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A walk around the Haveli’s of Old Delhi

The beauty of the Old Havelis in Chandni Chowk lie in the crumbling state as they are in, today who have stood the test of time. Walking past the Old city of Shahjahanabad, the almost broken and haunted looking havelis have a certain magnet which has the power to attract you towards them. Take out some time, to admire the elaborate arcades, colossal doors, which take you back to a long by-gone era.

SETH RAM LAL KHEMKA HAVELI 

Situated in Chhota Bazaar, opposite old St.Stephen’s College building, Seth Ram Lal Khemka Haveli was once a place where wealth and power concentrated. It was built in 1850, the mansion has been a witness to the plunder during sepoy mutiny and the revolt of 1857. The present owners, Baglas, inherited the mansion in around 1905. The mansion is built using two types of brickworks from colonial era and the thinner ones, being the Lakhori bricks.

This 19th century mansion welcomes you with an open-air aourtyar with stairways leading towards the large rooms. The effort of the present family can be seen in keeping the old charm alive of the mansion.
How to get there: Ten minutes walk from Kashmere Gate metro station

RAI LALA CHUNNAMAL KI HAVELI

A textile from the Mughal era, one of the wealthiest people in Delhi, Lala Chunnamal’s haveli was built in 1848. The positioning of the haveli, is interesting as it is situated in the Walled city of Shahjahanabad, the commercial hub of the city, but as you enter the quiet lanes, you forget the hustle and the chaos around you. Although a neglected haveli, it still sparks the erstwhile opulence and an unrestricted entrance welcome you whole heartedly. The mansion consists of 128 rooms which still consists of the chandeliers, antique wall hangings, family pictures on the wall with wooden chimneys. Currently, the 10th generation is staying as well as has the ownership of the mansion

How to get there: Five minutes walk from Chawri Bazaar metro station via Nai Sarak Marg

HAVELI NEHARWALI

A mansion near the canal, as you walk through Daryaganj road, is a mansion which was owned by the forefathers of Pervez Musharraf,the ex-President of Pakistan. The mansion is said to be spread over 24,800 sq.ft the structure is dilapidated even though it was once a seat of muslim culture and traditions.
How to get there: Ten minutes walk from Chawri Bazaar

HAVELI OF BEGUM ZEENAT MAHAL

The traffic at Lal Kuan might let you walk past through the quaint place which was once a haveli of Begum zeenat Mahal, the favourite wife of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Towards the west of Hauz Qazi, the mansion dates back to 1846, when it was ordered by the empress herself. After her death, the Mahal was not taken care by anyone, till it was sold to the Indian Government by the Maharaja of Patiala. It stands in complete disarray and houses the famous school for Muslim girls, which happened with encroachments over the years.

How to get there: Ten minutes walk from Chawri Bazaar metro station via NaiSarakMarg

BEGUM SAMRU KI HAVELI

Bhagirath Palace, one of the biggest markets for electrical, was also a mansion for someone. While we still use the place for our shopping, much less is known about the mansion. The mansion was constructed in 1`8th century for a French mercenary Walter Reinhart. His wife’s name was Begum Samru. Pondering over the architecture you might see that it reflects quite a lot of both, the Greek and Roman architecture, with Corinthian columns.
How to get there: Ten minutes walk from Chandni Chowk metro station

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Miscellaneous , , ,

Delhi: A haven for Foodies!

Delhi loves to eat as well as boast about the street food that it showcases. Be it Sweet, Salty, Spicy, Mughlai, Chinese, Italian, Mexican or the local flavors, we love the food as much as we love to make you taste the cuisine. Delhi is probably the only place where three different restaurants open with their contributions to the flavors at various corners of the city. The capital of India might be tiny on the map but it is the show window of the country, where we get representations from different parts of the country, in various corners of the city. Right from delectable pork chops to simple chhole bhature or rajma Chawal, you get the best of the best flavors here!

Old Delhi being the heart of non vegetarian foodies, who like their meat cooked with a lot of spices, and thick gravy would love their time around Old Delhi, the lanes of which smell of the mouthwatering kebabs which are a complete gastronomical delight to your tummy.

Delhi being a mélange of cultures, and with each culture comes its specific cuisine, especially during the month of Ramzaan, there are people at the Jama Masjid to break their fast but also there are people who make a trip solely to savour the delicacies of Iftaar, whether the slow cooked nihari which is served in the morning with Sheermal or Shahi Tukda cooked in milk and sugar, with a lot of dry fruits, the flavours are rich and unique enough to attract every Dilliwalah to the narrow lanes of Shahjahanabad.

For some, food is the essential part of social life of a resident in this city that we are willing to travel kilometres kilometres in distance and get stuck in traffic for hours to try the newly opened up restaurant in a separate corner of the city which promises to offer unique cuisine in a unique ambience. Whether it’s heritage your heart desires or experiencing the social life of the people Delhi has it all, by day a traveller or tourist can explore the culture and heritage of the city and by night they can choose to visit their nearby watering holes for a relaxed meal and reminisce on the day spent soaking in Delhi’s soul perhaps slowly revising your outlook towards Delhi.

Whether you want to explore the heritage, or experience the local culture of Delhi, it has ALL; a throbbing metropolitan city with a composite culture and a wide range of attractive and diverse experiences. Following a guide book becomes meaningless in this city where experiences are easily customizable. Pick and choose from a wide range of itineraries that have been designed by ‘Delhi walks’ bearing in mind this inherent element of flexibility, in-depth knowledge of the heritage, history and culture that the historic city has to offer as well as the comfort and safety of the travelers who come to explore the city of Delhi.

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Food , , ,

An experiment with Gastronomic Delights of Old Delhi

‘India City Walks’ an organization with excellence, takes Old Delhi food tasting experiences, to a different level by ingenuously blending the taste of the city of Shahjahanabad with the comfort of our cushy rickshaws as you hop into the royal carriages that the Old city has to offer for an exquisite, out of the world experience through the cultural alleys.
A Food tour coupled with rickshaw tour lets you taste some delicacies, while you explore the history of these delicacies, how they were curated and consequently went on to become the family secrets. Unlike the regular experiences, this memorable experience is curated by ‘Rickshaw Tours’, a flagship vertical of ‘India City Walks’ was conceptualized to let you sit back, relax while we take you through the history of the place in a comfortable ride. The custom made rickshaws which are owned by ‘India City Walks’ have been designed keeping in mind the culture, heritage, history that the historic city has to offer, coupled with comfort and safety of the travellers who come to explore the city.
We begin our journey with a brief history about the emperor who built the city, with the imposing grand structure Jama Masjid in the background. As we climb onto our beautiful carriages painted in the bright colours of the Mughal structures we take you through the bustling lane of the beautiful, colourful Kinari bazaar amidst the romantic glittering laces which will instantly transport you back to an old world. With all that rush, a stopover at Naughara or the lane of nine houses to experience serenity within excitement before we head to taste delectable fried flat breads.
As we enter the paranthewali gali, a narrow lane filled with shops selling flat breads of different flavours, we enjoy the overload of senses and fight between heart and brain to taste the delicious fried paranthas or kachoris or glassful of lassi as much as you would be enjoying having them. But the taste enhances once we tell you about the story of how it was conceptualized. You could try one of the stuffed breads with equally delicious gravies or kachoris filled with a mix of lentils and secret spices swimming in tomato gravy or perhaps have a glassful of thick lassi. We are sure to make you absolutely spoilt for choice and can taste everything keeping in mind the plethora of delicacies we have kept lined up for you.
This is was just a trailer. After satisfying your initial hunger pangs we hop on to our rickshaws and ride towards Fatehpuri Masjid, the end of the main street ChandniChowk, which has various experiences to offer for our taste buds through the many lanes as we stop in front of the Town Hall or Begum kiSarai for an interesting story about the colonial structure by our explorer as you sip away on an ice cold banta (lemon soda).
From Town Hall, we ride towards Asia’s largest Spice Market, where you can smell the freshly grounded spices the smell of which lingers in the air as you dig into the concoction of vermicelli in cooked milk and dry fruits giving a frozen cold feeling in the mouth. If you thought the thick glass of Lassi was the only sweet that the walled city had to offer, you might be proven wrong!
The city is known and proven haven for non-vegetarian delicacies, as we head towards another part of the walled city which has lines of shops selling non vegetarian food, you have a plethora of choice to choose from. Right opposite Jama Masjid, the aroma of the charcoal grilled kebabs and the spicy, sweet gravies reach you even before you reach the place! To finish it off, we have kulfi, Rabrifaluda, as desert to finish your meal in a royal manner!
This gastronomical journey comes to an end at Jama Masjid, from where we started our journey and we bid you farewell with lots of memories and cultural imprints of Shahjahanabad!
The advantages of taking a food Rickshaw Tour with ‘India City Walks’ is that you can gorge into the delicacies without exhausting yourself physically and our promise is by the end of our tour, you and your belly will be left satisfied and the soul fulfilled!

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Food , , ,

The Ram who’s Leela is our favourite Drama: Ram Leela experience

A day at the famous Ram Leela Ground of Delhi, was spent looking around the huge space. A quiet evening walk, led me towards a group who were rehearsing their lines of various characters, quietly in a corner. There’s still a month to go for the Dussehra celebrations. Ram Leela and the fanfare attached to it, is an experience which is incomparable. A vibrant costumes that the characters wear, to the set settings, everything is a part of keeping alive the tradition of reiterating to young children what our mythology reminds us, which is ‘the victory of the good over the evil’.

Ram Leela is a dramatic celebration of one of the famous mythological epics of India, which is the Ramayana. Raja Dasharath was the king of a province called Ayodhya. The king had four sons from three wives. Prince Rama was the eldest son of all. Now normally, the law of succession would tell you that the eldest son succeeds the throne after his father. But you need to wait for the twist in the story.

Rama’s stepmother, who also happened to be the Kings third wife, wanted to see her son, Bharata on the throne, for which she had asked a wish to the King, for the eldest to go on an exile. As a righteous son, who obeyed his elders’ he did what he was told. For straight 14 years, Rama was in exile with his younger brother Lakshman and his wife Sita who had begged to accompany Rama for his retreat.

When Bharata had come to know about what his mother had asked the king as a wish, he made no delays in going and getting the rightful heir to the throne. “The eldest must rule” is what Bharata had reminded Rama, when he insisted Rama to come back to Ayodhya. Bharata was more than happy to be a regent under Rama’s rule. But before he could go back to his homeland, he was stuck when his wife was abducted.

Rama, by defeating the demon king Ravana, and after mustering the aid of monkey army to free his wife, all had finally reached safely their homeland back to Ayodhya. Rama, Sita and Bharata are fine examples of persons who followed their Dharma above anything else.

A Ram-Leela experience entails wonderful dramatic retellings of various episodes from Ramayana, where the performances culminate on to a festival of Vijayadashami day, which happens to be the 10th day which commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana. Processions are taken throughout the city, which leads to a particular ground or a square, where the final battle takes place. Giant effigies of Ravana are set on fire, on the 10th day which is with much fan fare.

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Festivals of Delhi , , ,

The Dashamukha Demon: Celebrating Raavan Making experience

A day spent in a corner of West Delhi, filled with effigies of Raavan. A sunny afternoon around the place led me to a man who was on the steps of the ladder to decorate the moustache of the demon king. I cheekily asked him “There is time for it” he replied: “Time is for normal people, not us”.

Raavan making is an experience in itself, where right from the puppets which we see around as souvenirs to making the huge effigy, which is a much loved affair amongst the kids, is an immersion in itself.

Raavana appears in India’s much celebrated and popular mythological tales “Ramayana” as a demon king. Like we all know, every tale has a protagonist and an antagonist. For Ramayana, since the slot for protagonist was already booked for Raavan, antagonist was Rama. In all versions of the mythological tale, Raavan figures as a man:

“With ten heads, twenty arms with copper-coloured eyes, and teeth as bright as a young moon. His appearance for all others was as thick as a cloud or a mountain, or the god of death with open mouth. With all the marks of royalty intact, his bare body was replete with wounds inflicted by all the divine arms in his warfare with the gods.”

In all versions of the mythological tale, one significant point which is what makes Raavan demon like, is when he abducted the beautiful wife of Ram, took her to an alien land “Lanka” which later had ensued on a battle against Ram and Raavan. Thus Sita, the beautiful wife of Ram was won back by her husband when finally the good rested over the evil. In common imagination, while Ram is a shining example of a virtuous ruler, Ravana, is the sign of evil.

Be careful of the ladies around you! In colloquial hindi usage, if a man behaves wickedly, he is usually described as Raavan.

The burning of the effigies of Raavan rests and reconfirms our imagination of a world which marks the triumph of good over evil.

Raavan is described in mythology as the lord commander of Rakshasas, the numerous and the powerful demons of Indian underworld. He is known to have been scarred by a thunderbolt of Indra, by the tusks of Indra’s elephant Airavata, and by the discus of Vishnu. A breaker of all laws and a ravisher of other men’s wives, his abode was the large island of Lanka (now known as Ceylon) from where he ousted his brother Kuvera, lord of the Indian elves.

Riding on a magic chariot to sow seeds of mischief wherever he could, he was a known figure around. By spending many years of penance and worship of Brahma, Ravana in a long run had been granted immortality.

He knew which God’s door to knock. Raavan went to Siva and began to do penance, with a hope that he will be granted his wish. By standing on one of his ten heads,encircled by a ring of fire, for one thousand years. Eventually when he came to his last head, Siva asked his for his wishes. A staright demand of Raavan were three: Atmalinghal, the sacred phallus, for his mother, for himself immortality and the most beautiful woman in the Universe. Siva had no choice but to grant him his wishes. But he did not know, the type of demon he gave birth to.

Raavan’s defeat in the hands of Rama, had re-established the fact that the good always rests over the evils.

This is a much celebrated experience where in North India especially, effigy makers get to work up to three months ahead of Dussehra. Thin strips of bamboo are bent and curved shapes of the ravan structures. Old recycled sarees (from a Gujrati community market) are wrapped tautly around the bamboo frames. To make them more attractive, colourful biodegradable paper is pasted over the sarees.

Each effigy consists of heads of body, legs, crown hands weapons and the other accessories. A few months ahead of Dussehra, various places in Delhi are lively with big bamboo frames and colourful paper mache representations of the demon king.

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Festivals of Delhi , ,

The auspicious 9 days of Hindus: Navratri experience

Navratri, which literally translates as nine nights, are the nine auspicious days for Hindus where they worship different aspects of Goddess Durga in different parts of India. A normal Navratri festival includes ritualistic puja, fasting as well as elaborate celebrations for nine consecutive days. The festival follows a lunar calendar that is why there is never a fixed date for Navratri any year. The main theme which circulates in Navratri is the triumph of good over evil. The experience is out of the world as you see the cultural amalgamation and get to experience the different versions of the same festival differently.

Goddess Durga is the epitome of power, purity, and an embodiment of a supreme Goddess. The sgoddess has nine aspects and thus this festival is dedicated to the worship of these aspects. Each aspect is celebrated every day and thus makes it a nine day long festival.

The origins of this festival can be traced back to the Vedas. Durga, a combination of trinity of goddesses, which includes goddesses like Saraswati, Parvati and Lakshmi are also worshipped with goddess Durga.

A simple Navratri celebration would include thousands of people from villages and cities gathering in one small shrine to pray in front of the god. It is important that the thoughts and mind is pure though out these nine days. Chanting of mantras and folk renditions of bhajans are a usual phenomenon during these nine days. All these nine days, the only thing that the devotees wish for is strength to fight against the evil. There are fasting rituals as well attached to these nine days. While some refrain from any sort of cooked food, and live on fruits and milk, the adopt meals prepared without the use of onion and garlic.

Different parts of the country celebrate differently. While in East, especially in West Bengal, people celebrate the Goddess Durga version, where huge idols are made, with beautiful pandals , and celebratory mood sets in. In Gujarat, people perform community dances which are called Dandiya and Garba respectively, though out the night. With colorful and elaborate dresses for both men and women, Dandiya is indeed the time when the whole community comes together for merriment.

The whole city of Delhi waits for Navratri celebrations as there is a riot of colours, and celebrations all around. While we keep saying, Delhi is the show window to all the cultures of India, the nine days in Delhi are spent fasting, feasting, and many celebrations. The whole city is decked up with different vibrant colours, women come out in their best of the sarees, men and children wear their traditional attire. Don’t be amazed if you see some women wearing saree not in the usual manner, they are portraying a fraction of the different styles of saree draping.

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Festivals of Delhi , ,

When the Ten Headed Demon was Defeated: Dusshera Experience

Dussehra as a celebration in itself is unique, which has significance. As the popular Hindu epic goes, Lord Ram had killed the demon king Raavan on the tenth day which is Dussehra. The day marks the triumph of good over evil, of over sin and immorality. It is said that the demon king had abducted Lord Ram’s wife Sita.

Throughout Navratri, the auspicious nine days for Hindus, a dramatic retelling of various episodes from Ramayana are enacted. Ram Leela is a dramatic celebration of one of the famous mythological epics of India, which is the Ramayana. Raja Dasharath was the king of a province called Ayodhya. The king had four sons from three wives. Prince Rama was the eldest son of all. Now normally, the law of succession would tell you that the eldest son succeeds the throne after his father. But you need to wait for the twist in the story.

Rama’s stepmother, who also happened to be the Kings third wife, wanted to see her son, Bharata on the throne, for which she had asked a wish to the King, for the eldest to go on an exile. As a righteous son, who obeyed his elders’ he did what he was told. For straight 14 years, Rama was in exile with his younger brother Lakshman and his wife Sita who had begged to accompany Rama for his retreat.

When Bharata had come to know about what his mother had asked the king as a wish, he made no delays in going and getting the rightful heir to the throne. “The eldest must rule” is what Bharata had reminded Rama, when he insisted Rama to come back to Ayodhya. Bharata was more than happy to be a regent under Rama’s rule. But before he could go back to his homeland, he was stuck when his wife was abducted.

Rama, by defeating the demon king Ravana, and after mustering the aid of monkey army to free his wife, all had finally reached safely their homeland back to Ayodhya. Rama, Sita and Bharata are fine examples of persons who followed their Dharma above anything else.

A Ram-Leela experience entails wonderful dramatic retellings of various episodes from Ramayana, where the performances culminate on to a festival of Vijayadashami day, which happens to be the 10th day which commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana. Processions are taken throughout the city, which leads to a particular ground or a square, where the final battle takes place. Giant effigies of Ravana are set on fire, on the 10th day which is with much fan fare.

The festival of Dussehra has varied significance. Where in north, Ram Leela is much celebrated, the same 9 auspicious days in the eastern part of India has a different significance. In the East, they worship Goddess Durga, who triumphed over a demon, according to folklores, called Mahishasura. The 10th day in Eastern part of India, marks the victory of evil over the good.

One of the celebrated festivals of India, Dussehra is a festival which is believed to eliminate ill fate from the people.

The Dusshera mood in Delhi is usually the enactment of the life of Lord Rama throughout the nine days of Navratri.

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Festivals of Delhi , , ,

The Festival of Lights: Colorful Diwali Experience

I saw my friend’s mother, immersing a silver coin in a tumbler of milk, sprinkling in all the rooms of her house, on the night of Diwali, after all the rituals. I quietly went and asked her why was she sprinkling milk in all the rooms, pat came her reply “so that prosperity touches each corner of the house”. Diwali celebrations are festooned with firecrackers burning, colorful lights adorning the houses and a lot of exchange of sweets. Nation-wide, Diwlai is celebrated on Amavasya that is the 15th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashwin according to Hindu calendar. The festival marks to drive away darkness to make space for the light of knowledge. Diwali is also known as the festival of lights where each house is adorned with beautiful lights and earthen pots, in this modern world which trace back to the rich and glorious past of India.

A simple Diwali ritual consists of the sound of firecrackers, homes are decorated, sweets are distributed and hundreds of lamps are lit in and around the house. The most sought after festival in India, it is by far the most glamorous festival as well.

The story of Diwali is complex as each region and states of India celebrate differently. While some, especially, in the North believe that it is the day when Lord Ram’s coronation was celebrated in Ayodhya after his battle with the demon king Ravana, for which Ayodhya and Mithila, Ram’s wife Sita’s homeland were lit up with rows of lamps to welcome their righteous king after their exile for 14 years.

He festival of Diwali has three days of celebrations, where on the day of Diwali doorways are hung with torans of mango leaves and bright marigold flowers, rangoli’s with different vibrant coloured powders are used to decorate the courtyards and the main ritual area, bright lamps are lit up around the whole house. In East, there is a tradition to use rice powder paste to make the footsteps of Goddess Lakshmi to welcome her and shower her blessings over the members. The paste is also used to make beautiful decorative designs which is called as Alpona. It is believed that if, on the day of Diwali if we buy some jewellery or silver coins, it assures prosperity for the rest of the year. This is why shopkeepers keep their shops open on the day of Diwali. And Diwali becomes the main commercial month where markets look for an outburst of shopping experiences.

All the simple rituals and practices of Diwali have some significance and a story to tell. The illumination of homes with lights and the burning of firecrackers is an expression of respect towards the gods to attain wealth as well as have good health throughout the year, with knowledge peace and prosperity working towards. In fact, in one of the legends, the sound of the fire crackers is an indication of the Earthly people towards the gods, making them aware of their plentiful condition.

The tradition of gambling in Diwali also has a legend attached to it. It was believed, Parvati played dice with Shiva on this day and she commanded whoever gambles on the night of Diwali will have a prosperous year ahead.

In delhi, like in many other states, the festivities start from Dusshera itself, where people set out on a shopping spree, whitewashing, redecorating their shops and houses. Market places are replete with streamers of various colours, fair’s crop up everywhere. Many people abide by the Diwali rituals, to buy new kitchen utensils, wear new clothes. It is a sight to be not missed, especially in the heart of India!

November 20, 2017 admin Blog, Festivals of Delhi , ,
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