The perks of living in Delhi

They say if you have ever lived in Delhi, Delhi will always live in your heart no matter where ever you are! You will always love Delhi..such is the charm this beautiful city has. There is something for everyone! If you love food, Delhi is the place to be! If you love visiting monuments, Delhi is the place to be! If you love art & culture, Delhi is the place to be! If you love shopping, Delhi is the place to be! If you love parks, Delhi is the place to be! I can go on and on and on as I simply LOVE Delhi, and am proud to be a Delhite!

It offers the extremes of all weathers, its real HOT insummers, it RAINS in the rainy season and its extremely COLD in the winters. Delhi walas (Delhities) lovingly call it - Delhi hai dil walon ki (the city with people with large hearts)..it turely lives to its reputation.

Delhi ki Sardi (Delhi winter) is the best time for lip smacking food, weddings, picnics in beautiful parks, shopping, cultural events and monuments.

I visited Delhi Haat (Bazar) last week to check some pashmina shawls as I had been wanting to have one in black color for the last few years. It was such a visual treat to visit Delhi Haat as there was a handicraft fair going on! The whole atmosphere was simply magical. Delhi Haat also know as Dilli haat, is an open aircraft bazaar cum food plaza situated in Delhi and run by Delhi tourism and transportation development corporation (DTTDC).  Dilli haat has many stalls of local food that represent each and every state of India and it offers variety in taste and dishes that are available throughout India. The craft stalls of the haat keep on changing every 15 days.

The food offered here is neatly and hygienically cooked. It also organizes and conducts regional food festival.The handicrafts offered here are commendable as it includes sandalwood and rosewood carvings, brass ware products, metal ware, jewelry made from gems, camel hide footwear etc.

I found my black Pashmina shawl at one of the stalls run by craftsmen from Kashmir and that too at a reasonable price. I had not gone with the intentions of shopping but eventually ended up buying so many beautiful things.

The best time to visit the place is during evening time as the haat gets glittered with the lights, which increases the charm of the village and even you can enjoy the diversity that is offered in Indian culture. And the best time to visit Delhi is from October to March. Stay tuned for more such places in Delhi and beyond.

Smell of rain, coffee, delicacies and a great movie to watch...all in one month.

A bit (actually too much) of rain, festivals galore, food and a good movie to watch...all in August :)

August has always been a fun month, with lots of colors and festivities around and to add to that this time we saw good amount of rain.

Its been raining continously in Delhi for the last few days! But what a perfect weather to enjoy the hot pakoras (onions/potatos/aubergine/cauliflower etc deep fried in a spicy batter) and chai (masala tea). On such a day, one feels like doing nothing...I did the same thing- which is actually did nothing, sat in my balcony with a hot cup of tea, listened to the birds chirp, saw a squirrel drying herself up after the rains, watched the dogs jump on the parked cars :), just enjoyed everything around..thinking about the celebrations!

The Teej

To kick off the festival season, the first famous festival was Teej. The Teej is an important festival for women, it welcomes monsoon. It also commemorates the reunion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, married women pray to Lord Shiva and Parvati to bless them with happy and long married life like theirs. The swings are decked with flowers and hung from trees, women dressed in green clothes make merry and sing songs. Women apply henna to their hands and feet, get dressed up, and parade around. Women perform traditional folk dance dressed in green colored clothes and sing beautiful Teej songs while enjoying their sway on swings bedecked with flowers. Artists such as folk singers and dancers follow the procession.

Teej is not only about the visual feast, but one gets to relish the food specially cooked during Teej like Ghevar and dal baati churma etc..

Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan

Raksha bandhan has been celebrated in the same way with the same traditions for many years. Only the means have changed with the changing lifestyle to make the celebration more elaborate and lively. This day has an inherent power that pulls the siblings together. The increasing distances evoke the desire to be together even more. The joyous meeting, the rare family get-together, that erstwhile feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood calls for a massive celebration.

Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan is another important Hindu festival, sisters tie a Rakhi (a beautifully crafted and decorated thread) on the right wrist of their brothers as a reminder of love and protection. The brother vows to take care of his sister and in return offers her gifts and sweets. The festival is a wonderful way of bringing the family closer together.

The entire family gets together on this day and all the cousins sisters also tie rakhi to their cousin brothers. Girls are dressed in beautiful, colorful dresses.

India's independence day

Independence Day is a day when people in India pay homage to their leaders and those who fought for India's freedom in the past. The period leading up to Independence Day is a time when major government buildings are illuminated with strings of lights and the tricolor flutters from homes and other buildings. Broadcast, print and online media may have special contests, programs, and articles to promote the day. Movies about India's freedom fighters are also shown on television.
Many people spend the day with family members or close friends. They may eat a picnic in a park or private garden, go to a film or eat lunch or dinner at home or in a restaurant. Other people go kite flying or sing or listen to patriotic songs.

Krishna Janmashtami

The festival of Krishna Janmashtami, also known as Govinda, commemorates the birthday of Lord Krishna. An extremely fun part of the festival involves people climbing on each other and forming a human pyramid to try and reach and break open clay pots filled with curd, which have been strung up high from buildings.



Movie to watch out this season http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY3qfhYPJSI

BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG telling the true story of the "Flying Sikh" - world champion runner and Olympian Milkha Singh. Played by acclaimed actor Farhan Akhtar, Singh overcame the bloody massacre of his family, civil war during the India-Pakistan partition, and homelessness to become one of India's most iconic athletes.  Bhaag  Milkha Bhaag  is an engaging, engrossing, inspirational biopic based on the life of the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh. Every moment of this 3 hour long movie is a tribute to what great heights a man can reach with determination and a fierce inner desire to excel.

Destination of the month: Jaipur, Rajasthan

Jaipur- the city of victory - a fantasy in pink stone and the capital of Rajasthan state. Jaipur (known as the Pink City), was the stronghold of a clan of rulers whose three hill forts and series of palaces in the city are important attractions. Known as the Pink City because of the colour of the stone used exclusively in the walled city, Jaipur's bazaars sell embroidered leather shoes, blue pottery, tie and dye scarves and other exotic wares. Western Rajasthan itself forms a convenient circuit, in the heart of the Thar desert which has shaped its history, lifestyles and architecture
http://jaipur.nic.in/Tourist.htm

Bharatpur- The Eastern Gateway to Rajasthan

When I was asked to visit Bharatpur for an official tour on a weekend, I could not say "No"! If it was some other destination, I would have immediately said "I don't want to ruin my weekend by traveling for work, lets keep it for a weekday"! Visiting this place was on my "Must Visit" places list for a long time..and I must admit I was not disappointed at all by the destination, even though there were not many birds in the sanctuary!

I suggested to take the Yamuna Expressway but our driver took the old route to Agra, Mathura which was not very good. There was traffic and chaos on the roads, too many hurdles ( a cow, people or dog crossing the road after every few steps), not at all a smooth ride!

We reached Bharatpur in 5 hours! However, on our return we took the Yamuna Expressway and had a very pleasant ride.

Our first stop was "The Bagh" where we had to conduct an audit of the property for best practices. We had a very warm welcome by the General Manager- Mr. D.K.Tiwari. He gave us the brief history of the resort, its promoters as well as Bharatpur. He then personally escorted to the rooms and showed us around.

The hotel's twenty three rooms are located in three different residential complexes. A restaurant, banquet hall, coffee shop, library and a gym, all situated in a verdant orchard, allowing guests to enjoy solitude and companionship in restful indoor and outdoor spaces. With over fifty species of flora, including fruiting trees and flowering plants which attract birds, small animals and insects, guests can enjoy quiet walks in the garden and commune with nature. It even housed some beautiful peacocks and birds.

We had lunch in their in-house restaurant and immediately got to the work after that. The audit team went around checking the property and talking to the staff, inspecting the kitchen and other amenities etc. In the evening we had to meet with some of the local hoteliers and interact with them over an informal get together. The meeting was organised by the director of the hotel "The Bagh" Mr. Vishnu Singh ji. It was really nice to meet a humble person like him, who had no airs about either his designation or the fact that he is the decendent of Maharaja Suraj Mal- the founder of the city. He stayed for dinner with us and made sure we had a comfortable stay at his resort.

Day 2 was a quick visit to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary..we were escorted by the very gracious and kind Mr. Vishnu Singh ji - the dirctor or The Bagh as well as Bholu ji - the chief forest ranger. It was an experience in itself to be escorted by the people who are not only regarded by their knowledge of the park but also equally loved and respected by the locals. Because of them we could spot some beautiful species of the birds as well as get first hand information on the park and its surroundings.

Our next stop after the park was "The Birder's Inn" which is a privately owned lodge with 20 spacious rooms that overlook a garden populated with fruit trees that attract various garden birds. All the trees and plants in the lodge are labelled. The lodge is very tastefully designed and build with natural sun light pouring in from all corners. It has all the necessary modern comforts like air-conditioning, hot and cold running water; a multi-cuisine restaurant & grill that serves a delectable variety of dishes.

The most important factor is the personal involvement of the management, they are present to look into each issue and sort it out there and then. They even have in-house naturalist to share their experience and insight to make visits to the Park truly worthwhile. 

The inputs which we got from the local hoteliers is very important, Bharatput is not only a destination for a stop over lunches, but it itself is a complete destination which can be promoted to people looking for a short holiday in North India. There are a few excursions also available from Bharatpur, such as a day trip to Chambal, another visit to Deeg Palace, visit to the Bund Baretha (Dam) and Dholpur in addition to the world famous Taj and Fatehpur Sikri..

Below are the details of the excursions from Bharatpur: 

Bund Baretha (38 Km) A beautiful dam site 38 km west of Bharatpur, Bund Baretha offers excellent views over a massive reservoir. The wetlands are home to many waders and it is not uncommon to sight some species not found inside the park. You can walk to the old Maharaja's palace and coupled with a scenic sunset, it makes for a good day visit.

 Deeg (39 Km) Deeg was once the colourful summer resort of the rulers of Bharatpur and their second capital city. Displaying a trait shared by the Dresser Crab and the Magpie Robin, the Jat rulers pilfered an assortment of riches to beautify the palaces of Deeg. They ransacked victorious Mughal armies returning from battle, took away a cannon and precious inlay stones from Agra's Red Fort and even a whole fountain system from the Red Fort at Delhi. Raja Suraj Mal got the fort constructed at a slightly high ground. The main attractions of the fort include the Watch Tower, from where you can oversee the entire palace, along with the city below.

Day Visit to Agra & Fatehpur Sikri Taj Mahal, Agra. Agra just 55 km away from Bharatpur, is home to the world's most famous Monument of Love, the Taj Mahal. Together with the Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri (22 Km), it makes for an excellent day trip. At Sikri, you can see Buland Darwaza, the highest gateway in India, the well-preserved buildings and some of the best Mughal architecture.

Chambal Safari -The Chambal Sanctuary is an excellent place to see Gharials, Gangetic Dolphins and perhaps the world's largest population of the Indian Skimmer. A motorboat ride on the Chambal river offers a closer look at several other bird species and is extremely rewarding for exploring the region's rich flora and fauna.