A request: Kindly read the first comment in the comments section, I have a message for all you MSians…
Prelude: This review is dedicated to Delhi the Capital of modern India, which was also the seat of the last Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. Incidentally he chose to rule from Delhi rather than Agra, which until then was the bastion of the Mughals. Delhi today stands broadly divided into five regions, Old, North, South, East and New Delhi. Since volumes and volumes can be written on Delhi, I will try and restrict this review to few aspects of Delhi that I think made an impact on me.
How to get there: Being the capital Delhi is not just connected to Indians cities but also most cities of the World. There are two air terminals, one catering to domestic and the other to Internationl flights. There are five railway stations (New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizzamuddin, Sarai Rohilla and Railway Cantonment) and of course the ISBTs (Inter State Bus Terminals at Kashmiri Gate, Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar) if you prefer to take to the roads.
Where to stay: The luxurious of the hotels are concentrated more towards the southern side of New Delhi. The ones more closer to the heart of Delhi are Holiday Inn, Le Meridien, Janpath etc. One can find comfortable but reasonably priced hotels near Connaught Place. To get budget class accommodations that are satisfactory one should be probably looking around Karol Bagh or Paharganj(near the New Delhi railway station).
What to See: The list is almost endless. In my opinion there are enough places in Delhi to be visited, that it my require at least a fortnight to cover all of Delhi at a leisurely pace. Let me just briefly list places you must no miss.
Old Delhi: Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandini Chowk (market)….
New Delhi: Connaught Place, Rashtrapathi Bhavan, India Gate, an array of Museums, Jantar Mantar, Birla Mandir, Bahai temple (Lotus temple), Birla Mandir….
South Delhi: Hauz Khas, Qutub Minar, Dilli Haat… to name just a handful.
While you are at Delhi you might want to visit Agra (200 kms), to catch the Magic of Taj Mahal.
When to go: The best time to be in Delhi is between late October and early March. Rains are usually between mid June and October. The summer at its peak (May & June) can be scorching and the winters can be a trifle to cold (December to February).
Where to shop: I am not going to give to addresses to branded showrooms. That you can shop in your own city cant you. Dilli Haat is the place to be if you want to pick up something related to Handicrafts, also the Hauz Khas village and the artifacts shops (private and government) that are found around Connaught Place are safe bets.
If you are in Delhi and you are looking for some cool bargains, Palika bazaar (fully air conditioned under ground shopping mall), Sarojini Nagar market and Janpat are the places to be….and remember bargaining is the name of the game. For the even more adventurous Chor Bazaar in Old Delhi is good pick. Make sure you don’t travel to Chor Bazaar in your personal vehicle; you may probably end up buying spare parts stolen from your own car.
My take on Delhi:
Old Delhi is what its name suggests it is - All scuffed up and worn out. It is densely populated, in fact over crowded. Roads are congested, the cycle rickshaws (they are allowed to ply only in Old Delhi) add to the traffic woes. Dirty and polluted are two words that spring up in the mind as one enters this part of Delhi. It is in fact a sad commentary that the part of Delhi that houses the famous Red Fort is maintained so poorly.
By sharp contrast the New Delhi (planned by the Lutyens) is cleaner, greener and less crowded. But then what the cycle rickshaws do to traffic in Old Delhi is done by Traffic signals in New Delhi. There is a traffic signal every 100 meters (No, I am exaggerating let us make that every 120 meters)…. On an average it takes 2 minutes to get the green light if you are stuck at signal, get 10 such signals (which is very probable) you are already late by almost half an hour. The Supreme Court ruling on use of CNG as a fuel has to a great extent reduced the air pollution levels. While I was in Delhi most parts of it was being dug up for the Underground Railroad (Metro) that was being planned.
The traffic sense and the urgency in the city can be judged by the fact that, I rarely found an automobile that had no scratches or dents on it. This was a new experience for me, as the city in which I live, even if their 1980 model ambassador was to get a slight scratch, well the owner would raise the hell….and here thee were Mercs and Mondeos proudly moving around exhibiting their… err…Battle wounds..?? People just don’t seem to have the time, even to pick up a quarrel with the person who banged their car.
Auto rickshaws are the best way to travel around Delhi if you are good at bargaining for a good rate and don’t mind the noise they make. Taxis are more expensive and more comfortable. You can even hire tourist taxis on a day to day basis to cover various sections of Delhi. The buses are mainly for the use of locals and can be pretty confusing trying to travel by them.
Most people though in a hurry were pretty helpful with directions, suggestions and recommendations.
Images of Delhi that I will carry with me for some time:
Long queues (read kilometers and kilometers) of Public transport (buses, taxis, auto rickshaws) waiting for their turn to fill CNG at around 1:00 am in the night (Don’t ask me what I was doing at that hour).
A man clad in khaki trouser and grey striped shirt, urinating against the compound wall of National Museum, just off India Gate.
A 12 year old boy, who would outscore MBA in Marketing, with all his guile and glib talking trying to sell me a pack of hand-kerchiefs…,
The Peace and quiet of Shakti Stal, Raj Ghat, Lotus Temple…which were in sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of Connaught Place, Chandini Chowk…
Excellent food at a Dhaba on the ring road…
How the parking attendant at Sarojini Nagar market refused to take the Parking fee thinking that we were police officers (we were traveling in a Gypsy).
Harrowing waits at Traffic signals, especially the ones caused when political big-wigs are on the move…
Palika Bazar and Chandini Chowk (most of it) are closed on Sundays!!!
The architectural marvel of the various monuments specially the ones built by the Moghuls which had me spellbound… at most times.
Most importantly the contrast between Old and New Delhi that led me to chose the title for this review. I was amazed to see that two entirely different entities one fast, slick and modernized and the other laidback, congested and resting on medieval laurels, could subsist with such ease, on second thoughts I should have named my review “A Tale of Two Different Worlds…”
