Delhi Sights - Rajghat

It's quite stunning. The beautifully manicured lawns, flowers, minimalistic design, the perfectly landscaped area, and the peace that envelops the entire area.

Rajghat - where Gandhiji was cremated

We walked in, took our shoes off, and went to pay respects to India's biggest hero, at the place where he was cremated after being shot by Nathuram Godse on January 31, 1948. 10 lakh people joined the funeral procession. A simple black marble platform with the words Hey Ram on it, an eternal flame on one end. Deep respect for the great soul and we moved on to view the vistas around. 

The area is full of memorials - Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Charan Singh, Vajpayee and so on. Very peaceful.

Delhi Sights - Lotus Temple

Our good friend Ali Mumtaz from our Civil Engineering days was a Bahai. In fact i vaguely remember him and his family (they were from Port Blair) going to Delhi for the inauguration of the Lotus Temple on January 1, 1987. Ali would tell us that the Bahai Faith took the best of all religions, did not discriminate and stood for unity of all people. Or that's what i remember.

The Lotus Temple

So it was good to visit the Lotus Temple today and remember Ali. It's in the middle of the city, next to the Kalkaji mandir and is one of the sights on Delhi to see. The Lotus shaped temple stands in the middle of well manicured lawns, trees, flowering plants in a vast area and presents an awesome sight.

 

Lots of visitors everyday so queues start at the security check. A fair bit of a walk and we turned towards the temple. Closer to the temple, we took off our shoes, put them in bags provided by them, handed them over, and walked into the temple. It's a huge hall, 34 m high, with marble topped benches (for 1300 people) to sit on and meditate for as long as you please in silence. There are no idols, no rituals, no lectures. Just silence. 

The building, designed by Iranian Architect Fariborz Sahba, has 27 free standing marble clad petals in clusters of 3 to form 9 sides. It's foundation stone was laid in 1979 and it was inaugurated in 1987. 8000 Bahais attended, 4000 from other countries and 4000 from India. Ali and family must have been part of that. 

The Bahai Faith was begun by Bahaullah (1817-1892) of Iran, inspired by the prophecy of the Bab who said that a prophet would appear (the Bab was executed for heresy). Bahaullah claimed he was the Prophet in 1963 and founded the Faith which now has 5 million followers. It is run by a Universal House of Justice which is located in Israel. Much like Ali told me, the Faith stands for unity of people and a united world order. 

There were people from all over, many foreigners among them. We were sent in batches, well organised by a lady who spoke in English and a distracted gent who spoke in Hindi. No entry fee, no pictures allowed inside the hall. I sat and meditated for a while (on my favourite topic - world peace) and when i opened my eyes, realised that most people in my group had left. Suresh and I collected our shoes and made our way back to the car, stopping enroute to drink some cool coconut water. This one is for you Ali bhai.

Oh, and Ali Mumtaz of Port Blair was a handsome young lad who was into things like going to the gym even in those days which got him a strong body. He was the best singer in our batch singing songs like 'Aate jaate khubsurat awara sadkon pe', was of a temperamental nature and got easily riled, played handball for the University and was a hit with the girls. He has gone back to the Andamans, where he hosted us once during our college days, and is a senior engineer in the government there. In most of extreme ennui, we would sit in the dark recesses of our canteen and sing our blues away loudly. More on Ali later.

Thought for the Day - Connect with Yourself, Smile

What do you do when you want to connect with someone? Guess we start with a smile right? I realised that's what i needed to do to connect with myself. 

So this morning at the park i decided to smile at myself for no reason. Just strech my lips - which automatically made my eyes relax and be more kind - which automatically opened a window to myself - and I was away. I liked having that smile in my eyes. Felt connected for sure. Good practice I felt. 

Do this more often i told myself. Smile, be kind to yourself, be friends with yourself. High time!

Delhi University - A Whirlwind Tour

So there we were at the Vishwavidyalaya Metro, the path to the campus, the colleges on the North Campus which has colleges such as Hindu College, St Stephen's, Miranda House, SRCC, Hansraj, Kirorimal and a whole bunch. 

Entering the DU area

DU Metro Station - Vishwavidyalaya

A fine coffee shop

The walk from the college to the PG, the coffee shops we hear about, the bakery, the Kamala Nagar shopping area where the kids go every other day to eat or buy stuff, the paani Puri bhaiyya, the chai and sutta joint.

Paani Puri in Kamla Nagar

Hearing about these places was one thing, seeing them another. The heart tugs. Gets protective. But one must allow them to fly, to strengthen their wings. And I fall back again and listen to the many stories and the excitement around it.

Delhi Sights - Majnu ka Tilla

A talks about MKT or Majnu ka Tilla which is a little distance away from their campus. Majnu Ka Tilla means hillock of Majnu and devices derives it's name from a Persian mystic who was called Majnu who in 1503 (during Sikandar Lodhis reign) met Guru Nanak here and would ferry people across the Yamuna for free to meet the Sikh guru. In 1783 a Sikh leader Baghel Singh Dhaliwal built the gurudwara to commemorate Guru Nanak stay here. It remains one of the oldest gurudwaras.

A Laphing shop

The area around MKT was made into colonies for the labour class who built buildings for the British in the 1900s. In 1959 after China took over Tibet, Tibetans fled to India with the Dalai Lama, and many settled down here on the banks of the Yamuna. Today second generation Tibetans live here. MKT is also called Little Tibet or Samyeling.

A Tibetan temple

The area is full of Tibetan shops and restaurants on the main Street. But that's not the real thing. 

Anjali led us into a maze of narrow lanes filled with shops selling clothes, food, cosmetics, Korean products, guest houses, restaurants, karaoke bars and what not. The place was teeming with people, mostly students from Delhi University looking to buy stuff or just hang out. 

Inside the Tibetan market of Majnu ka Tilla

Anjali made us try something called a Laphing, took us to a photo booth, showed us places where she and her friends hang out. It was a fun vibrant place and I loved the energy. 

Mural painting on a wall

The artists

On the way out we saw some mural artists painting a wall. Anjali took a 100 buck note and donated it to the cause. Can imagine how it must be in the evenings.

Delhi Sights - Agrasen ki Baoli

Since we were doing lunch at Connaught Place, Suresh, our Man Friday suggested we stop by at Agrasen ki Baoli, which was hardly a kilometre away. Having missed the opportunity to see the baoli thanks to an earlier incident involving Vasu, Abhinay, a closed gate and the security men guarding the baoli on an early November morning 2023, I signed up. And so we landed up in the little lane off Haileys Road in less than 10 minutes.

Ugrasen ki Baoli

Surprisingly, there was no entry fee and i wondered what all that hullaballoo was about then. It appeared that a tourist bus had stopped by and there were a bunch of foreigners there along with some locals.

 What we see as we enter is a beautiful stepwell which is 60 m long and 15 m wide. It's dated around 14th century, and is presumed to be built by the Agarwal community in honour of their ancestor Agrasen. 108 steps go down towards the water (it's a stepwell) and the sides show that that it is built on three levels with beautiful arches carved in at each level. One can walk along the sides of the narrow well but it's restricted now.

A Mosque

Since visitors were not allowed to go beyond a point towards the water, everyone sat on the steps and stared ahead as if waiting for a performance (they say is haunted). We sat for a while, took a couple of pictures, realised no performance was coming, and then headed out.

At the top there was an interesting structure, again, cordoned off and out of bounds. From what i gathered this whale backed structure is a mosque with three openings and motifs that appear to have Hindu influences. Several movies were shot here in the baoli. 

Its not a patch on Rani ki Vaav, nor even on Adlaj stepwell, but it has its own beauty. Glad to have seen this minus the drama of our last visit. 

Some Interesting Eating Spots in Hyderabad

Thanks to my foodie pals and colleagues NP Singh and Jyo I found a few interesting eating places in Hyderabad that I had no idea (or a little) about before.

Sherton - This is a small place at Amberpet with it's own bakery on one side of the road and the restaurant on the other. Nothing special to look at but it serves the best paya and nihari with soft and warm sheermal naan. There's something in their recipe, the perfect mix of herbs and spices, that is so consistent, so good. Everytime. The menu is much bigger but we never went past this. 

Now it has a bakery and chai outlet next to it where you get delectable puffs and nice chai. NP, Jyo and I most times.

Poorna Tiffins - This is in a lane right opposite Telephone Bhavan (across the road, adjacent to the AG Office), a little to the inside. Small restaurant but the best idlis (softest, small, four) and dosa (crisp) and poori and vada (that's the stuff i tried so far). Throwback to the 80s almost, the vibe. Service is lightning quick, very efficient. Consistent quality. Good coffee. Great breakfast place. Apparently good veg meals at lunch too. NP, Jyo, Keshav and I went there recently.

Kadhale - This is at Clock Tower Secunderabad, across the road from Kamath Hotel. It's a cute place, good seating, nice view of the road, airy, lit. Intersting menu and decent prices. Veg. Found it a great place to sit and enjoy the food. Coffee came in some brass type vessels and he made it at the table.

I tried breakfast. Good stuff. Lunch looked interesting too.

Mazuri Cafe - NP shared a reel of this cafe which has been around for a bit now - but this one reel took it to the next level. On the road behind Meridian school in Banjara Hills (the road is currently dug up), it's a very cute place with a lovely ambience, a warm retro theme with 70's Hindi music, old books, cassettes, a laid back air. It serves interesting breakfast like bun maska and omelette, paya (sheermal naan was a let down) and stuff like that. Lunch has biryani, chai, etc. Tarun and I checked it out one day. Recently with Anjali.

If you want quick service etc you'll get disappointed. I would suggest you go, hang around with friends, chill and chat, order, wait for things to come to you, enjoy the music and go home richer for the experience, not so much the food. But I'm sure they'll get it right once they get over the gap between the reel's expectations and their limitations. 

Peshawar - Apparently an old classic, this one is at Lakdikapul, next to Chichas. Discovered it in an article or a book and wondered why i had never heard about it. Went there with our Selector colleagues and followed it up a couple of times - their biryani was among the best. Again, a very interesting menu, but we did not go past the biryani. It's my go-to biryani place now. Raja and Eashwar and I went there a couple of months ago.

However, they have an outlet at Rasoolpura which I found did not match up to the same standards.

Nayaab - The place they say is where you get great breakfast Hyderabadi style - and NP and Jyo and I always planned but never went. I did however, once with Sunnie, Anjali and Satish, and tried their paya nihari and sheermal naan. Crazy number of people. 

I think I'd still go to Sherton. Better food. Far lesser crowd (only two or three tables occupied in the morning). Better service.

Udupi Upahar - It's near Ghanshyam Supermarket near Ishaq Colony. One of the better breakfast joints and ticks off most boxes. Food is good, service is quick, place neat and clean. Among the rest of the regular South Indian menu of idli, vada, dosa etc they also serve a fine Mangalore Bun which I never tried any other place. Good coffee. Can stand and eat, ac place, comfortable seating. 

Jyo, NP and I would stop by here on way to matches. Tops and i did it after our church walk.

Marwadi Hotel - This is in Somajiguda, a little ahead of Yashoda Hospital but on the other side of the road on Raj Bhavan Road. It's actually a sweet shop in the front, with a dining room at the back. But a token for a hundred and some bucks, sit at a table, chaps come and serve good vegetarian meals. Service has been decent (good and bad), food is good. Very business like. Eat and get going. 

One of the joints me and Vasu go to when we catch up for lunch.