The city has changed quite drastically since his last visit. ``It now has all the hallmarks of a real metropolis,'' says this 51-year-old. ``You see scenes that are both real and surreal and you cannot help but philosophise,'' he adds, talking of the progress on one side and poverty on the other. But he has great faith in the future of the country, as he's been talking to youngsters, everywhere from Chanakyapuri to the Walled City. ``The youth believe they deserve better and are out to get it,'' he notes with satisfaction.

Buluc is so keen to learn about the country and understand ``the behavioral aspects of the tradition,'' that he's had no time to notice any problems in the city. Apart from the traffic, that is. ``I've heard that New York traffic will never improve as most of the cab drivers are Indians,'' he laughs, grateful that he doesn't have to drive himself. As for his family, ``Hulya is like a local already,'' he says of his talented wife who runs a designer home interiors studio back in Turkey. ``She's going to make a lot of money with all the inspiration she's accumulated here,'' he smiles. Daughter Ebru (20) is studying International Law in America but when she visited last Christmas, the family travelled all over Rajasthan together. ``It was my best Christmas present,'' he declares.

What Buluc enjoys most is interacting with the people here. ``Indians have an infinite capacity for accommodation, which is quite different from tolerance,'' he points out, saying they're always prepared to be magnanimous, ``They also have the talent for understatement and expect it from others too.'' And while he agrees citizens of big cities have to be aggressive, he's touched by the warmth and hospitality of his friends.

``I've been told I not only look like an Indian, but a particularly popular Indian Dilip Kumar,'' he exclaims, ``Someone even presented me a copy of his early movies.''

Whenever Buluc gets some time to himself, he goes sightseeing, especially as he can spot ``the common heritage we share.'' But he also loves spending time at his home on Prithviraj Road. ``It's one of the few virtually untouched 1930 Lutyens's bungalows you see today,'' he says proudly, ``We've kept it almost intact.'' All the same, this career diplomat of 26 years admits he sometimes misses Turkey too. ``I've always had to live in flat cities, so I miss the hilly landscapes,'' sighs Buluc who's been posted in London, New York and Islamabad, ``I also long for a swimmable sea and the atmosphere and temperament of the Mediterranean.''

But he's certainly not complaining. In fact, he's already making plans to return to India with his grandchildren! ``You can read about it and romanticise, but you have to spend time here to understand the real flow of life,'' he says, ``By the time I leave India, I know I will be a different person.''