Delhi
Shah Jahan loved her, Lord Mountbatten did not want to leave her, and
everyone who’s known her since then just can’t seem to have
enough of her…what makes Delhi tick?
Get to know all about Delhi that dazzles, delights and dances till the
wee hours of the morn, always happening – every month, every week,
every moment of the day.
Sarod maestro Ayaan Ali Bangash takes you into the heart of India's historical
power center that offers the intrepid traveller a wonderful blend of a
historic past and a vibrant present.
Dilli-o-Dilli in a day
Call her Dehli, Dilli or Delhi, India’s capital and nation’s
most cosmopolitan town doesn’t care for nomenclature. You can call
her imperial, colonial, bureaucratic, middle class, business minded, argumentative
or just plain, pretty. But one look at the grandeur of the Red Fort and
the facing Jama Masjid and Chandini Chowk, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament
House and Connaught Circus, the upwardly mobile districts of South Delhi,
her universities, institutions, cultural centres, the sprawling suburbs
of Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad, Gurgaon, her innumerable stately gardens
and you’ll have to agree she’s all that and more.
The best way to visit Delhi is to hire a day-cab. Most
of the sights are grouped together so it is relatively easy to navigate,
though be warned that distances are considerable and traffic, heavy. Do
however, pick up Eicher’s City Map, an excellent road guide and
Lucy Peck’s “Delhi A Thousand Years of Building”, brought
out jointly by INATACH and Roli Books that details Delhi’s architectural
remains through anecdotal text, photographs, line drawings and maps. Guides
apart there are a number of fascinating writings on the city like Pavan
K. Varma’s “Havelis of Old Delhi”, William Dalrymple’s
“City of Djins” and Khushwant Singh’s “Delhi A
Novel” that are worth a read to understand what makes the city tick.
For a few rupees more
There is no denying the fact that Delhi is the place to buy the
most fashionable and funkiest clothes in the country. From designer markets
to bazaar stalls, Delhi exudes confidence of a prima donna that can don
Swarowski studded shawls with as much aplomb as a pair of jeans and khadi
kurta. From the swanky Haute Coture fashion outlets at the five star hotels
and the sassy showrooms of Greater Kailash I (M-Block), Ansal Plaza and
South Extension to ramshackle stalls of Janpath, Sarojini Nagar and Lajpat
Nagar you can get anything your heart desires.
But most of all what you should be shopping for Delhi are antique maps,
posters and books (Hauz Khas Market); world class shoes (GK I (M Block),
Khan Market, South Extension and Connaught Place); sexy lingerie (GK I
(M Block), Hauz Khas and South Extension); cigars (Santushti Complex);
cosmetics (Ansal’s Plaza, Gurgaon’s Lifestyle Store, Khadi
Gramudyog – for herbal range); funky lampshades (Lok Nayak Bhawan,
behind Khan Market) and though too heavy for transportation, furniture
(no other Indian city boasts of the range Delhi can boast of, particularly
on its busy highway connecting Mehrauli with Gurgaon).
Links to info:
Greater Kailash I (M Block Market)
Falls in Greater Kailash Colony sandwiched between Hauz Khas Extension
and Kailash Colony in South Delhi. Not far from Moolchand flyover and
crossing.
Ansal Plaza is on the Khel Gaon Road, not far from South
Extension-Kotla crossing
Connaught Circus, colloquially called CP, is situated
in Central Delhi, near Parliament House
Santushti Complex, run by the Wives of Army Welfare
Association, is situated on the round about of Centaur Hotel, just behind
the Lutyens’ bungalow No. 10 and 11, the residence of the Indian
Prime Minister.
Khadi Gramudyog has several outlets in the city. Check
out its main branch at the Regal Building (falling on the outer circle
of CP between Parliament Street and Baba Kharak Singh Marg)
Lok Nayak Bhawan is situated at the back of Khan Market,
which is located in the bureaucratic enclave of Lodi Estate.
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Fly, Run, Jump
It is said that easy access to recreational sports is
a mark of true world-class city. Delhi, interestingly, is the only city
in the country that makes the cut. Here you can try your hand almost anything
from balloon flying, marathon running, playing polo to practicing Tai
Chi, Kalariyapattu or little known Israeli art of defence, Krav Maga.
If you’d like to make a trip over the Taj Mahal in Agra or take
part (or just watch) the Indian International Balloon Festival
or become a hot balloon pilot contact the one only Ballooning Club of
India. If running is more your style, Delhi will not disappoint you. Here
every year in February you can take part in an international marathon
where the winner gets to walk away with Rs 13 lakh (for men) or Rs 8.8
lakh (for women). The marathon also offers participants the option of
running a 7 km Tiranga Run and the 4 km Veteran Run, both of which are
very popular with Delhi’ites.
Closer to everyday life in the city are the daily exercise regimen propagated
by various clubs, fitness centres and yoga teaching institutes. Among
the most fashionable currently are the Chinese martial art of Tai
Chi, the Israeli defence art of Krav Maga and
the Kerala martial art of Kalariyapattu.
Links to info:
For more on Delhi’s International Marathon and its
schedule
Log on to: www.delhimarathon.com
For Ballooning
Balooning Club of India
8 B Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
011- 23716665
E-mail: baloonindia.yahoo.com
For Tai Chi
Rashid Ansari
Teacher’s Bungalows,
St Stephen’s College
Tel: 011 – 27666435
For Krav Maga
Vikram Kapoor
Indian Krav Maga Foundation
M-6, Saket
Tel: 011 – 51764597;
Website krav-magindia.com
For Kalariyapattu
Murugan P,
Nithya Chaitanya Kalari
94-B, Pocket A
Mayur Vihar,
Tel: 011 - 22617754
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Culture vulture
Got a thing for live music? Then Delhi, the Mecca of festivals,
is the place to be. From Jazz Utsav, Great Indian Rock, Jahane-e-Khusro
(Sufi), Bhakti Utsav to a plethora of folk, fusion and classical Indian
and western musical events organised through the year by various government
and non-government bodies, Delhi is never short of listening options.
To check out what’s playing where and when reach for city-based
magazines such as First City or Outlook’s City Limits or check the
listings in any newspaper.
Always a hub of theatre which counts among its alumni great Indian actors
such late Manohar Lal, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Rohini
Hattigadi and not to forget, the biggest star of all, Shah Rukh Khan,
the capital of India is also where most memorable plays are staged. Two
well-known city hubs you should visit in the city include the Mandi
House complex of theatres and institutions in Central Delhi and
India Habitat Centre (IHC) and India International
Centre (IIC) at the Lodhi Estate in South Delhi.
If it’s fine arts that tickles your palette head for the best galleries
in the country, from National Gallery of Modern Art and
Triveni Kala Sangam’s Sridharani Gallery to the
Visual Arts Gallery of contemporary arts at IHC and innumerable
galleries spread across the city – it would seem that everybody
in Delhi loves a painter, sculptor and multi media artists.
Links to info:
Visual Arts Gallery
India Habitat Centre
Lodhi Road,
New Delhi - 110 003,
Tel: 011 - 24682001—24682009
Wesite: http://www.indiahabitat.org
India International Centre
Lodhi Estate,
New Delhi – 110003
Tel: 011 – 011 - 2461 9431
Website: http://iicdelhi.nic.in
National Gallery of Modern Art
Jaipur House,
India Gate
Tel: 011 - 23382835
Sridharani Gallery
Triveni Kala Sangam
205 Tansen Marg,
Tel: 011 – 23719470
(Sunday’s closed)
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Capital’s night out
Once there was Mumbai. Now it is Delhi. Nothing can match the exuberance
of partying in Delhi. From round the year fashion shows, book launches,
DJ acts, rock concerts to trans and hip-hop packed nights, Delhi is almost
always in the grip of maniac energy. Among the top restaurants, lounges,
pubs and bars you should try out are Qba in CP, which
often puts up live jazz acts, Urban Pind where every
weekend you can listen to some new age electronica, Elevate,
the mega discotheque where dancers rock till we hours in the morning,
Turquoise Cottage where people boogy to hard rock and
of course, Shalom the Mediterranea-style lounge where the food, ambiance
and music may cost a bomb, but the experience is unbeatable.
With its legendary weakness for gourmet food, Delhi is where you can
get the taste of the world. Among the classy high-end options worth the
time, money and Pg 3 quotient are Thai Wok (which serves
reasonable Thai food in the backdrop of the Qutub Minar) and Olive’s
Bar and Kitchen (that whips up delectable Mediterranean fare
in a beautifully renovated haveli), Chor Bizarre next
to Delhi Stock Exchange where you can sample delicious Kashmiri fare in
the surroundings created of bric-a-brac collected from Old Delhi flea
markets and the Lodi Garden Resturant where you can have
fill of Med-cuisine in the salubrious environs of one of the most beautifully
maintained Mughal Gardens in the world.
Links to info:
Qba Restaurant & Bar
E-42/43, Inner Circle
(above Greenways)
Connaught Place
Tel: 011 – 51512888
Urban Pind
N-4, Greater Kailash I,
Tel: 011 – 39514646
Elevate
L-1, Waves Centrestage Mall,
Sector 18,
Noida
Tel: 95-120-2513904
Turquoise Cottage
81/3 Adchini,
Sri Aurobindo Marg,
Tel: 011 –26853896
Shalom Med Lounge Bar
N-18, Greater Kailash I,
Tel: 011 - 51632280
Thai Wok
1091/1, Ambavatta Complex
Meharauli
Tel: 011 – 26644289
Olive’s Bar & Kitchen
Haveli No. 6-8,
One Style Mile,
Kalka Dass Marg
Mehrauli
Tel: 011 - 26643914
Chor Bizarre
Hotel Broadway
Asaf Ali Road,
Tel: 011 - 23273821
Lodi Garden Restaurant
Lodhi Road
Tel: 011 - 24655054
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