The National Philatelic Museum in New Delhi, India is a nice treat for philately and snail mail lovers. It is located in the building complex of India Post main office in Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg Read more…
The capital city of India -Delhi is a city of 7cities. Tracing its historic lineage from the time of the 'Pandavas' of the epic Hindu Mythology Mahabharatha in which the city of Delhi is mentioned as 'Indraprastha' - capital of the Pandava kings, archaeological research points out to the city being the capital city atleast 7 times, beginning from the Tomar dynasty in 9th century to Lutyens Delhi of British rule. Being a Delhi resident all my life, I find it fascinating that there is still so much to explore around the city for a heritage lover like me. I had been planning to visit Tughlaqabad fort for a long time and there could not have been a better day than a sunny winter morning to do this. The Tughlaqabad Fort and mausoleum of Ghiasuddin Tughlaq are what remains of Tughlaqabad - considered to be the 3rd extant city of Delhi.
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Entrance of Tughlaqabad Fort, Delhi[/caption]
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August is here and there are one two three fabulous long weekends of Rakshabandhan, Janmashtami, Independence Day and Ganesh Chaturthi to relax, rejuvenate from our busy work lives. It’s also a great opportunity to travel and the long weekends this month August are of 3 and 5 days each, Rakshabandhan is on a Monday (7th August), Janmashtami is on a Monday and Independence Day is just the day after (so there are 4 days off including the weekend) and Ganesh Chaturthi is on a Friday (again clubs with a weekend). There are some great destinations from Delhi/NCR which can be covered in the long weekend of August and I have compiled a list here of top 10 destinations for long weekend getaway from Delgi/NCR, based on my previous long weekend travels. All of these destinations can be covered in 3-5 days. So here we go:
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Neemrana Fort Palace in monsoons[/caption]
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Qutub Minar, New Delhi, India on a cloudy spring day ~ What do you do when visiting a monument or place (a beautiful one nonetheless) for the 100th time ? When you are already familiar with the layout, the structure, the gardens of the destination ? Well, I tend to look and re-look into the details and manage to find something new in a familiar place.
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Qutub Minar - A perspective[/caption]
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The Mughal Gardens Rashtrapati Bhavan (official residence of President of India), is said to one of the central focus of the Presidential Estate. It is inspired by the Mughal Gardens of Jammu & Kashmir and only opens to public visitors about 2-3 weeks in a year. I finally visited the famed Mughal Gardens, after living all my life in Delhi (imagine) and it was an interesting experience. Sharing some sweet moments from the Mughal Gardens visit here.
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Mughal Garden[/caption]
A concerted effort to preserve our heritage is a vital link to our cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational, and economic legacies - all of the things that quite literally make us who we are. ~ Steve Berry
When we think about our heritage, especially in the context of Asia & South Asian region, the legacy of textiles & related art forms is one of the major influences that have shaped the history of many countries in the region, in particular India. The rich Indian heritage of textiles, be it embroidery, block printing, weaving or hand painting, is our most precious tangible heritage. It was during my early years of work travel, going into the interiors of Gujarat and Odisha that I realised how exquisite textiles are being created by some of the most talented yet poor artisans. It has also made me a lifelong lover of handloom and hand-woven textiles; they are not only unique and much more durable than a lot of fast fashion, they are also the soul of sustainable fashion. And I have believed over the years, that anyone who goes on a textile trail, watches the process, interacts with the artisans, will never again haggle for prices as the effort behind the price will then seem too less!
After participating in many interesting walks and cycle tours in my city Delhi, last week as I led a walk through Lodhi Colony neighborhood and introduced participants to its heritage, public art and sub-culture. The walk was conducted in association with KLoDB (Knowing and Loving Delhi Better) - one of the oldest walking community in Delhi. My good friend Arundhati wrote a beautiful account of the walk in Lodhi Art District and Lodhi Colony neighborhood.
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Public Art in Lodhi Art district[/caption]
Winter is the best time to explore Delhi and even for a true blue local like me, Delhi has many new charms to offer, be it interesting heritage, food or places of faith. So, while surfing Delhi Walk Festival’s listed programs, when I saw one walk which promised an experience encompassing all three (faith, heritage and food), I had to participate!
On a sunny winter morning, I started off on a most interesting walk by KLoDB - Hunting Lodges, Mother Goddesses and Kulfi in Karol Bagh. The idea, as walk leader Jaya, explained, was to explore the neighbourhoods of Jhandewalan and Karol Bagh.
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Iconic Landmark of Jhandewalan Metro station - Statue of Hanuman Ji[/caption]
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I think most tourists, travelers and even locals envisage Delhi as a city rather than a state; the vast geographic differences, socio-economic disparities and cultural diversity across Delhi as a state are mostly ignored by the travellers, with only Old Delhi and Lutyens Delhi being the focus of their sightseeing interest. As a local, I spent the first 20 years of my life cushioned in the geographic security of the ‘posh’ localities of South Delhi. My first awareness of Delhi as a state and its diverse cultural fabric came when I started travelling to length and breadth of Delhi state during my Masters Degree, encountering urban village of Ambar Hai in Dwarka, Najafgarh villages and then doing 2 research papers on Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary and Bawana Industrial Area (which went on to become my thesis subject). I realised that Delhi ‘state’ is much more than Chandni Chowk, India Gate or Lajpat Nagar. Since then, from time to time, I try to explore the ‘other’ Delhi and it always leaves me surprised to learn something more about my ‘city state’.
So on a November winter morning, I took the long route by Metro to Uttam Nagar for a walk into Potters Village in Binda Pur; the walk was part of many walks being organized under Delhi Walk Festival and I had already done a very interesting Foraging & Garden to Table walk in Lodhi Garden couple of days back, so was expecting another exciting walk experience.
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Travelling in E-Rickshaw to Binda Pur Village[/caption]
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Lodhi Garden in the heart of Lutyens Delhi is an urban oasis and any regular reader of this blog knows how much I love this public garden/park. So when I read about a foraging walk in Lodhi Garden as part of Delhi Walk Festival, my curiosity was instantly aroused. I visit this Lodhi Garden almost every day and have sometimes picked up a flowering plant sapling to grow in my pot. But to forage edible herbs & vegetables from the garden (and its nursery) and prepare a meal around them, I did not think it was possible. So I went on this walk to experience the possibility of foraging in Lodhi Garden and to acquaint with it in a completely different way.
