, the reverberating chimes of Big Ben, the electric pulse of Trafalgar square, lazing on the greens of Hyde Park or the fleeting cloud cover that forever seems to threaten the city, there is something special about London.
People often  highlight the negatives of city life, the crowds, high crime levels, pollution, expensive lifestyles, blah blah. But I never seem to see any of that when I'm walking down Oxford street, carried forward by the bustling crowds. In which other city in the world do people worry about the mood swings of the weather like a temperamental loved one? A pub in every street corner with the weirdest of names - 'The horse and saddle', 'The dog and and the bone', some of the best restaurants in the world, the stamping ground for fashion power houses, the eternal words of the Beatles, the drama of  Westend and so much more.
What is it that makes a city great? What is it that leaves you wanting more? The answer has to be the people, the hoards of people that flock there, their diversity yet their unity.The fact that you can find a Chinese takeaway next to a tapas restaurant, sushi and frozen idlis at the local supermarket, being minutes away from a curry house in any corner of London, the knowing that you are accepted no matter what and can choose to cling to your identity or blend in harmoniously.
It's the people that weave in the colour and patterns like the silken threads of a tapestry, giving it a live that breathes and throbs. It's them that make you come there and leave you spellbound.
India lives at the very essence of me but why should that stop London from having a special corner in my heart?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTsIMVIWjlQ