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 bullock cart,
raising designer dust, causing designer dislocation of spine on encountering designer pothole!!! Well , designers are also the ones who put it on the world map such that its not uncommon for a curious traveller who has just descended in the capital to ask for Hauz Khas Village in the same breadth as Khan Market or Emporio.
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 bullock cart,
raising designer dust, causing designer dislocation of spine on encountering designer pothole!!! Well , designers are also the ones who put it on the world map such that its not uncommon for a curious traveller who has just descended in the capital to ask for Hauz Khas Village in the same breadth as Khan Market or Emporio.
The one big difference is that Hauz Khas village is for the
youthful frolickers, creative minds, musicians and followers of the Republic of
Bohemia!! With art galleries , boutiques, travel cafes such as Kunzum and
special interest travel such as mine - Oasis World and several other
specialists such as Wild World India and Banjara Camps each catering to their
select 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 renovated after recent Fire!) opening up again for a grand view of the monuments lake and greenery from their rooftops , and Kafe d’or ( mostly Italian) and hold your breadth --- Tango - a Latino Restaurant run by Bhuvanesh!! Smaller coffee places such as Bagel Cafe , Emma’s cafe and Flipside cafe
Already establishing themselves in the village are Gun Powder a very affordable eatery 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 quite atmospheric in the evenings with some great music on most weekends.
With all other regular eateries such are Naivedyam and Park Balluchi still going strong die hard Foodies are hoping to see better days!
There is a much improved parking lot and steet lighting and unlike before most visitors can now still get a taxi or an autorickshaw driver to come here without a major scuffle. The Metro lines being complete it is not too faraway ( 2 kms) from Green Park station
One of New Delhi's most fabulous patches of greenery surrounds Hauz Khas Village , a nice walkaway around a lake and some impressive Lodi Sayyid period monuments dot 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 of South Delhi being blessed with good vegetation and water bodies was a haven for the winged and feathered species ! The Island on the lake looks like a good breeding spot for waterbirds.
Thankfully not too much designer hype but still very bohemian good clothes , shawls, some decent food, gifts, jewelry, leather, art galleries, travel agencies, fashion institutes, advertising agencies, event managers but more importantly its quite quiet and laid back. Its quite stylish and has got some real 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 decades of 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 Shankar Mandir, Dariba Kalan, Jama Masjid, narrow streets and alleys of the 17 cent walled city, Kinari Bazaar, Gurdwara Sis Ganj, end the walk with a mouth watering Indian cusine at Haldiram’s.
There seems to be a renewed interest in revisting our heritage . Everyone is talking 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 landscape walking through a myraid of galis ( narrow lanes) in the Chandni Chowk area which is one of the busiest market area in India with spicy roadside cuisine, jewellers, retreaded tyre shops, cycle repair shops, spices, office stationery and decorations for every Indian ceremony.
Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Christians and Sikhs enjoy a symbiotic relationship for centuries.
Their places of worship are all well worth a visit as they are living example of peaceful coexistence. However like many places in India dressing appropriately is the key and helps in bridging western and Indian cultures.
Remember on such cultural trips to avoid exposing your limbs and covering your hair with a scarf is important in the religious places of worship; shoes and socks are to be removed. At the Jama Masjid ladies are provided with a mandatory gown to be worn over their clothes. In the Jain Temple it is always neccessary to remove leather garments and even belts.
The food is definately worth a try. Try and nibble a few kababs or even try a spicy vegetarian parantha and top it with some local sweetmeats.
The biggest draws are Amour ( Mediterranean ), Yeti ( Himalayan) & Out Of The Box ( a nice pub being renovated after recent Fire!) opening up again for a grand view of the monuments lake and greenery from their rooftops , and Kafe d’or ( mostly Italian) and hold your breadth --- Tango - a Latino Restaurant run by Bhuvanesh!! Smaller coffee places such as Bagel Cafe , Emma’s cafe and Flipside cafe
Already establishing themselves in the village are Gun Powder a very affordable eatery 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 quite atmospheric in the evenings with some great music on most weekends.
With all other regular eateries such are Naivedyam and Park Balluchi still going strong die hard Foodies are hoping to see better days!
There is a much improved parking lot and steet lighting and unlike before most visitors can now still get a taxi or an autorickshaw driver to come here without a major scuffle. The Metro lines being complete it is not too faraway ( 2 kms) from Green Park station
One of New Delhi's most fabulous patches of greenery surrounds Hauz Khas Village , a nice walkaway around a lake and some impressive Lodi Sayyid period monuments dot 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 of South Delhi being blessed with good vegetation and water bodies was a haven for the winged and feathered species ! The Island on the lake looks like a good breeding spot for waterbirds.
Thankfully not too much designer hype but still very bohemian good clothes , shawls, some decent food, gifts, jewelry, leather, art galleries, travel agencies, fashion institutes, advertising agencies, event managers but more importantly its quite quiet and laid back. Its quite stylish and has got some real 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 decades of 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 Shankar Mandir, Dariba Kalan, Jama Masjid, narrow streets and alleys of the 17 cent walled city, Kinari Bazaar, Gurdwara Sis Ganj, end the walk with a mouth watering Indian cusine at Haldiram’s.
There seems to be a renewed interest in revisting our heritage . Everyone is talking 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 landscape walking through a myraid of galis ( narrow lanes) in the Chandni Chowk area which is one of the busiest market area in India with spicy roadside cuisine, jewellers, retreaded tyre shops, cycle repair shops, spices, office stationery and decorations for every Indian ceremony.
Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Christians and Sikhs enjoy a symbiotic relationship for centuries.
Their places of worship are all well worth a visit as they are living example of peaceful coexistence. However like many places in India dressing appropriately is the key and helps in bridging western and Indian cultures.
Remember on such cultural trips to avoid exposing your limbs and covering your hair with a scarf is important in the religious places of worship; shoes and socks are to be removed. At the Jama Masjid ladies are provided with a mandatory gown to be worn over their clothes. In the Jain Temple it is always neccessary to remove leather garments and even belts.
The food is definately worth a try. Try and nibble a few kababs or even try a spicy vegetarian parantha and top it with some local sweetmeats.
Ramesh, 2 Hauz Khaz Village ,Ground floor New Delhi -110016,
26851454, 9810009248
Mehrauli Walk
Mehrauli
is extremely interesting; it is Delhi’s oldest continuously inhabited locality
since the 8th century. Obviously, the long history translates into a number of
old buildings and structures, dating back to the close of the 12th century, and
right up to the end of the British Raj. Through the 18th, 19th and early 20th
centuries, Mehrauli became a popular retreat for the British and the rich and
powerful of Delhi: those who could afford it invariably built a mansion here
where 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 Mehrauli Bus Terminal. This is a crowded and busy area, and helps being watchful of buses racing along at full speed as they move in and out of the terminal. The first of Mehrauli’s interesting buildings: the Public Library is a circular building, fringed by a verandah of pleasant arches, topped by a dome. A small, obviously colonial building, newly whitewashed and in thankfully good condition. The hillock is dominated by the Tomb of Adham Khan a general in the army of Akbar – the greatest of the Mughal Emperors. We walk up the stairs and wander into the tomb and take photographs. Like most places in India children from the neighborhood are in abundance noisy but cheerful born posers for the camera. 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 Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, and one of Delhi’s most important centres of pilgrimage. Over the years much of the shrine has lost its original form hence we skip the details but stop by on the way to admire the impressive step well - Gandhak ki Baoli, recently cleaned by the Archaeological Survey of India. We walk on, passing two tall stone structures on either side of the lane. These formed the Naubat Khana (the drum house) to the dargah. Musicians would sit in the balcony of 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 . The structure on the right is more or less intact, made of good solid stone with beautifully carved oriel window supports on the sides. We continue our walk past the Naubat Khana, to the doorway of the Dargah. There are shopkeepers here selling chadars of green cloth embroidered in glittery golden tinsel; rosaries; roses; and other votive offerings. We turn right and walk on till the lane opens out into a square, with the red sandstone-and-white marble gateway of the Zafar Mahal, where the last Mughal Emperor and his beautiful queen Zeenat Mahal were kept captive before being transported to Rangoon.
This
palace 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, both
four-sided, somewhat conical domed roofs. One’s been turned into a grocery
shop; the other appears to be a home. The lane—by now less than four feet
across—slopes up slightly and joins the main road of Mehrauli Village. A man is
selling raw sugar - gur in its myriad forms: large discs of orange-gold, sacks
of pale yellow shakkar; heaps of brown bura powder. All of it smells gorgeously
intoxicating, 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 shops
selling gaudy polyester saris aglitter with sequins and tinsel, a man is
selling large bunches of brown tobacco, hung upside down from the rafters of
his shop. Below stands a row of earthen chillums and gleaming hookahs and
household articles and utensils.
Even though this was once the main Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, be prepared- it’s narrow: two cars coming from opposite directions can cause a traffic jam if there happens to be a hand or bullock carts not to mention a cow spawled in the middle 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 slogging hard with some smelly sewer work: they’re manually lifting filth out of the open drains and piling it into a deep-sided cart pulled along by a large and patient bullock. We hold our noses and race past—only to run into the mother of all traffic jams: a buffalo with a consignment of large steel pipes or bricks has spilt across the road, effectively choking half of it off with an impatient lorry driver, and pedestrians alike.
We squeeze past, walking intrepidly through the slow moving traffic further down the road, looking at traces of old architecture: semi-circular arches, Greek columns and shuttered windows in buildings; traditional dripstones with sandstone supports in another. We go past the Jamaluddin Building—conspicuously labeled, its name and date (1940) spelt out in plaster below the ornate facade—and the Kali Prasad Haveli, a much more typically Indian mansion.
The road opens out at the Jahaz Mahal, the boat shaped building beside which men sit selling spices: huge yellow heaps of turmeric and bright red dried chillies contrasting with the dull red and grey bulk of the building. We wander around Jahaz Mahal, admiring the carving on the pillars and braving the treacherously narrow, steep staircase to climb up onto the roof and look out over the water body - Hauz Shamsi beyond.
It’s a long walk back to the parking lot, but its worth ending the walk at via the beautiful flower market .
Nizamuddin Visit
13TH CENTURY SUFISM IN 21ST CENTURY NEW DELHI
Ever wandered what Sufism is all about???
Nizamuddin
like many other villages of New Delhi has an interesting medieval touch is in
the heart of town not very faraway from Humayun’s Tomb and at the end of Lodi
Road
If one wanders here in the evenings one can get a feel of Sufism is "the name given to the mysticism of Islam"
Sufism spread within a century to nations as diverse and widely separated as Persia, India, Indonesia, Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia and North Africa.
Sufism had succeeded in inculcating the sentiments of fraternity, equality and equity, 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 religion outside of Islam however for centuries in India its followers had a sizeable number of Hindus and even today the shrine is revered by Hindus and Muslims alike 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 the 13th century. His Tomb became a shrine and is headed by a Pir who is a descendant of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s sister as he himself was a celibate. The Sufis followed austere lives but that life is difficult to follow and now in modern day 21st century Delhi this practice became almost non existent and donations from visitors keep the place going. Nizamuddin is dotted with many tombs as it was considered a peaceful resting place. Amir Khusrau the famous poet, Jahanara the daughter of Emperor Shahjahan, Mughal emperor Mohamed Shah the 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 a dargah here. His mother was was a descendant of Tipu Sultan family from Mysore and migrated to the west in the early 20th century and settled in Suresnes near Paris. Inayat Khan's daughter Noor-un-Nisa served with British military intelligence during the Second World War but was captured by the Nazis in France and executed at Dachau concentration camp in 1944, posthumously receiving the highest civilian wartime awards of both France (Croix de Guerre with gold star) and Great Britain (George Cross).
For those not initiated to Sufism do not be disheartened as Nizamuddin is worth a visit even for the quwwali music which is played every evening and fine mughlai cuisine in the very affordable restaurants around the village. However like 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
26851454, 9810009248
Mehrauli Walk
Mehrauli
is extremely interesting; it is Delhi’s oldest continuously inhabited locality
since the 8th century. Obviously, the long history translates into a number of
old buildings and structures, dating back to the close of the 12th century, and
right up to the end of the British Raj. Through the 18th, 19th and early 20th
centuries, Mehrauli became a popular retreat for the British and the rich and
powerful of Delhi: those who could afford it invariably built a mansion here
where 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 Mehrauli Bus Terminal. This is a crowded and busy area, and helps being watchful of buses racing along at full speed as they move in and out of the terminal. The first of Mehrauli’s interesting buildings: the Public Library is a circular building, fringed by a verandah of pleasant arches, topped by a dome. A small, obviously colonial building, newly whitewashed and in thankfully good condition. The hillock is dominated by the Tomb of Adham Khan a general in the army of Akbar – the greatest of the Mughal Emperors. We walk up the stairs and wander into the tomb and take photographs. Like most places in India children from the neighborhood are in abundance noisy but cheerful born posers for the camera. 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 Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, and one of Delhi’s most important centres of pilgrimage. Over the years much of the shrine has lost its original form hence we skip the details but stop by on the way to admire the impressive step well - Gandhak ki Baoli, recently cleaned by the Archaeological Survey of India. We walk on, passing two tall stone structures on either side of the lane. These formed the Naubat Khana (the drum house) to the dargah. Musicians would sit in the balcony of 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 . The structure on the right is more or less intact, made of good solid stone with beautifully carved oriel window supports on the sides. We continue our walk past the Naubat Khana, to the doorway of the Dargah. There are shopkeepers here selling chadars of green cloth embroidered in glittery golden tinsel; rosaries; roses; and other votive offerings. We turn right and walk on till the lane opens out into a square, with the red sandstone-and-white marble gateway of the Zafar Mahal, where the last Mughal Emperor and his beautiful queen Zeenat Mahal were kept captive before being transported to Rangoon.
This
palace 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, both
four-sided, somewhat conical domed roofs. One’s been turned into a grocery
shop; the other appears to be a home. The lane—by now less than four feet
across—slopes up slightly and joins the main road of Mehrauli Village. A man is
selling raw sugar - gur in its myriad forms: large discs of orange-gold, sacks
of pale yellow shakkar; heaps of brown bura powder. All of it smells gorgeously
intoxicating, 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 shops
selling gaudy polyester saris aglitter with sequins and tinsel, a man is
selling large bunches of brown tobacco, hung upside down from the rafters of
his shop. Below stands a row of earthen chillums and gleaming hookahs and
household articles and utensils.Even though this was once the main Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, be prepared- it’s narrow: two cars coming from opposite directions can cause a traffic jam if there happens to be a hand or bullock carts not to mention a cow spawled in the middle 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 slogging hard with some smelly sewer work: they’re manually lifting filth out of the open drains and piling it into a deep-sided cart pulled along by a large and patient bullock. We hold our noses and race past—only to run into the mother of all traffic jams: a buffalo with a consignment of large steel pipes or bricks has spilt across the road, effectively choking half of it off with an impatient lorry driver, and pedestrians alike.
We squeeze past, walking intrepidly through the slow moving traffic further down the road, looking at traces of old architecture: semi-circular arches, Greek columns and shuttered windows in buildings; traditional dripstones with sandstone supports in another. We go past the Jamaluddin Building—conspicuously labeled, its name and date (1940) spelt out in plaster below the ornate facade—and the Kali Prasad Haveli, a much more typically Indian mansion.
The road opens out at the Jahaz Mahal, the boat shaped building beside which men sit selling spices: huge yellow heaps of turmeric and bright red dried chillies contrasting with the dull red and grey bulk of the building. We wander around Jahaz Mahal, admiring the carving on the pillars and braving the treacherously narrow, steep staircase to climb up onto the roof and look out over the water body - Hauz Shamsi beyond.
It’s a long walk back to the parking lot, but its worth ending the walk at via the beautiful flower market .
Nizamuddin Visit
13TH CENTURY SUFISM IN 21ST CENTURY NEW DELHI
Ever wandered what Sufism is all about???
Nizamuddin
like many other villages of New Delhi has an interesting medieval touch is in
the heart of town not very faraway from Humayun’s Tomb and at the end of Lodi
Road If one wanders here in the evenings one can get a feel of Sufism is "the name given to the mysticism of Islam"
Sufism spread within a century to nations as diverse and widely separated as Persia, India, Indonesia, Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia and North Africa.
Sufism had succeeded in inculcating the sentiments of fraternity, equality and equity, 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 religion outside of Islam however for centuries in India its followers had a sizeable number of Hindus and even today the shrine is revered by Hindus and Muslims alike 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 the 13th century. His Tomb became a shrine and is headed by a Pir who is a descendant of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s sister as he himself was a celibate. The Sufis followed austere lives but that life is difficult to follow and now in modern day 21st century Delhi this practice became almost non existent and donations from visitors keep the place going. Nizamuddin is dotted with many tombs as it was considered a peaceful resting place. Amir Khusrau the famous poet, Jahanara the daughter of Emperor Shahjahan, Mughal emperor Mohamed Shah the 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 a dargah here. His mother was was a descendant of Tipu Sultan family from Mysore and migrated to the west in the early 20th century and settled in Suresnes near Paris. Inayat Khan's daughter Noor-un-Nisa served with British military intelligence during the Second World War but was captured by the Nazis in France and executed at Dachau concentration camp in 1944, posthumously receiving the highest civilian wartime awards of both France (Croix de Guerre with gold star) and Great Britain (George Cross).
For those not initiated to Sufism do not be disheartened as Nizamuddin is worth a visit even for the quwwali music which is played every evening and fine mughlai cuisine in the very affordable restaurants around the village. However like 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) arriving by air or sea without a vaccination certificate of yellow fever will be kept in quarantine isolation for a period upto 6 days if:
1. Any Foreigner or Indian arrives in India within 6 days of departure from an infected area.
2. Any Foreigner or Indian has come on a ship which has started from or transited at any port in a yellow fever affected country within 30 days of its arrival in India provided such ship has not been disinfected in accordance with the procedure laid down by WHO.
For leaving India
There is no health check requirement by Indian Government on passengers leaving India.
For further details and updated information, please visit
www.immigrationindia.nic.in/health_regulations.htm
For entry into India
Any person, Foreigner or Indian, (excluding infants below six months) arriving by air or sea without a vaccination certificate of yellow fever will be kept in quarantine isolation for a period upto 6 days if:
1. Any Foreigner or Indian arrives in India within 6 days of departure from an infected area.
2. Any Foreigner or Indian has come on a ship which has started from or transited at any port in a yellow fever affected country within 30 days of its arrival in India provided such ship has not been disinfected in accordance with the procedure laid down by WHO.
For leaving India
There is no health check requirement by Indian Government on passengers leaving India.
For further details and updated information, please visit
www.immigrationindia.nic.in/health_regulations.htm
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