The rest of Britain may be struggling, but London has had rather a good year. It has just been declared the world’s most popular travel destination — ahead of New York, Paris, Rome and Beijing. To be honest, while tourists bring a lot of colour and the much-needed dosh London thrives on; for ordinary Londoners, it can be rather stressful at times to live in a city overrun by camera-toting and slightly confused travellers loaded with shopping bags, jumping queues at train and bus stations and elbowing you out of shops.
It is also true that without them — and more importantly their dollars — London would not be the “happening” place it is. Tourists, even without deep pockets, are a part of its charm. Londoners still remember how its economy nearly collapsed when tourism dried up at the height of the 2008 recession. So, tourists keep coming. Never mind all that queue-jumping and elbowing out…
However, a more interesting bit about London is that it is also the favourite “end-destination” for so many from around the world. Few great cities have the same pull factor as London. Anyone who has lived here for a while catches the bug.
A Pakistani friend of mine likes to recount a hilarious encounter with an immigration official at Heathrow airport.
“What’s the purpose of your visit, Sir?’’ asked the lady at the counter. “Sheer habit, love”, he replied promptly. To which she retorted that it was the “most inventive excuse” she had heard in her long career, smiled and waved him off.
My friend insists he meant it. “London has become a habit. I can’t stay away from it. I’m 74 but still come here once a year. My family suspects that I’ve a mistress tucked away!”
A globe-trotting Indian businessman with homes in New York and Dubai told me that one of his biggest regrets in life was not being able to spend more time in London. “It’s my favourite city. Look at this, isn’t it lovely?” he said, pointing to the panoramic view of London’s skyline from his fifth-floor Mayfair penthouse.
I wanted to tell him that every Londoner didn’t live in a Mayfair penthouse with lovely views, and that I lived in a shoe-box of a studio flat from where the only view I had was of a dull brown housing estate opposite, and rows of single and double yellow parking lines below. But I still love it.
London, it seems, is everybody’s favourite city — from Bollywood prima donnas and dodgy Pakistani politicians to high-flying “intellectuals” and down-at-heel East European and Latin American cleaners. Not to mention third world diplomats who have acquired a reputation for digging in their heels until push comes to a shove.
I had an Argentinean cleaner who decided to return home because her boyfriend, a chef, had been offered a job in a big hotel in Buenos Aires. But barely a few months later, my phone rang.
“Hi, Hasan... it’s Renata. I’m back!” she trilled. Apparently, she missed London “too, too much”. This is a woman who spends the entire day in trains and buses rushing from one end of London to another to clean people’s homes for £10 an hour. By the end of the day she is so tired she couldn’t care less which part of the world she is in so long as she can have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep! Yet, living and being part of London matters to her. “I love it here,” she insists.
There are foreign journalists who come here on short postings, and stay on for ever. Well, I am one of them! I know people who preferred to quit their jobs when told to return home rather than quit London. Some live in shared accommodation or bed-sits while struggling to survive in this expensive city. They would rather be down and out in London than flourish in Delhi or Karachi.
So, what is it that makes London such a hard-to-kick habit?
People give different reasons. From its “vibrant” cultural life — its famous museums and galleries, its bookshops, the West End theatre — to its great public parks and efficient transport system. But I believe what we cherish most is its cosmopolitanism and the anonymity it offers. It is a great melting pot in which nobody feels like a stranger (because in a sense everyone is a stranger here), and there is no pressure to conform. Nobody cares whether I’m an Indian or a Pakistani; a Hindu or a Muslim; or what I do; whether I’m single or have a partner. People in India are surprised when I tell them that it is easier to rent a house in London than in Delhi where I was routinely turned down because I was a Muslim. I can walk down Chelsea’s fashionable King’s Road without worrying how I’m dressed. Nobody gives a damn. London leaves you alone. And that’s what I love about London.
If I were asked to give five reasons why foreigners find London so seductive, the top of the list would be quality of life it offers to all — in some measure. You don’t need to be flush with money to enjoy its delights and comforts. And share its rich cultural fare. Museums and many galleries are free. Its well-stocked libraries are a boon. Yes, theatre is expensive, but then there is the South Bank and National Theatre with its £10 tickets.
Other pull factors include London’s discreet bourgeois charm — its smart casualness, if you like; the air of inclusiveness it exudes without trying to impose itself on you; its sense of history evident in the way it preserves its old buildings; and last, but not the least, its orderliness and discipline. Speaking of which, I must stop because I can see a traffic warden approaching my car which I left on a yellow line. Come on, London, what the hell!
