Purana quila, Delhi



The ruined watchtowers stand silent testimonial to the passage of time



Thats a 4 inch thick wooden door - Still beautifully preserved after all these centuries!!

A corner tower

The huge interiors of the mosque in the complex. The engineering skills needed to make such a dome stand are to be marvelled at

View from the top of the thick fort wall as it meanders along

Exterior view of the mosque

Holi in Delhi!!

Winter in Delhi

You wake up in the morning wondering why its still dark outside even when the clock says its 7am?...you look out of the window and see....nothing...only a white smoky world. Delhi is enveloped in thick fog in the morning. Its almost like a huge fire was burning the entire night and by morning the flames have died down leaving behind smoky remains... Ofcourse, you cant feel anything remotely close to warmth. Its cold..and getting colder...

Its my first extended stay in Delhi during winter time. I am extremely curious about the fog. It seems to move on its own, swirling along with the wind. The locals tell me that these fogs are nothing. Later on it gets much worse, when you cant even see a meter in front of you....should be interesting..

Winter is the season of weddings in Delhi. The night air is filled with sounds of the 'Baraat'. There are innumerable weddings happening in the resorts and the party farms scattered around the city. One common feature of all these weddings is the 'lavishness' - truly epitomising the 'Great fat Indian wedding'!! The baraat is interesting. A hapless groom sits on top of a horse, all dressed up and I'm sure praying to God that the horse dosent bolt!! There is a band accompanying, with trumpets and drums belting out various filmy numbers...There are brilliant lights to light up the dancing family in front...The baraat finally culminates in the venue where I'm sure the relieved groom dismounts from the horse and goes forward to tackle his next great adventure called marriage.

In all this excitement and happiness, people somehow forget about the band. The bandwallahs are forced to huddle together in a corner to keep themselves warm from the biting cold as their colourful uniforms fail to offer any protection. The horses are also tied alongside with a piece of decorative cloth or if they are lucky, a blanket on their bodies to keep warm. I am sure they are paid for their troubles, but this is one face of India that is ignored. People, especially poor people, are acknowledged only when there is a need for them, otherwise slipping into oblivion as soon as their 'use' is over. This is an attitude that needs changing if we are to truly aspire to being a great country as we so often proclaim to be.

Evening at the Jama Masjid

The soft evening air is filled with the fluttering of the pigeons, sounds of children running around in the courtyard, giggles and murmurs from discussions...a gentle wind wafts through the place while you sit down on the sandstone courtyard floor, still warm from the day's sun. The sun gently lowers and the sky turns orange red. The wind picks up slightly and then the muezzin calls the faithful for the prayers. The atmosphere is one of pure simple joy...

The concept of the courtyard as a gathering place for people and families is best illsutrated here. The space is so vast and immense yet is held together by the collonaded verandahs all around, with the ablution pond in the centre and the huge structure of the mosque as the focus. The flying flocks of pigeons create a special ambience - settling down and flying together in groups around the space. There are scores of people - families and children of all ages. A lot have come to pray, some just to sit in the courtyard and collonades and soak up the atmosphere. Children are running around playing. There is a place where the pigeons are fed grains, flocks of birds eating...and being disturbed from their feeding by the running children. They rise up into the air as one. There are people deeply immersed in prayer, facing the Mecca. People from the surrounding bazaars come in for the evening prayers while the muezzin calls....soon the power of the place takes hold of you and you are transported into another world in another age...

Corner tower

The fluttering pigeons in the evening create a magical ambience

Delhi extending into the horizon

Bird's view of the courtyard

Humayun's Tomb

Who would've thought that there would be a structure similar to the Taj in pretty much all respects??(except the marble ofcourse!)..well, tucked away in a corner in the Nizamuddin area in Delhi is the tomb of emperor Humayun. This can rightly be said as the precursor to the Taj. The proportions are slightly different but the overall effect is no less imposing than that of the Taj. I particularly liked the combination of white marble & red sandstone, which is done pretty neatly...

The elements of symmetry, perspective, attention to detail, magnificient jaali openings, monumental scale, sense of place.....the simple beauty of the building is delightful.

You must give it to the Mughals for making a statement.

Somehow, for me personally, I actually liked the Humayun's Tomb more than the Taj Mahal(oops..!!). Must be 'cause of the larger colour palatte..I think the Taj is much more of an idea, the romantic story of the emperor who built the monument in memory of his wife....is that what makes it 'more' special? If you kinda overlook those facts, somehow the Humayun's tomb made more sense to me as an aesthetic composition. Of course the Taj is much more refined in terms of its proportions, approach etc, mainly as it was built a lot later when the mughals had perfected their craft. However, the 'blunt' beauty of the Humayun's tomb has a special appeal.

Parathewale gali - Delhi

Any trip to Delhi is incomplete without travelling to Chadni Chowk and its famous 'Parathe wali gali'. This is a trip of pure gastronomic delight..(of course one has to turn a blind eye to all those calories sometimes)...anyways, tucked into a small narrow lane in Chandni Chowk is the place of Parathas...the variety here is pretty amazing considering that its just the common parathas that are turned into so many avtaars...

Here, you find the fare from the ubiquitous Aloo paratha to Meethi paratha, Gajar paratha, Gobi paratha, Paneer paratha, Mixed paratha...etc...etc to the more 'exotic' ones like the Kaaju paratha, Badaam paratha, Kishmish paratha.....the list is never ending...phew!!!
For the more strong willed or should I say strong 'palatted'?, one can try the 'Mirchi' paratha which is absolutely hot!!! A single trip will not be sufficient to savour the different items on menu...Am planning another trip soon...

A Mix paratha

Thats the kitchen on the street

Check out the menu!!