Delhi City Guide - Travel Guide and Planner to Delhi

Craft of North East, being made in Delhi

2013-04-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Original Article published in the Hindu can be read here: A capital market - The Hindu Read the Unedited version here... North East craft being made in Saddi Delhi, It will not be wrong to say, if urban Delhi consumers do not go the North East to pick handicrafts, well then the handicrafts will come to Delhi. And by this I do not mean those crafts which are sent for selling in the

Chidambaram's New Madras Hotel

2013-04-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, authentic South Indian mouthwatering fare dished out by Chidamabaram’s for over 60 years. This old establishment has it all serving from the usual Idli, Dosa, Uttappam, vada to thali, butter milk, kesari and more. Despite Delhi being flooded with Idli Dosa joints or those serving South Indian food, there are very few which maintain the authenticity and taste. This one does, the coconut

A deck of cards with a Classical Touch Bharatnatyam Dancer Jayalakshmi Eshwar

2013-03-12T05:10:00.001-07:00

The original article in Hindu The Hindu : Features / Sunday Magazine : Dance with the cards Read the unedited version here..... A full hand - set of sequential cards from the 13 cards of diamonds, clubs, spade or hearts - yes that is the typical rummy. Fast track it to the world of dance and it is a set of three cards of Kathak, another with Chhau and top it off with a set of four of

Dhokra craft traditions with a reverse twist - Subhash Arora, a non-tribal dhokra craft artist

2013-03-04T07:20:00.001-08:00

Read the original article in Hindu - The Hindu : Arts / Crafts : Modern master of an ancient craft Craft traditions are usually hereditary passed down from one generation to the next. It is also usual for successive generations on becoming affluent to move away from the craft into more educated lucrative professions. Exploding both these usuals and going against the grain is Subhash Arora

Murthal ke Paranthe

2013-02-09T05:27:00.002-08:00

The original Food Safari: In search of Murthal ke paranthe - The Hindu Read the unedited version here.... Murthal Ke paranthe Paranthas or paronthe (in Punjabi) are what ideal mid morning brunches are made of during the cold winter days. Thus paranthas are made everywhere with all kinds of winter vegetables and eaten with gusto. So can such an ubiquitous parantha actually give a

Shyam Lata Sihare - pickles, papads and more the ole fashioned way

2013-01-23T04:25:00.001-08:00

The Original article in Hindu Mistress of spices CHITRA BALASUBRAMANIAM (The unedited version is .....) A catchy line, “Old Fashioned Gourmet” on a host of pickles, squashes etc piqued my interest. Further probing revealed a passionate lady; Mrs. Shyam Lata Sihare fondly called Amma, who was behind the products. And therein revealed a passion for food and all the ingredients that went

On the Samosa Trail in Delhi

2012-12-28T03:12:00.000-08:00

The original article in Hindu Samosa trail in Delhi Read the full un-edited article here On the trail of samosas in Delhi Samosa, the wonderfully oily guilt laden anytime snack filled with potatoes, is actually a random eat, reached out to when the body needs some instant refueling. It is eaten without a second thought. So what can be different about these wonderful triangular

Bullock Carts in Delhi

2012-06-28T03:52:00.004-07:00

Unbelievable! Yes, bullock carts ply in Delhi with as much ease as you and I walk in it. Difficult to comprehend well, I too did. My hunt for it started as I had to write on India’s mighty bullock power. There were realms of data in all publications, but when I wanted to get images see it in action, it was Nada - nothing. The general refrain, farmers prefer tractors and no one really wants

Repair anything that you want The Cooker Man - An unbelievable Repair centre in the middle of Delhi

2012-04-30T03:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to get old products repaired, fretted and fumed on how it was that there was a reliable repair shop once upon a time and that now nothing seems to be right? This shop was discovered by me thanks to my irritated father, who knew about it, in the middle of Lajpat Nagar and kept forcing me to go there to repair my mother’s 50 year old Prestige pressure cooker. The high dome, a

Heritage Walks

2012-02-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

The history of Delhi is fascinating and what adds to it is that several of the places, monuments have retained their historical identity and they are still relevant today. A brief peek into the interesting facets of Delhi is packed into the Heritage Walks conducted by many experts from time to time. There are several standard ones, several historians of Delhi do conduct such walks in

Shop Hopping in Delhi

2011-12-11T21:22:00.001-08:00

Delhi Ishtyle shopping For a shopaholic, Delhi is manna from heaven, a shopping list reads more like ….handmade glass bangles near Hanuman Mandir, shoes from Connaught Place (a.ka CP), handicrafts and handloom from Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Cottage, ethnic silver wear from Dariba Kalan, gold jewellery from Chandni Chowk or Gold Souk at Gurgaon, browse through Hauz Khas Village or Khan Market,

Lodhi Garden Turns 75 - Delhi's Muse

2011-11-08T02:31:00.000-08:00

Lodi Gardens - Delhi’s muse If there were one modernistic icon which straggles the past and present and holds all of Delhi with fond memories, it is its green lung - the Lodi Gardens. It is the power house of oxygen literally for Delhi, given the acres of green area and figuratively, it is where the corridors of power meet informally at the time of their morning walk!!! A place to be

Markets of Delhi - What is hot n where.....

2011-10-31T03:18:00.000-07:00

Julie Andrews trilled in the evergreen Musical The Sound of Music, Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens….. these are a few of my favourite things….. if it were to be sung again in Delhi, every word in the list would be shopping, shopping and shopping. Yes, it would be mild to call Delhi, a shopper’s paradise, it is a shopper’s addiction binging on the almost maniacal. Unlike other places,

Hindu Rituals – Tam Brahm ones in Delhi

2011-01-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

Death is never discussed, it is never planned and least of all ceremonies associated with it are never thought about. Who would want to visit them again, hearts of hearts everyone knows one has to reach there but no one ever wants to, so it is a much avoided topic. Happy thoughts and ceremonies are welcome, but this is usually a big no no. Call it Destiny, but once it stared us in the face, there

Wedding and a Funeral

2011-01-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I wrote on Delhi. Explore I did, write I could not or rather did not, mentally thousands of words may have been written but nothing on the dear faithful computer. First there was a wedding, and then the lethargy of enjoying it before writing about all those wonderful experiences of the wedding, the preparation, attending…..then came a much deserved but shot trip to

Janpath - Shopper's Delight

2010-08-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Janpath is a “must do” for all visitors coming to Delhi. Janpath is the backpacker, tourist, college goers paradise for clothes, slippers, accessories, odds and ends, bags and more…Janpath was known as Queensway and it is not uncommon for old timers to still refer to it buy its old name. Janpath extends from the heart of Connaught Place down the road till it meets South End Road at the Claridges

Safdarjung Tomb

2010-06-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

Safdarjung Tomb, also called Safdarjung ka Maqbara is a beautiful garden tomb set amidst the hustle and bustle of Central Delhi. The tomb, yes as the name suggests is of Safdarjung. Safdarjung Tomb was built in 1754 A D and follows the precicints of Mughal Architecture in its full glory. The tomb though usually takes a backseat when compared to the other monuments and tombs in Delhi. The popular

Mangoes Galore - Mango, sweet, sour, tangy......bliss

2010-05-31T22:22:00.001-07:00

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The last of the Tongas – Tongas at Sadar Bazaar.

2010-05-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Tongas or Horse Drawn Carriages were once the preferred mode of transport in and around Delhi. Old timers would recall taking the Tonga from Old Delhi, from the Railway Stations (Old Delhi, New Delhi & Nizamuddin) to various parts of the city. My father remembers arriving in Delhi (the first time from Pune and it has to become his home ever since!!) in winter on Guru Nanak’s birthday and taking

Eating out at Chandni Chowk – A curtain raiser

2010-05-12T21:51:00.001-07:00

The good ole Phat phat or phat phati

2010-05-09T21:39:00.000-07:00

Phat phati in Delhi – This was a popular mode to travel short distances especially Connaught Place to Karol Bagh or Connaught Place (New Delhi Railway Station) to Chandni Chowk. The huge Harley bike was suitably refitted to make room for about 7 – 8 passengers. A peculiar contraptions but it was truly a joy to ride it. I miss it and have made innumerable enquiries regarding its operational. The

Bargaining on the Streets of Delhi

2010-05-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Janpath - Textile hawkers from Gujarat

2010-03-10T04:17:00.000-08:00

Textile paradise in the bylane of Janpath, shops upon shop with hand embroidered, hand woven, machine made textiles. Delhi can be called a microcosm representation of Indian textiles. Nearly, nearly everything from India in terms of its textiles can be seen and bought here. So are you a folk embroidery freak? Does the site of beautiful textiles make your mouth water, well then this one is for you

Surajkund Mela – The Craft and cultural Extravaganza

2010-02-13T00:16:00.000-08:00

The Suraj Kund crafts Mela or Bazaar or Fair showcases the abundant wealth of Indian crafts – handloom textiles and handicrafts. It is a craft lover’s delight. An annual event, Suraj kund Mela is held from February 1st to 15th of every year. It is awaited eagerly by hundreds of die-hard faithfuls for it brings some of the finest in Indian crafts under one roof. The Suraj kund Mela which

Delicious sweets for Winters - Halwa

2010-01-15T22:10:00.000-08:00

(Hot – piping hot Gajar ka halwa - the Supreme One!, not to be left behind Moong dal ka halwa and more…)Truly on could sing, all I want is some Gajar ka Halwa. I know, in winter what with ravenous appetites it is difficult to control the craving for sweets and what tops the list are hot – piping hot halwas. Aha they are food for the souls, tasty extremely filling and leaves one feeling warm,