Delhi Photo Diary

Karol Bagh

2012-02-02T09:53:03-08:00

I could have come up with a more witty and artistic title for this post. But I think the title would have been a 1000 words long paragraph. Karol Bagh is a paradox. There is possibly everything that one might need in this market.

Shiny, brand new cars.

A sprawling market full of the best of brands

Clowns inviting you to the latest store of a fashion chain

Men selling cool lime water outside a store offering designer clothes for grooms

Box-shaped-cycle-pulled vehicles

An old, rusted scooter

Cameras
Lights

And many many more things that make this market a shopaholic's delight. So come shopping with me to Karol Bagh :-)

Dilli Haat in January

2012-01-29T10:27:49-08:00

On a chilly winter evening in January one place in Delhi welcomes foodies and shopaholics with open arms. This place is called Dilli Haat. My friends and I decided to go to Dilli Haat one evening last week when the sky was a beautiful shade of blue.

The place was decorated with lights and flags and the breeze ensured that both danced in harmony.

The lanterns and stars gave a rustic touch to the ambiance.

Musicians from Rajasthan kept the visitors entertained while they ate and shopped.

With several stalls of ear-rings I spoilt for choice.

There were several shoe stalls as well which caught my attention.
The knickknacks attracted us the most and we all bought something unique. Lopa bought this keychain.

We left after a round of loud of laughter over a delicious meal.

DIY Project for My Prized Possessions

2012-01-17T02:00:51-08:00

I have mentioned my love for ear-rings several times on my blog. A conversation with my friend Jessica led me to search near and far for an ideal solution to display my ear-rings. After discussing several ideas with friends and family (yes, I take my ear-rings very seriously), I finally zeroed in on this particular way to arrange my ear-rings.

I bought:
1. A beautiful wrought iron frame for Rs. 350/-
2. Wire-mesh for Rs. 50/-

I went to a iron smith to get the mesh welded into the frame. He took Rs. 80/- for his labour.

Used the remaining wire mesh to cut two rectangles for my ear-screws. I raided my cupboard and found red adhesive tape to cover the edges of the rectangles.

Here is the result of the project. I'm now a proud owner of the best system to arrange ear-rings I've ever seen :D

My ear-screws

Long danglers

Wrought iron frame sitting pretty on the dresser

Hoops resting on the design of the frame

My latest possession (a gift from Supriya) and current favourite

Some of my favourite danglers

My new frames rest in my cupboard shelf

The ear-screws on the hanger

Happy New Year

2012-01-10T07:01:55-08:00

Procrastination, it seems, has become my New Year Resolution for 2012. I'm running a little late already this year because I went on a vacation to usher in the New Year.

I began the year on a great note by visiting my best friend, Kanchan and her husband Kshiteej, in Pune. Fell in love with the city. I had so much fun with friends that I forgot to take my camera out for most part of the trip. Kanchan and Tanmay (a new friend I made on the trip) were kind enough to take me to Khadakwasla (a dam) to take some pictures and exercise my shutter as the sun set on one of the first evenings of the year.

We reached the dam just a few minutes before the sun went down. The big banyan tree looked beautiful with its roots reaching the water.

I really enjoyed going shutter crazy as the sun played peek-a-boo from behind the branches of the trees.

And like everywhere else in the world, couples shared some sweet moments on the banks of the lake.

The sun exhibited all its glory in its dying moments.

With the sun setting, the banyan tree once again stole my heart in the golden glow.

The stars also came out to play as Tanmay encouraged me to play a little more with my camera and its settings.

The silhouettes of the hills in the aftermath of the sunset ensured that I fell a little more in love with the city.

The exercise with the camera made us hungry and we feasted on some well roasted corncob.

The corncob being roasted on coal lured me into taking some shots of the brilliant firework.

I hope this year is filled with beautiful sunsets for all of you. I promise to better my frequency of posting blogs and visiting other blogs and posting comments.

Last Batch of 2011 Photographs: Landscapes of Bharatpur

2012-01-07T08:06:13-08:00

A very Happy New Year to everyone. I had gone to Pune for a week-long vacation just as 2011 breathed its last. Since I'm still left with the last batch of photographs from Bharatpur, I decided to show them to you before I begin 2012 on my blog. Hope you all enjoyed welcoming the New Year. I certainly did. More about my trip to Pune in the next post. Here are some photographs of the landscape I took in Bharatpur.

# 4 Butterflies in Bharatpur

2011-12-28T09:13:00-08:00

I had a blast in Bharatpur clicking photographs of these beautiful butterflies. In a world full of birds these insects were beautifully busy in their own world skipping from one flower to the other. After going shutter crazy for nearly 15 minutes I took a deep breath and just soaked it in the moment and a tear escaped my eyelid.

# 3 Bharatpur: Not Birds

2011-12-27T09:47:53-08:00

Birds were not the only living beings I captured in Bharatpur. Here are some other living beings that appealed to my lens.

Cycling couple on the foggy morning

Tortoise

Shutter crazy

Nilgai

Meditating

# 2 Birding at Bharatpur

2011-12-26T02:41:08-08:00

Presenting the second lot of my pictures of birds of Bharatpur.

Female magpie robin

Ghost tree, the nesting place of painted storks

Little owlet

Spotted owlet

Parakeet

Juvenile painted stork making a landing

Flying geese

Little egret (reflection)

Shikra

Cormorant

Will post pictures of some other creatures I saw at Bharatpur in the next post.

# 1 Birding at Bharatpur

2011-12-22T21:56:40-08:00

I went to Bharatpur in Rajasthan to visit the Keoladeo National Park over the last weekend. It was a fantastic trip and I highly recommend the weekend getaway. Here are some of my captures. I have a lot of photographs from the trip and will be uploading some more in the days to come.

White-cheeked bulbul

White-cheeked bulbul taking off

Peacock

Yellow-footed green pigeon

Scarlet minivet

Jungle babbler

Woodpecker

Drongo

Laughing dove

Hoopoe

Black shouldered kite

Indian tree pie

Family of painted storks

Grey heron (front) and painted stork (back) doing a tango!

Brahminy starling

Brahmini ducks (also called surkhab in Hindi)

Shrike (possibly long-tailed shrike)

P.S: Thanks Jaideep for helping me give captions to the photographs.

Happy 100th Birthday, Delhi!

2011-12-10T23:17:58-08:00

Dear, Delhi,

You have essayed a lot of roles in my life.

You have been:

A parent—looking out for me when I was all alone

A dear friend—giving me company when everyone else was busy

An important teacher—providing lessons of history with your array of monuments

A companion—protecting me along your beautiful gray roads lined with lush trees

A sister—sharing your secrets with me and keeping my secrets safe

A brother—teasing me with your unpredictability and at the same time warding off dangers

My love for you transcends words. I hope you know that.

You are the sexiest 100 year old I know. May your beauty grow with each passing year and may you continue to welcome people from across the country and the world with open arms.

With loads of love,
A true Dilliwali :)

Government needs to Reflect

2011-12-10T08:56:48-08:00

The government needs to reflect. The handling of the corruption in the country needs to be done in a better manner. Hopefully, this phase of the campaign initiated by India Against Corruption will yield results and the ministers sitting in the North Block will be able to take sensible decisions.

Here is the Parliament of India, where our ministers sit. These days they function only to pass bills which increase their salaries. make it compulsory for government officials to greet the MPs and MLAs with certain courtesies and ensure that the taxpayers money is used in the worst possible manner.

Fountain at Raisina Hill

2011-12-04T08:50:31-08:00

I was again at the Raisina Hill taking pictures. Fortunately, there weren't many people there and the police were also not in a mood to exhibit their authority and stop photographers from clicking to their heart's content. The fountain was working and the pigeons were having a gala time.

December Theme Day: Action Shot: Photo Drive

2011-12-01T09:58:41-08:00

This is me in action, shooting while driving!

December theme day is here again reminding us that the year is about to end. Generally, I spend the last month of the year looking back at what happened in my life, good as well as bad. The main aim of the exercise is to ensure I do not skip a lesson that life wanted to teach me. The year, tough as it was, taught me to keep going and look forward come what may. This year will be improtant for me for a lot of reasons two of them:

1. I bought my first DSLR camera.
2. I fell in love with the roads of Delhi once again.

How was your year?

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Waiting

2011-11-24T09:20:21-08:00

Ross was waiting Akshat (my younger brother) to come back from college. I love this expression of his :-)

इश्क-ए-दिल्ली Loving Delhi

2011-11-24T23:15:09-08:00

Earlier this year, the Delhi Government held many events celebrating 100 years of Delhi being named the capital city of India. Unfortunately, I was not in the city or in the mood for celebration then. But I think it is never too late to join the party so I decided to explore some treasures of the city I had heard a lot about but never explored myself. First on my list was the Light and Sound Show called, Ishq-e-Dilli (Love for Delhi) at Purana Qila or Old Fort.

The show beautifully captures the history of Delhi, how the city passed on from the hands of one ruler to the other and how several men and women have expressed their love for the city from time to time. I would recommend everyone living in Delhi or visiting it to see the show at least once.

The dimly lit Old Fort and the nip in the air created the perfect ambiance for a magical evening of history, sound, light and love for Delhi.

The number 4 instruction left me a little disappointed but with a huge smile the staff there told me that only commercial photography was not allowed. I could take my camera.

We were greeted with these curtains on the wall that was to function as our stage.

The curtains were raised and history unfolded.

A scene from the Mahabharata.

The Kohinoor Diamond

A Kathak dancer dancing to the song written by Khusro

India Gate

Jama Masjid

Purana Qila

Destruction of the city

Everything turning into ash

Wars with the British led to a lot of bloodshed.

British General

Mahatma Gandhi

The Indian Tri-Colour; The National Flag of India

Tryst with Destiny

Kite flying on Independence Day

Symbolic image of Hindu-Muslim Unity

Celebrations

Fireworks

Home Sweet Home

2011-11-12T10:09:57-08:00

Some new things I added to the living room of my house recently.

Purana Qila Revisited

2011-11-08T09:24:06-08:00

These are the second batch of photographs from my photowalk to Purana Qila or Old Fort with my best friend Kanchan and her husband, Kshiteej.

Purana Qila

2011-11-03T10:54:57-07:00

With a slight nip in the air, exploring Delhi in the morning has become a weekend ritual. This weekend, I went to Purana Qila or Old Fort with my best friend, Kanchan, and her husband, Kshiteej. Kshiteej is a photography enthusiast and it was great exploring the place with both of them. The nice breakfast at a coffee shop later was also fun!

Will upload more photographs tomorrow. Happy November!

The Dance of the Flame

2011-10-29T08:56:05-07:00

With frequent electricity failures across Delhi, candles are a constant feature in homes in the city. I like capturing the different shapes of the flame. Here are a few of my favourite captures of the past few days.

Spreading the Warmth

2011-10-21T04:34:07-07:00

As most of you know, my mother spent close to 6 months of this year in Jaipur undergoing treatment for cancer. Not one to rest and laze around, she along with my aaji (maternal grandmother) and my mami (maternal uncle's wife) she made close to 10 sweaters to gift to the children of our friends and family. Here are some of my favourites.

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I stand alone

2011-10-12T11:55:16-07:00

Holy smoke

2011-10-11T11:01:18-07:00

The smoke of the Dhunuchi.

Ice-cold Move

2011-10-10T10:55:14-07:00

Chuski

2011-10-09T09:49:02-07:00

This is a stand of an ice-cone seller. Ice-cones are called chuski in India and the bottles here are filled with numerous flavours. The sellers usually mix flavours as well depending on the choice of the customers. My favourite is Kala-Khatta. It is a black tangy flavour. Do try it if you get a chance!

iWant

2011-10-08T08:59:21-07:00

Saw this child mustering all his strength to pull his father in the direction of the balloon seller.