voyage india

Delhi food street -Hauz khas village

2011-12-01T23:34:00.001-08:00

Delhi Intensive - Old Delhi

Hauz Khas Village -Urban Village no-1 – DELHI’S FOOD STREET

Its been 2 decades since someone had quite aptly described Hauz Khas Village "
"Hauz Khas Village’s preferred mode of locomotion is designer bullockcart,
raising designer dust, causing designer dislocation of spine on encounteringdesigner pothole!!! Well , designers are also the ones who put it on the worldmap such that its not uncommon for a curious traveller who has just descended in the capital to ask for Hauz KhasVillage in the same breadth as Khan Market or Emporio.

The one big difference is that Hauz Khas village is for theyouthful frolickers, creative minds, musicians and followers of the Republic ofBohemia!! With art galleries , boutiques, travel cafes such as Kunzum andspecial interest travel such as mine - Oasis World and several otherspecialists such as Wild World India and Banjara Camps each catering to theirselect clientele.

Its making most of the news for the food these days!
The biggest draws are Amour (Mediterranean ), Yeti ( Himalayan) & Out Of The Box ( a nice pub being renovatedafter recent Fire!) opening up again for a grand view of the monuments lake andgreenery from their rooftops , and Kafe d’or ( mostly Italian) and hold yourbreadth --- Tango - a Latino Restaurant run by Bhuvanesh!! Smaller coffeeplaces such as Bagel Cafe , Emma’s cafe and Flipside cafe
Already establishing themselves in the village are Gun Powder a very affordableeatery for south Indian or Peninsular non veg and with the finest lake view.
The Living Room cafe & Kitchen is one of the finest and Mediterranean food joints in town and quiteatmospheric in the evenings with some great music on most weekends.

With all other regular eateries such are Naivedyam and Park Balluchi stillgoing strong die hard Foodies are hoping to see better days!

There is a much improved parking lot and steet lighting and unlike before mostvisitors can now still get a taxi or an autorickshaw driver to come herewithout a major scuffle. The Metro linesbeing complete it is not too faraway ( 2 kms) from Green Park station

One of New Delhi's most fabulous patches of greenery surrounds Hauz KhasVillage , a nice walkaway around a lake and some impressive Lodi Sayyid period monumentsdot the region.Adjacent to the crowed lanes of the village another world thrives.Some very docile spotted deer roamed around quite abundantly in this lung ofSouth Delhi being blessed with good vegetation and water bodies was a haven forthe winged and feathered species ! The Island on the lake looks like a goodbreeding spot for waterbirds.

Thankfully not too much designer hype but still very bohemian good clothes ,shawls, some decent food, gifts, jewelry, leather, art galleries, travelagencies, fashion institutes, advertising agencies, event managers but moreimportantly its quite quiet and laid back. Its quite stylish and has got somereal wacky names and unlike a standard DDA shopping market
All in all its nice to be part of Hauz Khas village after the last two decadesof rumble and tumble.Please visit and call me if you need directions.

Ramesh, 2 Hauz Khaz Village ,Ground floor New Delhi -110016,
26851454, 9810009248

The Heritage Walk of Old Delhi – Jain Mandir, Bird Hospital, Gauri ShankarMandir, Dariba Kalan, Jama Masjid, narrow streets and alleys of the 17 centwalled city, Kinari Bazaar, Gurdwara Sis Ganj, end the walk with a mouthwatering Indian cusine at Haldiram’s.

There seems to be a renewed interest in revisting our heritage . Everyone istalking about it.

Why not explore it.

The tour begins at 0800 hours except Sunday being a closed day.
Jama Masjid, the magnificent Friday Mosque which dominates the landscapewalking through a myraid of galis ( narrow lanes) in the Chandni Chowk areawhich is one of the busiest market area in India with spicy roadside cuisine,jewellers, retreaded tyre shops, cycle repair shops, spices, office stationeryand decorations for every Indian ceremony.
Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Christians and Sikhs enjoy a symbiotic relationship forcenturies.
Their places of worship are all well worth a visit as they are living example ofpeaceful coexistence. However like many places in India dressing appropriatelyis the key and helps in bridging western and Indian cultures.
Remember on such cultural trips to avoid exposing your limbs and covering yourhair with a scarf is important in the religious places of worship; shoes andsocks are to be removed. At the Jama Masjid ladies are provided with amandatory gown to be worn over their clothes. In the Jain Temple it is alwaysneccessary to remove leather garments and even belts.

The food is definately worth a try. Try and nibble a few kababs or even try aspicy vegetarian parantha and top it with some local sweetmeats.

Ramesh, 2 Hauz Khaz Village ,Ground floor New Delhi -110016,
26851454, 9810009248

Mehrauli Walk

Mehrauliis extremely interesting; it is Delhi’s oldest continuously inhabited localitysince the 8th century. Obviously, the long history translates into a number ofold buildings and structures, dating back to the close of the 12th century, andright up to the end of the British Raj. Through the 18th, 19th and early 20thcenturies, Mehrauli became a popular retreat for the British and the rich andpowerful of Delhi: those who could afford it invariably built a mansion herewhere they would come now and then from north Delhi for a holiday.

The walk begins by strolling up the easy slope to a crossroads, the MehrauliBus Terminal. This is a crowded and busy area, and helps being watchful ofbuses racing along at full speed as they move in and out of the terminal. Thefirst of Mehrauli’s interesting buildings: the Public Library is a circularbuilding, fringed by a verandah of pleasant arches, topped by a dome. A small,obviously colonial building, newly whitewashed and in thankfully goodcondition. The hillock is dominated by the Tomb of Adham Khan a general in thearmy of Akbar – the greatest of the Mughal Emperors. We walk up the stairs andwander into the tomb and take photographs. Like most places in India childrenfrom the neighborhood are in abundance noisy but cheerful born posers for thecamera. Cross the main square opposite the tomb for the road to the Dargah.

The Dargah, is the shrine or tomb of the 13th century Sufi saint QutbuddinBakhtiar Kaki, and one of Delhi’s most important centres of pilgrimage. Overthe years much of the shrine has lost its original form hence we skip thedetails but stop by on the way to admire the impressive step well - Gandhak kiBaoli, recently cleaned by the Archaeological Survey of India. We walk on,passing two tall stone structures on either side of the lane. These formed theNaubat Khana (the drum house) to the dargah. Musicians would sit in the balconyof the drum house, and play on kettle drums to welcome visitors to the shrine.The structure on the left has been taken over by a local gurudwara . Thestructure on the right is more or less intact, made of good solid stone withbeautifully carved oriel window supports on the sides. We continue our walkpast the Naubat Khana, to the doorway of the Dargah. There are shopkeepers hereselling chadars of green cloth embroidered in glittery golden tinsel; rosaries;roses; and other votive offerings. We turn right and walk on till the laneopens out into a square, with the red sandstone-and-white marble gateway of theZafar Mahal, where the last Mughal Emperor and his beautiful queen Zeenat Mahalwere kept captive before being transported to Rangoon.

Thispalace has lots of intriguing features, so takes up a good bit of our time.When we emerge, turning left go up a narrow lane past two old tombs, bothfour-sided, somewhat conical domed roofs. One’s been turned into a groceryshop; the other appears to be a home. The lane—by now less than four feetacross—slopes up slightly and joins the main road of Mehrauli Village. A man isselling raw sugar - gur in its myriad forms: large discs of orange-gold, sacksof pale yellow shakkar; heaps of brown bura powder. All of it smells gorgeouslyintoxicating, but with the dust of the road right there and the numerous flies,one may wonder how hygienic all of this is. Further down the road, past shopsselling gaudy polyester saris aglitter with sequins and tinsel, a man isselling large bunches of brown tobacco, hung upside down from the rafters ofhis shop. Below stands a row of earthen chillums and gleaming hookahs andhousehold articles and utensils.

Even though this was once the main Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, be prepared- it’snarrow: two cars coming from opposite directions can cause a traffic jam ifthere happens to be a hand or bullock carts not to mention a cow spawled in themiddle of the road !!! all jostling for space with screeching scooters ,motorbikes and vegetable carts .

In 21st century India can technology be far behind even in medieval villages .Optic fibre is being laid in the same place local municipal crew is slogginghard with some smelly sewer work: they’re manually lifting filth out of theopen drains and piling it into a deep-sided cart pulled along by a large andpatient bullock. We hold our noses and race past—only to run into the mother ofall traffic jams: a buffalo with a consignment of large steel pipes or brickshas spilt across the road, effectively choking half of it off with an impatientlorry driver, and pedestrians alike.

We squeeze past, walking intrepidly through the slow moving traffic furtherdown the road, looking at traces of old architecture: semi-circular arches,Greek columns and shuttered windows in buildings; traditional dripstones withsandstone supports in another. We go past the Jamaluddin Building—conspicuouslylabeled, its name and date (1940) spelt out in plaster below the ornatefacade—and the Kali Prasad Haveli, a much more typically Indian mansion.

The road opens out at the Jahaz Mahal, the boat shaped building beside whichmen sit selling spices: huge yellow heaps of turmeric and bright red driedchillies contrasting with the dull red and grey bulk of the building. We wanderaround Jahaz Mahal, admiring the carving on the pillars and braving thetreacherously narrow, steep staircase to climb up onto the roof and look outover the water body - Hauz Shamsi beyond.

It’s a long walk back to the parking lot, but its worth ending the walk at via thebeautiful flower market .

Nizamuddin Visit

13^TH CENTURY SUFISM IN 21^ST CENTURY NEW DELHI

Ever wandered what Sufism is all about???

Nizamuddinlike many other villages of New Delhi has an interesting medieval touch is inthe heart of town not very faraway from Humayun’s Tomb and at the end of LodiRoad

If one wanders here in the evenings one can get a feel of Sufism is "thename given to the mysticism of Islam"

Sufism spread within a century to nations as diverse and widely separated asPersia, India, Indonesia, Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia and North Africa.

Sufism had succeeded in inculcating the sentiments of fraternity, equality andequity, coupled with sense of service to humanity, in the followers,irrespective of race, community, caste, creed and colour
It is founded on the pursuit of spiritual truth as a definite goal to attain.According to many scholars, it is impossible to relate Sufism to any religionoutside of Islam however for centuries in India its followers had a sizeablenumber of Hindus and even today the shrine is revered by Hindus and Muslimsalike who believe a prayer here at difficult times can do wonders..

It gets it name form Hazrat Nizamuddin the famous saint who lived here in the13th century. His Tomb became a shrine and is headed by a Pir who is adescendant of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s sister as he himself was a celibate. TheSufis followed austere lives but that life is difficult to follow and now inmodern day 21st century Delhi this practice became almost non existent anddonations from visitors keep the place going. Nizamuddin is dotted with manytombs as it was considered a peaceful resting place. Amir Khusrau the famouspoet, Jahanara the daughter of Emperor Shahjahan, Mughal emperor Mohamed Shahthe brothers of the last Mughal Bahadur Shah Zafar all have their tombs here.

Inayat Khan Sufi the mystic who has a good following in Europe also has adargah here. His mother was was a descendant of Tipu Sultan family from Mysoreand migrated to the west in the early 20th century and settled in Suresnes nearParis. Inayat Khan's daughter Noor-un-Nisa served with British militaryintelligence during the Second World War but was captured by the Nazis inFrance and executed at Dachau concentration camp in 1944, posthumouslyreceiving the highest civilian wartime awards of both France (Croix de Guerrewith gold star) and Great Britain (George Cross).

For those not initiated to Sufism do not be disheartened as Nizamuddin is wortha visit even for the quwwali music which is played every evening and finemughlai cuisine in the very affordable restaurants around the village. Howeverlike most public places in India it helps to dress modestly. Carry a scarf!!!!

Ramesh, 2 Hauz Khaz Village ,Ground floor New Delhi -110016,
26851454, 9810009248

Health Regulations

For entry into India
Any person, Foreigner or Indian, (excluding infants below six months) arrivingby air or sea without a vaccination certificate of yellow fever will be kept inquarantine isolation for a period upto 6 days if:

1. Any Foreigner or Indian arrives in India within 6 days of departure from aninfected area.
2. Any Foreigner or Indian has come on a ship which has started from ortransited at any port in a yellow fever affected country within 30 days of itsarrival in India provided such ship has not been disinfected in accordance withthe procedure laid down by WHO.

For leaving India
There is no health check requirement by Indian Government on passengers leavingIndia.

For further details and updated information, please visit
www.immigrationindia.nic.in/health_regulations.htm

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DELHI LATEST FOOD STREET Hauz Khas Village

2011-04-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

CRITIQUES RESTAURANTS ET CAFE Hauzkhasvillage.in

TLR – The Living Room Cafe & Kitchen

Ici vous serez servis dans un cadre lounge et tendance. Des succuleux plats de poissons en passant par les hamburgers maison ou les desserts comme en Europe, vos papilles vont se régaler. Une agréable pause occidentale dans votre vie indienne. Toutefois la qualité a un prix : prévoir au minimum 500rs par personne..

BAGEL CAFE

Dans un cadre décontracté, la sympathique équipe du Bagel café vous proposera sa spécialité : les sandwichs dans du pain Bagel. Vous trouverez ici du véritable cheddar ou encore du saumon fumé. Et on ne vous parle pas des desserts ! A recommander pour une pause déjeuner avant une balade dans le parc.. Prix à partir de 200rs par personne.

KUNZUM

Inimitable café a Hauz Khas village ! Ce concept de café destin é aux voyageurs voulant échanger autour d un café ou laisser leurs impressions sur un des nombreux carnets de voyages est séduisant. Dans un cadre cosy, vous vous préparez vous-même votre café, profiter du wifi pour montrer votre blog a vos nouveaux compagnons et laissez un mot sur votre dernier voyage pour donner un tuyau au prochain baroudeur qui lira ce carnet ! Si le concept du tout gratuit est super, n oubliez pas de laisser quelque chose car sans cela un lieu aussi magique est pratique ne pourrait pas exister ! A voir absolument !

YETI

Dans un cadre traditionnel, cet oasis de calme vous permettra de souffler un peu du bruit des rues de Delhi. Découvrez leurs plats traditionnels allant des Momos, succulents raviolis, en passant par les Combos , idéaux pour avoir un aperçu général de la cuisine Nepalais et Tibétaine le tout servi par un personnel très a l’écoute et en costume traditionnel. A essayer!

NAIVEDYAM

Ce très bon restaurant spécialisé de la cuisine de l’Inde du sud est souvent complet le soir donc pensez à réserver ! L’utilisation d’épices moins piquants que ceux de la cuisine de l’Inde du Nord permettront aux estomacs fragiles de se reposer. Vous serez accueillis avec une petite soupe de bienvenue qui vous ouvrira l’appétit. Essayez donc leurs très bon Dosas vous ne serez pas déçus. Très beau cadre et prix plus que raisonnables (comptez 200rs pour un repas complet).

PARK BALLUCHI

Le Park Balluchi, dépasse les autres restaurants de part sa taille et son environnements feuillus.

Son menu est principalement non végétarien et offre une cuisine d’Inde du nord. Il sert non seulement la cuisine d’Hyderabad, d'Awadh et du Punjab mais également des plats végétariens et non végétariens du Cachemire et de la frontière du nord-ouest dans un style purement Balluchi. Une large variété de mise en bouche et de plats principaux non-végétariens sont servis sans compter de nombreux pains indiens (nans entre autre).

Ce restaurant propose également une série de bons vins et spiritueux. Vous pourrez aussi le privatiser lors des soirées a thèmes puisqu’il peut accueillir jusqu'à 200 personnes grâce a un système de buffet et un espace en extérieur.

Ce restaurant est aussi bien adaptes aux grands groupes qu’aux couples a le recherche d’un diner romantique ainsi qu’aux familles.

Comme vous devez entrer dans le parc du village pour y accéder, les voitures sont gardes a bonne distance et vous effectuerez une petite promenade dans le secteur boisé avant de vous restaurer. Pour ceux ayant du temps ou des enfants pleins d’énergie, venez tôt faire un tour dans le parc, observez quelques cerfs communs, lapins et paons curieux, afin de vous ouvrir l’appétit puis restaurez-vous dans cet endroit où la nourriture est véritablement délicieuse ! ! !

GUNPOWDER

Certainement un des restaurants avec une des plus belles vues de Delhi. Situe a une centaine de mètres du parking a l‘entrée du village, ce restaurant se trouve au 4eme étage d’un vieil immeuble avec une vue imprenable. Il s’est vu décerné le Prix du Times Food en qualité de meilleur restaurant de cuisine de l’Inde du Sud non-végétarien. Ainsi pour tous ceux qui pensaient que la cuisine d’Inde du Sud était uniquement végétarienne avec les Dosas, Idlis et Sambhar, voila un endroit a essayer !

Pourquoi le nom de Gun powder? Pas uniquement car ils servent cette sauce épicée! En effet ils proposent également du Porc aux épices, du chamois, du poisson au curry, de l’appam et du stews typiques du Kerala et du Chettinad, ainsi que des plats de l’Andhra pour tous les gouts. Ils proposent également de bons curry végétariens avec du pumkin (ma mère ne croira jamais que je viens de dire ca !).

Les fumeurs profiteront du beau balcon pour admirer la vue!

Ouverts tous les jours à l’exception du lundi.

A ce moment Hauz Khas Village est vraiment "Food Street" pour nous!

Chaque fois que je sors de mon bureau à Hauz Khas village, je vois un panneau nouvelles d'une nouvelle cuisine pour frapper. L'estomac de Ferozshah Tughlak doit être barattage dans sa tombe. Nous avons maintenant un Salon de Thé d’Elma ( Tres Anglais!!!) a commencé par le proprietaire de The Living Room . Golconda Bowl pour les amateurs de la nouriture Hyderabadi. Deux places avec terrace sur le toit - Amour pour la vie dure Italienne et Out Of The Box apportant dans le village notre deuxième pub pour faire la fête avec des amis dans le soir. Attendez! la liste n'est pas terminée, nous avons "Dabbang bombe" Sonakshi Sinha et son partenaire avec Kafe'd'Or sur la rue principale avec de la nourriture de style européen mais comme d'habitude l'attente d'une licence de bar. Alors mesdames et monsieurs qui est la rue marche ancien a Delhi avec 10 retaurants dans 150 metres à Delhi? Oui mes amis sans doute s'est Hauz Khas Village!!!!

CONTACTEZ NOUS : RAMESH 9810009248

2010-12-20T03:49:00.001-08:00

KANNUR & THE ORIGINAL MALABARI - YOUR MOMENT HAS COME

Its been over 4 decades that I keep travelling to my hometown in the heart of Malabar in North Kerala. It was notorious for producing Chief Ministers who abandon it once they reach the capital Trivandrum. Now the positive side of its hidden treasures…………………

Tucked far away from the madding crowd, lies Kannur, the most enchanting district of North Kerala.The scene is breath taking. The Lakshadweep Sea washes the sands of sugary beaches laced with rows of green coconut palms. Some of the beaches of this Moppilla bay are even drivable. Long rivers break into silvery spray and merge into the blue green waters of the Sea. Kannur is a land with a resonant past. Myths and legends abound..

Kannur district derived its name from the location of its headquarters at Kannur town.The old name 'Cannanore' is the anglicised form of the Malayalam word Kannur. According to one opinion, 'Kannur' is a derivation from Kanathur, an ancient village, the name of which survives even today in one of the wards of Kannur Municipality. Another version is that Kannur might have assumed its name from one of the , deities of the Hindu pantheon, a compound of two words, Kannan (Lord Krishna) and Ur (place)making it the place of Lord Krishna. In this context, it is worth mentioning that the deity of the Katalayi Sreekrishna temple was originally installed in a shrine at Katalayi Kotta in the south eastern part of the present Kannur town.

The ships of Solomon, they say: anchored along our coasts to collect timber for building the 'Temple of the Lord '. Kannur finds a mention as NAURA in the 'Periplus of the Erithrean Sea' a Greek work of great antiquity. For Long, local Rajas held sway over the land.The Kolathiris were based at Chirakkal.The Pazassi Raja ruled from Kottayam in Tellucherry taluk. The Beebi (Queen) of Arakkal, Kerala"s only Muslim royal family controlled parts of the coast and even the Laccadive Islands'The quest for spices lured several European powers to this land.The advent of the Portuguese ( 1498) marked the beginning. They were followed by the Dutch and the English. Fortifications at Tellicheriy and the Fort St. Angelo attest to their arrival while Mahe closeby was controlled by the French and the policemen today continue to wear the typical hat of the gendarme!!

The Malabar region in Kerala was once a British principality of India with more allegiance to Madras and Mysore than to Travancore and the region was divided to form the northern part of what is today called Kerala.

Though Malabar has no geographical boundaries, no presence on a map of India, it is a word known the world over as a state of mind: laid-back, slow, to live and let live.

Start you journey from the North of Kerala ideally from Neeleshwar Hermitage.

Set in twelve acres this fine beach hotel sits on the unspoilt beach offering 12 cottages beautifully decorated with hand made furniture and other artifacts. Apart from the beach which is safe for swimming the resort has a beautiful swimming pool overlooking the sea.

This is a part of Kerala where the everyday, the exotic and the esoteric merge quite seamlessly and gives one a feeling of timelessness.

During your visit in winter one must try and watch a Theyyam ceremony .Theyyam is a popular Hindu ritual form of worship in and around Kannur As a living cult with several thousand-year-old traditions, rituals and customs, it embraces almost all the castes and classes of the Hindu religion in this region. The performers of Theyyam belong to the indigenous tribal community and is unique, since only in Kerala, do both upper and lower castes share an important position in a major form of worship.

Ayesha Manzil is a beautiful, old colonial style mansion overlooking the Arabian sea . Its present owner the charismatic Mr Moosa and his charming wife Ayesha are the soul of Malabar.They produce the finest of cuisine in the local Malabar flavour like no other. The bungalow was built in 1862 by Murdoch Brown , an Englishman who set up a 300 acre Cinnamon plantation, 10 kms away from this house, which still exists and is the only one of it's kind in the country.

Driving eastward into hill country one comes to Wayanad where Tranquil Resort is a Plantation Hideaway set within a 400 acre Coffee Plantation Estate located 6 km from Sultan Battery, Wayanad which affords the adventurous soul with breathtaking views, scenic treks and un-spoilt surroundings. Guests are welcome to view the inner workings of the functional coffee estate, right from the planting and harvesting until the final drying of the cherries and also the cultivation and curing of the world famous vanilla bean.

Tree- houses in the foothills and verdant forests till the high ranges , quiet getaways and serene backwaters , martial arts , ancient rituals and even ayurvedic massages .. come and explore the Keralas best know secret Malabar……….

Changed times except for Scams

2010-12-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

25 years ago we tumbled out of Nizam College with vague plans to pursue higher studies in JNU. Most meritorious students in college or OU ( Osmania Univ ) were headed to USA- the land of opportunity. We had just recovered from Indira Gandhi's untimely death and Bhopal Gas tragedy , Punjab Militancy and general apathy everywhere. The media was just growing and Bofors and Fairfax were hardly a media circus . Come late eighties and early nineties we had a fare share of Mandal, Rajiv's Gandhi's assassination , Kashmir militancy, Masjid , Ram and Scam and even plague!!!! Depressing times

Some things have not changed . Corrupt to the core but just look at the other side. Many of those meritorious students are back from the USA mostly having made money and wanting to do something in India. Most of us who stayed back kept India's hopes alive and i think we are beginning to live our dream - a New India . 5 years ago I was involved in a documentary called "India an emerging superpower" with my Korean TV team!!!- Now with Obama's visit India offering jobs to America - Tatas and Reliance buying out companies- Its finally happening out here- Every brand of car and even Harley Davidson is available. We look at travelling overseas like we were going to some weekend getaway. Did i believe this would happen in 1985 ??? Never - The times they are a changing.

Only one exception the corrupt have got worse. I hope i can think of a different India in 2035!!!

Living in & being Happily Unmarried

2010-01-09T02:03:00.000-08:00

At 45 and now that i am out of the classical middle call Indian marriage market its really amusing now to see people curiosly asking you why did you not take to nuptial or marital bliss with many bacchas!!! Kya traygeedee ho gaya tere life mein!!!
There is another breed of doomsdayers who warn me of untold misery at old age when there will nobody to look after me and Oye boode ! Tu Settledown kyon nahi hote hain!!!! The very words settling down is very unsettling for me these days. Too much of singledom i guess.
From the age of say 26 to about 40 my parents , relatives freinds and everyone around tried every trick in the book to get me married. Even my closest friends told me Tu shaadi kar le yaar!
Then 20 years later when they see my live-in girlfriend of many years and my very bachelor type house most of them now tell me " Bhai tu aisa he rehna . Kabhi galti se bhi shaadi mat karna!! tera dath ho jaayega!!
Imagine coming home to a nagging wife threatening to starve me for not procuring her gold bedecked sari and five kids screaming for chocolate , cricket bat and latest ipod and mother in law glaring like a Sas Bahu bitch for school fees deadline lapsing and father in law sniffing if a molecule of alcohol or nicotine can be traced in my breath. Aaiyo! It must be such a wonder paradise that marrried man's world!!

Never know where life will take you finally but right now who's complaining?????...............!!!

Choice Cool Bar or restaurant

2009-12-30T03:12:00.000-08:00

One of the notable things about Kerala streets or vehicles is that atleast English spelling are not absolute howlers as one would find in North India. It is not uncommon to find atrocious spelling in North India. I live in punjabi dominated South Delhi for more than two decades and travel in the "cow belt" quite often. For starters the main road with smart shopping malls in Vasant Kunj is called " Nalson Mandela Marg". Punjabi logo ko sab kuch apne Nal leh jaane ki aadat hain!!! Then ofcourse take a drive to neighbouring Jat land and you easily could get Tandi beer or "Child Beer". Not to mention the trucks that would have "Horan Please"written phonetically along with "Powar Brack "( Power brake) or "Use Deeper at Night!". However what takes the cake is malayalis with all their vocabulary and supposed literacy seem to be at their wits end when it comes to finding a name for a restaurant or juice joint. Choice !!!!! I have seen atleast a hundred Choice restaurants in Kerala.

On the subject of booze nothing to beat the lungi wallahs down south. They would call a peg a "small" . Does not matter how many gallons you down in a drunken evening it continues to be "zimbly small" . This North South blues is getting to me !!! I am zimbly heading for oru "small"!!!!!!!!!!

Nirmal Paul passes away

2009-12-30T03:05:00.000-08:00

My very dear friend Parveen’s mom Nirmal Paul passed away on 4th December 2009 at the ripe old age of 88. She battled for a month and a half in hospital before departing for her heavenly abode. She is survived by her husband Ravi Darshan Bushnel Paul who was with her for an incredible 63 years, son Joseph Paul a publisher who lives in New York and Parveen Paul senior travel and hospitality consultant who lives in Delhi.
I remember my first visit to meet Parveen at her home in Xavier Apartments ,Pitampura and was greeted at the door by her mother with a long Shayari which my pathetic Urdu could not grasp!! However she laughingly called Parveen from her room and explained to us jointly that we were awaiting your grand arrival. It was probably the only time in my life I was privileged to be welcomed to someone’s house with chaste Urdu sher-o-shayari!!! I felt very welcome in that household . Coincidently and sadly it was at that very spot many years later that I saw her in Gods lap draped in the wonderful white dress that she wore on her 60th wedding anniversary.
I was lucky also to have been invited to many lively parties in Xavier Apartments where I had the privilege again of listening ( and thankfully someone translating!!!) to many a Urdu couplet from the wonderful affectionately ‘Nimmo’ . Nirmal Paul was born in Shabga in Punjab on 28th July 1922 to parents Shoroginee and Alic Shah and had 23 siblings and seven of them survived to adulthood. Nirmal’s father was a missionary in several villages of Delhi and she completed her education from Ganges High School and later to Lahore for training in Nursing. Having worked in many leading hospitals with distinction in Delhi during her long career. She trained at Lady Kiniard Hospital for midwifery and remembers many important persons who she had the opportunity to serve notable among them leading hoteliers the Oberois. Since 1980 she dedicated her life for charity and help for other others an endeavor her daughter Parveen continues to undertake.
Among her various associations ‘Nimmo’ was a soprano in Christ Church along with music directors L.B Mann, Noel Shaw and Mr MacLaren. She was amember of WSCS in Christ Church,Temperence Union and the Bible Society. Nimmo went to Allahabad to study Classical Hindi Music and learned to play sitar, tanpura and harmonium and had a deep interest in gazals and ragas which has kept many a family evening enthralled with her appropriate ‘turahs”.
Truly a family of the fast dissappearing “old school” all their members have that quality of service before self.

Ramesh Nambiar the Pan Indian Dilliwallah

2009-12-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

Its quite an arduous task to turn the arc lights on oneself. How dies one do it without making it an excersise in self illumination !!! . Well I could more or less describe myself as a ‘Rootless Cosmopolitan’ not in some radical uprooted jewish sense but in an India where your domicile can be so important. "Rootless Pan Indian" would be more apt. Maybe occassional Pan eating Indian ( non- zarda variety!) !!
I was born in Laitumukhrah in Shillong nestled in Meghalaya . In 1958 my dad started working in N.E.F.A ( Arunachal Pradesh) for Survey of India. He stated counting Indias population early in life and aptly was given a medal for meritorious service by the Govt of India !!!!.They have not stopped counting! Then he moved to Assam Goverment's Education department and finally to NEHU in Shillong. My parents traditional matrilineal Nairs who belong to Kannur in Kerala landed in North East India among matriarchal Khasis in Shillong . I am of course neither matriarchal nor matrilineal nor patriarchal ( in simple words single & willing to mingle but landless !- girls watchout!) completed my school education at St Edmunds with the Catholic Irish Brothers and just as I reached my teens found myself in the heart of the Deccan in Hyderabad a truly cross-cultural twin city where Muslims and Hindus, Parsis and Christians jostled for space where I completed my BA from Nizam College. Then on my life transformed from an easy going sports loving adventure and wildlife enthusiast to serious academics in very Communist JNU in Delhi drifting from an MA to research and then an MPhil in Political Geography . Since submitting my M Phil dissertation on “River water disputes in South Asia" I had my fill of academics and decided to pursue my lifelong passion for exploring the outdoors.

In 1989 joined Tiger Tops the pioneers of Himalayan treks and wildlife lodges headquartered in Nepal and embarked on my career in the travel industry the first 14 years as a professional in various capacities as Treks and Field operations Manager in Buddhist enclave Ladakh to Overseas Marketing Head for Travelite & Indo Asia Tours based mostly in France and since 2003 built my own company, Oasis Excursions India Private Limited based in bohemian Hauz Khas Village in New Delhi. This glorious two decade journey has taken me to almost every district in India and over 40 countries around the world for work , pleasure and pure wanderlust. Not quite a polyglot but speaking a smattering of quite a few languages i am most at home with English followed by Hindi, French and Malayalam. If my life depended on it could manage some words in Tamil, Bengali, Assamese , Nepali,Punjabi and Khasi and un pocito de Espagnol!!!!

Today in addition to facilitating travel and tour needs of predominantly European and North American clientele to the Indian sub-continents remotest corners , my life revolves around providing diverse organisational services such as event management (meetings, exhibitions, entertainment etc), liaison services with the government, logistics and hospitality services particularly for media related work (films, documentary production), assistance for overseas companies to set up offices in India.

I live in wonderful Delhi which is what i call home now. Sadda Dilli! Neither Khasis of Shillong where i was born nor Malayalis of Kerala consider me one of their own!!!! who cares!!

Enough self illumination for one day !! oye puttar chup kar ! chai lao!!

Hauz Khas Village- For foodies

2009-12-13T03:17:00.000-08:00

My encounter with Hauz Khas Village first came about while pursuing my Masters in JNU in the mid-eighties to check out "scenery" and pure hunger . Descending upon Hauz Khas Village in our ramshackled motorbikes and completely famished looking for some food we found it had an unusual flavour compared to the more earthy villages we were used to like like Munirka and Mehrauli. The entrance to the village had long lines of smart cars warned us that it would be exhorbitant. Someone had quite aptly described it ""Hauz Khas Village preferred mode of locomotion is designer bullock cart, raising designer dust, causing designer dislocation of spine on encountering designer pothole!! Today its one of New Delhi's most fabulous patches of with a nice walkaway around a lake and some impressive monuments dot the region.Adjacent to the crowded lanes of the village another world thrives. Some very docile spotted deer roamed around quite abundantly in this lung of South Delhi being blessed with good vegetation and water bodies was a haven for the winged and feathered species ! TheIsland on the lake looks like a good breeding spot for waterbirds. But looks like food is the biggest draw now....................

Even though famous eatery Bistro is taking painfully long to open a friend is opening a new Kashmiri/North Indian Restaurant just opposite it. The Living Room Cafe & Kitchen is truly one of Delhi's most affordable Mediterranean joints with good music and booze on weekends while Gun Powder is the most recent addition for good old Peninsular Indian Non Vegetarian food. Naivedyam going strong for years with excellent south Indian Vegetarian fare. Park Balluchi with its Fontier non veg food under its foliage ofcourse . Looks like Hauz Khas Village is going to be one of Delhi better known foodie hangouts.

Rann Of Kutch 2009

2009-12-07T04:15:00.000-08:00

It was a great feeling to return to Kutch after 12 years. This time for Rann Utsav 2009 where the colourful people and a faded jeans clad floater footed Chief Minister put up an impressive show on the salt laden White Rann. Neither was there noticable earthquake ravage in Bhuj, Anjar and Bachau except for a few cracks on some bulidings. Brand new townships replete with surplus housing, well tarred roads and excellent mobile communiaction. Whether it was Narendra Modi or sheer Gujarati enterpreneurship the fact remains that the state is way ahead of all the others when it comes to development. Airtel never works properly in South Delhi sometimes. My Airtel mobile and my Reliance data card are mostly struggling in Delhi but in remote Dhordo Village close to Sir Creek in Pakistan it was going great guns. Connectivity by Flamingoes i guess!!!!

Thanks to all the efforts put up by the cash rich Gujarat Tourism and their private partners.

To top it all friend and enthusiastic photographer Gurinder ( our colourful vintage bike loving dilli da surd) and myself had Pavithran our local liaison officer ( hails from Kannur-my hometown) as our knowledgeable guide and it was blast. Kem cho? Zimbly Maje mein!!!

MONUMENTAL DAMAGE!!!!!!

2009-11-20T02:02:00.000-08:00

Why cannot the Govt stop this drama once and for all. As if we have not heard enough stories of invaluable antiques and priceless pieces of our heritage dissappearing from India now we have villagers vandalising the Jantar Mantar and walking away with parts of it. In the name of Democracy we allow public protests only to harass the common man and destroy public property . When important monuments have to struggle to survive think about the lesser ones. Look at the pathetic state of Pre Mughal as well as British monuments which are also a part of our heritage. No wonder Nicholsons statute has dissappeared totally. His plaque near Mori Gate is beside the filthiest garbage dump. Coronation park will soon find some statues missing. The last time i was there Lord Hardinge was wearing a maroon cricket cap a la Brian Lara and kids playing cricket outside amidst mountains of garbage . No surprise if Jairam Ramesh feels we deserve the Nobel Prize for Filth. We have 10,000 sleepy and disgruntled staff to maintain 5000 monuments. Will the Govt allow private players? No no no!!!nahi nahi nahi.America ko bej dal denge!!! Neo imperialist forces!!!

Jantar Mantar is becoming another garbage dump. Why cant this govt which anyway does not allow protesters near the parliament stop this menace once and for all. Its not serving anybodys purpose.

Shotgun Gangadharan in Thailand

2009-11-19T05:20:00.000-08:00

Anyone for a vacation to Thailand ??Great host and expert on all food , wine , golf, massages and nightlife.Thats what i discovered during my trip around Thailand zooming me around in his Alpha Romeo and hitting booze by sundown. Common guys make use of the best guide while Bipin is still there!!!

MEHRAULI MAGIC

2009-11-19T03:59:00.000-08:00

The Mehrauli walk is one great experience. The flower market or roadside bovines or just life in general has been a truly rewarding experience for me and cannnot contest that Mehrauli is indeed a cornucopia. So much to offer in such a crowded place from 11th century monuments and to find people in another time warp. Step a side a few hundred metres on the Mehrauli Gurgaon road you are replulsed by the stream of cars hurtling down to and from mother of all good gaons !! Gurgaon- The epitome of upwardly mobile ishtyle and Mall -Shawl ,Party - warty , Danes ( dance!) -Wanes !!!!. Hey techie folks of "badgaon" step back in history, take breath and smell the roses .......Err..... sorry kebabs, peanuts and golgappas!!! Small pleasures in this big bad world. Cornucpoia my friend!!!!!!!!!

BABUDOM IN SPORTS

2009-11-19T03:38:00.000-08:00

Commonwealth games are closing in less than a year but where is the sporting spirit. We have had bridges collapsing , roads diverted, inspections of stadiums, Delhi metro going at frenetic pace but what about sports. Except for some tears flowing down like the Yamuna river down poor PT Usha's face i have not seen atheletics competitions nor National records being broken.Statements and counter statements from politicains and babus and a media going beserk about missed deadlines.
Same age old stories of sportpersons being ill treated after retirement and working as labourers and waiters!!! Are we going to have politicains and babus and securitymen participating and winning medals or can we see some sporting spirit in our cities. Can anyone tell me when are the national records or qualifying marks for various sporting events. Have our sportmen started breaking records????Whats going on. Delhi is currently showing no signs of getting ready for a major sporting event.It looks like its getting ready for war!!!!!

Mutiny 1857 March 2010

2009-09-26T00:56:00.000-07:00

A voyage to India to trace the Relics of the Raj. A unique tour for connoisseurs of British History and Victoria Crosses awarded in battles of the 19th century. Experience the fast vanishing remnants of the great uprising. A journey with experts in this field such as Rajesh Rampal who authored the book on thuggies called the Divine Stranglers. Parveen paul Freelance tour manager who is a keen student of this subject. The fine team from Oasis Excursions. Join -in tours for March and October 2010!!!!!

Ladakh Trip

2009-09-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

Peter and I thank you again for your help, kindness and outstanding hospitality. We really enjoyed an extra-ordinary trip in Ladakh, not in the least thanks to you for sparing time to come with us.Greetings and kisses from,
Sonja en Peter van Berkel, Hilversum Holland