Day Four (Final Day) in Delhi: Seeing and Doing Bits and Bobs of the Capital Before Departure. Connaught Place, Janpath, Safdarjang's Tomb, Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, Chaat at Greater Kailash

CTuesday, February 4, 2025:

Delhi:

Day Four (Final Day) in Delhi: Seeing and Doing Bits and Bobs of the Capital Before Departure.

Connaught Place, Janpath, Safdarjang's Tomb, Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, Chaat at Greater Kailash

Our last day in Delhi (on this trip) would be as hectic as you can imagine as we tried to cover all the unaccomplished bits and bobs that were on our To-Do and To-See List. We awoke and after showering and getting dressed, we packed up our backpacks and kept them ready for pick-up, at the end of the day, when we would head straight off to the airport. But first, there was breakfast to be enjoyed.

Breakfast and Off to Connaught Place:

As Llew has awoken with a dodgy tummy and I wanted to look for a Benarasi-style silk table runner in off-white with gold tassels, we decided to have breakfast and make a beeline for Janpath which a shopper’s haven, reportedly. Last night, my friend Anita had mentioned that the Indian Cottage Emporium at Janpath would be the best place to find exceptional Indian handicrafts under one roof and with fixed, reasonable government prices.

Hence, after eating a hearty breakfast in our Fulbright Residence cafeteria (I had scrambled eggs today with buttered toast (and jam for Llew), plus cornflakes and hot milk, a plate of apples and hot coffee, we made a short visit to the Fulbright office to meet Neeraj whom I had missed yesterday. We had a lovely visit together as Anupam joined in too and after catching up for awhile, we set off.

Shopping at Janpath:

Janpath is very easy to reach from our residence as it is the second stop on the Violet Line which serves our metro stop (Mandi House). Once there, we found the India Cottage Emporium soon enough as Anita had mentioned that it was just opposite the Tibetan Market—which is simply a series of sidewalk shops selling items from Tibet.

However, our foray into the emporium did not glean results as they did not have what I was looking for. Instead we decided to take a look at the shops on Connaught Place which is one of Delhi’s best-known landmarks and another fine achievement of Lutyens-Baker as architects.

Exploring Connaught Place and Connaught Circus:

Everyone knows Connaught Place. It is a popular hangout but also houses many private companies such as airline offices and travel agencies. The place is also known as Connaught Circus as it is designed and constructed in the shape of concentric circles that are created through the use of open-air shopping arcades punctuated by Greek Doric columns in white. The closest we get to such a structure in Bombay is Horniman Circle.

As we were essentially looking for a pharmacy, we did google it and found one in a place about a ten minute walk away. Using Google maps, we found our way there at a place called Apollo Pharmacy from where we bought some Dolo which Llew took immediately. It is clear that Delhi’s notorious pollution had gotten to him and despite the fact that we wore masks throughout, his chest became affected by the poor air-quality, his nose was leaking and his chest felt congested. We hoped that the medication would make a difference.

At this point, we began to look for the state emporiums that seem to be clustered in this area. A young man came up to help us and told us to take a rickshaw to the place where we could find it. Miraculously, a rickshaw driver appeared and told us he would take us there for Rs. 10! Unbelievable! We ought to have smelled a rat at that point. He said he’d take us to a place called Dilli Haath—a series of handicraft shops. Of course, he hoped we would shop vigorously and he would receive a cut from our purchases. But in this place too, we could not find what we wanted. The same rickshaw driver was waiting outside to take us to the next handicrafts shop—called Indian handlooms. But we were done with shopping and told him to take us to Safdarjang’s Tomb instead. He agreed to take us for Rs. 50 which was also a steal. We got in and soon realized that he was bent on taking us to the Handloom Stop. Once there, when we did not get out of the rickshaw because we were not interested in looking any further, he make a U-turn, but then just five minutes later, he complained that his rickshaw was not working well and dropped us off at a corner! Clearly, these touts are only interested in attracting people into their vehicles who will shop hugely and give them a cut (for bringing customers to the stores). He did not want to drive too far away from the shopping circuit—and, therefore, deserted us!

Fortunately for us, we were able to call an Uber Rick that then took us to our next destination, Safdarjang’s Tomb and Mausoleum.

Visiting the Tomb of Safdarjang:

You cannot miss Safdarjang’s Tomb when you are cruising through the streets of Delhi. It is en route to the Lodi Colony on Aurobindo Ghosh Marg and I was intrigued by what I had seen of its entrance on at least three occasions that we passed by it. Getting off at the gate from our rickshaw, we made our way to the entrance to purchase a ticket to enter.

As in the case of all Mughal monuments, this one too is approached by a huge gate or Darwaza that frames the magnificence of the building concealed behind. It was built in 1754 and is considered the last ember on the dying flames of Mughal architecture in India.

So here’s a word about Safdarjang (from Wikipedia):

Safdarjung, Nawab of Awadh, was made prime minister (Vazir) of the Mughal Empire (Wazir ul-Mamlak-i-Hindustan) when Ahmed Shah Bahadur ascended the throne in 1748. As Vazir, he usurped all powers under his control as the king was only a puppet, a figurehead, who was into enjoying life with wine, opium, and women. But his control over the emperor's family was so cruel that the emperor called the Marathas to rid of their Vazir. The Marathas drove Safdarjung out of Delhi in 1753. He died soon after in 1754.

After his death, his son Nawab Shujaud Daula pleaded with the Mughal Emperor to permit him to erect a tomb for his father in Delhi. He then built the tomb, which was designed by an Abyssininan architect. It was built by Bilal Muhammad Khan, at the cost of three lacs of rupees. When you come to think of it, considering that he was so reviled in his lifetime, his son is fortunate that the Emperor permitted him to build the mausoleum at all.

It is a stunning monument and definitely worth seeing, especially if one is on a tour of Islamic architecture in India and wishes to trace its evolution. If one goes chronologically, then this monument would come last in the line as it is an 18th century monument, representative of the achievement of the Mughal empire when in its dying throes and just before the Battle of Plassey (1757) would end Mughal supremacy on the Indian sub-continent and make way for imperial British rule in India.

Just past the entrance gate, where we stopped to take pictures, we arrived at the picture postcard-perfect spot which is highly reminiscent of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The mausoleum is built entirely of red sandstone with slight marble inlay embellishments to define its contours, But its most striking aspect is its gigantic marble dome—truly the Mughals had mastered the art of creating domes that rivalled Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence, Italy, in terms of size and style. Unlike Humayun’s Tomb, which is older and larger, this has minarets at the four corners—in imitation of the Taj Mahal—but they are attached to the main building and not separated along the periphery of the plinth. There is something gloriously poetic about these Islamic mausoleums that bring out deep excitement in me. I was really thrilled to see this place as it has been at least fifty years since I had last seen it—I am certain I had seen it as a young teenager on a family trip to Delhi. This time round, I could completely appreciate its architectural details and its interior embellishments.

Safdarjang’s marble cenotaph lies right in the center of the structure. It is well decorated with carvings. The marble floor around it is decorated with pietra dura (such as one sees at the Taj)—so the Taj clearly inspired this decoration. We circumnavigated the cenotaph and looked up to find it rather stark in its lack of embellishment. The terrace, like all such Mughal monuments, has a low latticed wall. The place is exceedingly peaceful, unlike all the other monuments we had visited, because so few people come here. The Mughal gardens spread all around, in the Persian Char Bagh deign, featured well-manicured lawns that were a cool delight to the eye. But after taking the mandatory pictures, there was really not much to do and we made our way out towards the main entrance.

Off to Chandni Chowk to see the Red Fort:

By this time, it was well past 12 noon and we were beginning to be conscious of the paucity of time. We wanted to see Shah Jehan’s Red Fort as it is the only significant Mughal monument that we had not yet glimpsed on this trip. However, we would not have the time to go inside (this takes almost an entire morning and we have toured it a couple of times earlier). Hence, we decided to get an Uber auto to take us to Chandni Chowk so that we could take a few pictures of the imposing, towering red sandstone walls before moving on to the next item on our agenda.

The ride by rickshaw was long as the place was quite a distance from Safdarjang’s Tomb. Once we entered Chandni Chowk, our progress was also very slow as traffic made it very difficult to move ahead. But, eventually, we reached. Our driver let us off and we walked for about ten minutes around the corner of the main road, to get some pictures of the ramparts of this glorious Fort before we went out in search of the Jama Masjid Metro station (which we had passed) to get to the next stop on our agenda, Lunch at Great Kailash.

Can’t Leave Delhi Without Eating Chaat:

Of course, you cannot leave Delhi without eating the Northern Indian street-food known as Chaat. So off we went to Greater Kailash, one of the large colonies on the outskirts of the city, where my friend Sangeeta had suggested we eat chaat. For the uninitiated, Chaat is a very unique aspect of North Indian cuisine that is a cross between a snack and a meal. It is composed entirely of fried items that look like crackers, very thin noodles, etc. that are then eaten with mashed potato, chickpeas, mung bean sprouts, etc. and then heavily doused with a variety of sauces including runny yogurt, date sauce, chilli sauce, etc. The combination of sweet-sour-salty-umami flavors is what makes this so interesting and so delicious. No two chaat stalls serve exactly the same combo and no two plates of chaat ever taste the same. Everything lies in the proportion of sauce and spice to base crackers. It’s really hard to describe. A word of caution here: Novices find this rather difficult to digest—the stomachs of the uninitiated find it too much of a shock to deal with so much strangeness. This is, therefore, the most notorious cause of Delhi Belly and I have grown wary of eating it myself as I seem to have lost my immunity.

All that said, in Greater Kailash I, is a place called Prince Chaat which is known strictly by reputation alone. Every auto rickshaw driver knows this place. So, once we got off the metro at Greater Kailash (a very long journey that took more than 45 minutes from the Red Fort), we hopped into a rick whose driver took us there.

To my utter astonishment, this place is only a road-side joint. You cannot sit inside and eat your chaat in peace. You must stand on the road and partake of these treats at the corner of a busy traffic intersection. Not to be daunted by the location or setting, we ordered gol gappe (known as pani puri in Bombay)—4 of them to a plate. And believe me, it was as much as I could handle, They are large and could barely fit in my mouth! They were ice-cold and the pani (cumin water) used was kept frigidly cold. This did a number on my very sensitive teeth. I have to say that my struggle to eat these treats took the pleasure away completely. Next, we ordered Delhi’s famous Paapri Chaat—this is a combination of items and flavors as I have described above. It was just superb—no question, Prince’s reputation rests on these concoctions.

By this time, it was almost 4.00pm and as we wanted to be at the airport at 7.00 pm for our 9.00 pm flight to Bombay, we had to get a move-on. We called for an Uber Rick to take us back to Greater Kailash (known colloquially as GK) metro station from where we hopped into the Violet line (no changes necessary) and arrived at our destination—Mandi House. From there, it was just a ten minute walk to our residence. Without wasting any time, we used the facilities, checked out, handed the key over to the watchman and called for a Rick to get us to Shivaji Stadium. We were running half an hour behind schedule as we had hoped to leave our residence at 5.00 pm. It was actually 5.30 pm when we left.

Journey to the Airport:

From Shivaji Stadium, we easily found the Airport Express Line station entrance and bought our tickets (Rs. 50 per head) to get to T1 at the airport. The journey took about twenty minutes with a stop in-between (Daula Kuan). We hopped off at Aerocity from where we found the shuttle (Rs. 40 each ticket) to get us to the Terminal for our Indigo flight. We were there exactly on schedule at 7.00 pm—which means that it takes 90 minutes to get from the airport to the Fulbright Residence (something to keep in mind for future travel).

Of course, from this point it was smooth sailing—or so we thought. We checked in one bag (as we were carrying a bottle of wine), received our boarding passes and made our way to the gate—I looked for something to eat as the chaat was not filling enough and our meal on the aircraft would only be at 9.30pm. At leisure, I skirted around the Food Court and picked up Chicken Chalupas from Taco Bell with a mango milkshake for Llew and chocolate milkshake for me before I also picked up a Chocolate Truffle pastry from Theo Broma.

By the time I came back to the gate, I discovered that almost an hour had passed (service at the Food Court was that slow) and a gate change had been announced on Llew’s phone—not on the PA system. So, we had to move from Gate 8 to Gate 41! This involved taking an elevator and finding our way there and eventually eating our meal while waiting for boarding to be announced.

Both of us then carried our airplane meal (Chicken sandwiches) home with us as we were really full. The flight was short—we had blue masala tea on the flight—and eventually reached Bombay at 11. 30 pm. We took a rickshaw back home and reached at 12. 30 pm. It was well past 1.30 am before we actually went to bed after what had been a very long journey home indeed.

Conclusion:

We had a truly rollicking time in Delhi. My visits to this city are too few and far-between for my liking and I always forget how beautiful it is and how much I love it. On this visit, apart from being present at the birthday party for which we were invited, Llew and I made a thorough study of Islamic architecture from the 11the century (the Aibaks at the Qutb Minar) to the Lodis (12-13th century at Mehrauli and the Lodi Gardens) to the Great Mughals (Humayun—his tomb, Shah Jehan—his Red Fort and Jama Masjid—14-15th centuries) and finally to the last phase of this glorious reign (18th century—Safdarjang’s Tomb). It is truly fascinating how much the Mughals achieved in terms of architecture and garden landscape design and how many influences they incorporated into their monuments: Persian, Rajput, Florentine Renaissance, etc.

We also ate our way through the capital’s offerings by enjoying upscale, Michelin-quality restaurants such as Ego and Cho, charming French-style tea-rooms such as Laduree and Elma’s that reeked of Parisian elegance, renowned and historic kebab places such as Karim’s and modest street-side eateries such as Azam’s and Prince. In the process, we took in a grand gastronomic tour of food offerings and enjoyed every bit of them.

I do not know when we will have occasion to return to Delhi. But it is comforting to know that it is only a two hour flight away from Bombay and that the Fulbright Residence is always available for my use to offer quality accommodation in the very heart of the city. Delhi is endlessly fascinating and, no doubt, on another visit, there will be other places to see and other things to do. I very much look forward to that day.

Thanks for following me on these armchair-travels. I hope you have enjoyed living vicariously through my adventures as much as I enjoyed penning them for you.

Until next time…may the road rise up to greet you and make the wind be ever at your back.

Day Three in Dazzling Delhi: Mehrauli Archeological Park, Ambavatta One Complex, Exploring Lodi Colony’s Art District, Tea at Elma’s, Visiting Lotus Temple and Dilli Haath Exhibition, Driving Tour of New Delhi by Night and Dinner at Karim’s of Chandni Chowk

Monday, February 3, 2025

Delhi

Day Three in Dazzling Delhi: Mehrauli Archeological Park, Ambavatta One Complex, Exploring Lodi Colony’s Art District, Tea at Elma’s, Visiting Lotus Temple and Dilli Haath Exhibition, Driving Tour of New Delhi by Night and Dinner at Karim’s of Chandni Chowk

Today, our time in Delhi was crammed with such a vast variety of items to see and to do that it was far in excess of what I had expected

Breakfast and Off to Mehrauli:

After rising at leisure, we showered and made our way to the café for our complimentary breakfast of masala omlettes with buttered toast (and jam), fresh fruit (papaya, apples, bananas), cornflakes with milk and hot coffee. Well filled to meet the rigors of the day, we set out on foot to Mandi House Metro Station from where we took the metro to Qutb Minar Station (end of the line) as our aim was to get to Mehrauli which is beyond the outskirts of the city. By this point, we had mastered the Metro drill and knew how to get from one spot to the next while staying underground and avoiding Delhi’s notorious road traffic. Little did we guess what a convoluted journey we would have.

Once we alighted at the Qutb Minar Station, our nightmare began. Touts advertising the availability of their auto ricks began coaxing us to hire them to get to the Qutb Minar. I was under the impression that we could walk there—but it turned out to be more than 2 miles away! In the end, we hired a rick ourselves and were dropped off at the Qutub Minar. We could not see it at this point, but since we were not interested in going inside—but heading to Mehrauli instead—we did not get into the line to buy tickets.

Using our phones, we thought we’d find our way to Mehrauli Archeological Park that I had read about online. It supposedly contains hundreds of ancient Islamic tombs and mausoleums and strolling around them makes for a wonderful morning’s excursion. However, our phones were far from helpful and when we stopped to ask a group of men who looked like they might be able to guide us on foot, they turned out to be far more helpful than we could have imagined. They immediately offered to send us in a car with their driver. You can just imagine how shocked we were! And delighted! They said it was no trouble at all and, in fact, they actually sent a young man who happened to be in their group, with us, as our guide, on our journey.

So, there we were, in a stranger’s car, with his driver and making conversation with a young man who informed us that not many people go to this venue. And he was right. When we did eventually reach the spot, it was almost deserted. It is so out of the way and so hard to access if one doesn’t have private transport that it is clearly not on anyone’s beaten tourist track.

Exploring Mehrauli Archeological Park:

I have to say that there is nothing much to impress about the entrance to Mehrauli Archaeological Park. The place is really an overgrown jungle studded with Islamic monuments, most of which are in ruin. The few that still stand intact are hoary with age. While some of them are being refurbished slowly (with assistance from the Aga Khan Foundation), the rest languish sadly with few visitors.

We first went to the tombs and mosque of Jamali-Kamali which is the first significant monument that you come across on your wanderings.

The Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb:

This is a Sufi mosque and mausoleum complex that contains the tombs of Jamali and Kamali, located in the archaeological village of Mehrauli, in South Delhi, India. The mosque and the tomb were constructed in 1529, and Jamali was buried in the tomb after his death in 1535. The mosque and tomb structures are a Monument of National Importance, administered by the Archaeological Survey of India. "Jamali" was the alias given to Shaikh Fazlu'llah, also known as Shaikh Jamali Kamboh or Jalal Khan, a renowned Sufi saint who lived duringthe times of the Lodi Dynasty and the Mughal Dynasty, a period from the rule of Sikander Lodi to that of Babur and Humayun.

While we did enter the mosque and noticed its exterior and interior design and its mihrab inside, we did not linger too long. We were not allowed to enter the adjoining Tomb enclosure as we were told that it is under renovation and out of bounds of visitors. After taking a few pictures we left. However, this 1500s edifice is significant in that it set the style and tone for tomb-mosques to follow. The name "Jamali" is Urdu, though originates from "Jamal" which means "beauty". Jamali was a popular poet who traveled widely around Asia and the Middle East. He became court poet during Lodi Dynasty rule and continued to enjoy the patronage of the Mughal rulers, Babur and his son Humayun. His poetry mirrored Persian mysticism of the times. His two popular works are The Sun and Moon and The Spiritual Journey of the Mystics. It is said that his tomb was completed during Humayun's rule. Kamali was an unknown individual who served as Jamali's disciple.

The Kings Steps or Rajaon Ki Baoli:

Walking out of this compound complex, we next arrived at the Rajaon ki Baoli (King’s Steps) which was a very long walk away. The complex is huge and you must be in good shape to be able to undertake all the walking that is involved as you go from one monument to the next. When we did find the King’s Steps, they were spectacular. It is Delhi’s most significant step-well. There are stairs that lead down to the water’s level, deep below. It is evident that refurbishment is being carried out as parts of it are now in brand-new shape while others still wear age on their sleeves. Again, after taking a few pictures, we left.

From this point on, we walked a few steps and right ahead of us were a series of cenotaphs concealed under domed structures. Many of the people buried here remain anonymous and some refurbishment allowed us to admire the architectural features and embellishment. We did take a few pictures and left.

Finally, our last port of call was Adham Khan’s Mausoleum, which is across the street from the park and the Mehrauli Bus Terminus, which towered in front of us in quite imposing gait. However, by then we had seen too many mausoleums that were very similar and were also tired and hungry and did not feel motivated to cross the street to enter it. Instead, we began to look for a rickshaw to take us for lunch and the place we chose was Cho, an award-winning Vietnamese restaurant that my friend Sangeeta had insisted we visit. A rickshaw did show up, eventually, and about five minutes later, after a very short ride, we were at the Ambavatta One Complex.

Exploring the Ambavatta One Complex:

The Ambavatta One Complex is well-known in Delhi. Although it is in faraway Mehrauli, it is a showcase for the finest work of India’s best-known fashion designers from Anita Dongre and Manish Malhotra to Falguni Shah Peacock and Tarun Tahiliani—indeed all the huge names are here. Needless to say, the biggest daddy of them all, Sabyasachi, has his own adjoining showroom, in its own compound next door.

The Complex is beautifully designed as an outdoor shopping arcade. It has dual floors with the designer showrooms on the ground floor and upscale restaurants (such as Cho) on the first floor. Great landscaping brings trees, flowers and potted greenery to the place. The end result is a very elitist space that offers big-time sticker shock. We merely skirted around the shops before finding out where Cho was located and getting there for lunch.

Lunch at Vietnamese Cho Restaurant:

As we adored the food in Vietnam, it made sense that we seek out a Vietnamese restaurant and Cho did not disappoint. Its décor is very pretty indeed—a sort of tropical jungle vibe with cool sophistication. We were the only people lunching in the establishment which, I presume, must have more clientele at dinner time. Once handed our menus, we decided first on a cool drink as all our trekking through the park had rendered us really dehydrated and very thirsty. We both chose something called a Mango Colada—a mixture of mango and pineapple juices with thyme highlights and vanilla ice-cream—it was refreshing and very delicious.

From the menu, we then selected Bahn Mi—the famous Vietnamese sandwich that is usually filled with a variety of meats (pate is a must—although there was none in our sandwich) and pickled veg—this was certainly present in the pickled cucumber. Ours had a breaded chicken cutlet in it which was very good and crisp. Overall, it was a very delicious sandwich, made better by the accompanying sweet-sour sauce. We also ordered Chicken Pho, as it is a dish (hearty soup with a flavorful broth) we can never resist. This was okay--nothing like the pho we had eaten in Vietnam or, best of all, in a small eatery in Hawai’i, which remains the best Pho we had ever eaten. Overall, it was a wonderful meal eaten in a delightful atmosphere.

Out friends Allan and Anita were supposed to join us for the rest of the day and after hearing from them, we made arrangements to meet them at Lodi Colony so that we could begin our tour of the Artist’s Colony.

Exploring the Lodi Colony Art District:

The Lodi Colony Art District was another thing I got to know about from doing some prior research before leaving for Delhi. As Anita is also an artist, I thought it would make sense to take her there and as she and Allan were game, we met them at a street corner in Lodi Colony after we alighted from the rickshaw that transported us from Ambavatta to Lodi Colony.

We soon discovered that the art work is splattered, in the form of murals, on all the walls of this vast colony that consists of a series of soft pink buildings. A few years ago, someone came up with the idea of inviting international artists to paint the sides of the buildings—their entrances really—with larger-than-life size murals to bring some color and interest to the plain walls. The end result is best seen in a car (which we were fortunate to have) as Anita and Allan came in a car with a driver, Mahesh. He drove us around from one block to the next. We stopped and alighted from the car if we saw paintings that caught our eye and would make a good backdrop for pictures. More than half an hour later, we had toured most of the area on wheels, taken a bunch of very interesting pictures of paintings done by international artists from India, Belgium, Singapore, etc. It is interesting how sportingly these artists joined in to make this a truly fascinating part of Delhi.

Tea at Elma’s Tea Room:

Once we were done with exploring the art district, we were ready for some refreshment. Anita’s friends told us about coffee shops in the area and off we went to look for them. We found Elma’s close by and inside ordered tea, coffee, and French fries as Anita was hungry. We sat for about half an hour and left for the next item on our agenda.

Visiting the Lotus Temple of the Bahai Faith:

Anita’s friend also suggested the Lotus Temple, a very unique structure that symbolizes the Bahai Faith of which there are very few practitioners around the world. Most of the Lotus Temples have the same design—I had been taken to one of them just outside Chicago by my friend, Marie-Lou, many years ago. There is also one in Haifa in Israel. There is a similar uniformity to all of them—white, imposing, structured like an open lotus flower.

Sadly, when we arrived at the spot, we discovered that it is closed on Mondays—hence, we could not enter the gates or go inside. We could take pictures from the outside just as the sun was setting over Delhi, This lent a lovely hazy orange backdrop to our pictures of the pure white temple. Without wasting too much time at this spot, we left.

Visiting the Dilli-Haath Exhibition:

It was Anita’s friends again who had suggested the Dilli-Haath exhibition which turned out to be a large open-air exhibition/fair/market filled with stalls showcasing the work of India’s artists and craftsmen from all over the country. There is an entry fee of Rs. 50 and with that, you have free access to the stalls of hundreds of people who have pretty much the same merchandise. Almost every second stall was from Kashmir and there is an abundance of items from carpets and shawls to stoles, kurtas, embroidered table linen to footwear, etc. Other stalls sell handicrafts, jewelry, framed wall art, leather bags, pashmina shawls, etc. It is a good way to pass an entire evening if you can find the time and have a little extra cash to spend on gifts for yourself or others. While Anita did some shopping, I merely browsed. And soon it was time to leave these precincts also and move on.

A Driving Tour of Delhi By Night:

Our evening with our friends ended with them obliging us fully by taking us on a driving tour of Delhi by night. This enabled us to see major contemporary monuments such as Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate both on The Mall lit up in all their colorful glory. India Gate has tri-colored bands at the top in red, white and green (colors of the Indian national flag) while Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s House) has a laser light program that floods the outer walls with changing colors. One minute it is a garish pink, another time a fluorescent green. To my mind, there is nothing subtle or appealing about it. Furthermore, we were viewing it from a very long distance as you are not allowed, for Security reasons, to go anywhere close to these buildings. I understand that visitors are free to tour the buildings with special permission…but I had seen the inside of these buildings many years ago and had no desire to see them again. For first-time visitors to Dehi, I guess this would be a must-see. For me, the opportunity to see the monuments lit up was the reason for taking the tour. And after getting a few pictures, we were ready to call it a day—but not before eating some dinner.

Dinner at Karim’s at Chandni Chowk:

So, we were then all set to drive to crowded Old Delhi—to Chandni Chowk, to be precise—to eat at a renowned and most legendary eatery in Delhi, Karim’s. Except that Anita’s sister dissuaded her from eating there and she conveyed her hesitation to us. We were not daunted and decided to go ahead anyway. Hence, after Anita’s driver Mahesh, managed to negotiate the congested, maze-like labyrinth of Chandni Chowk, he brought us right opposite the famous mosque (the largest in the world)—the Jama Masjid—at which point, we parted company. Anita and Allan left after we said our goodbyes to them and we footed it off to Karim’s by simply heading closer and closer to the mosque.

We found Karim’s soon enough after a rather excruciating journey on foot through crowds of people either going into or emerging from the mosque or exploring the street to find dinner as there are several well-known places for typical North Indian Islamic food in the area. However, Karim’s is the oldest and most reputed of them all—and so, that was where we were headed. Inside, by taking a very narrow alleyway, we opened into a large courtyard filled with tiny rooms—all of which were parts of the same restaurant.

The menu is limited but centered on meat dishes. We ordered chicken seekh kebabs which were awesome and nalli-nihari, a popular North Indian curry dish that consists of slow-cooked meat. While it was okay, Llew definitely makes a far better nihari! We ordered rumali rotis to go with our meal and really had a good end to a very interesting and fully packed day.

All that was left, was to walk to the Jama Masjid metro station (we had passed it en route to the restaurant), buy our tickets and ride all the way to Mandi House from where we hotfooted it off to our residence.

Indeed, it had been a very long day and we were ready to call it a night.

Until tomorrow, cheerio…

Dazzling Day Two in India’s Capital: Sacred Heart Cathedral, Humayun’s Tomb, Golf Course Poolside Party, National Museum, Dinner with Friends in Janakpuri.

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Delhi

Dazzling Day Two in India’s Capital: Sacred Heart Cathedral, Humayun’s Tomb, Golf Course Poolside Party, National Museum, Dinner with Friends in Janakpuri.

Delhi is endlessly fascinating—whether you are cruising on wheels through the broad, tree-lined boulevards of Edwin Lutyens’s splendidly designed city or footing in through the narrow, maze-like lanes of Old Delhi—Chandni Chowk or Hazrat Nuzamuddin areas--you are fully taken by the assault on all your senses. Today offered us a whole spectrum of experiences that the city can provide.

Breakfast and Morning Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral:

We awoke at leisure in Anand Bhavan, the Fulbright Residence in Barakhamba—close to the Diplomatic Enclave of Chanakyapuri. It is incredibly quiet and serene here—especially on a Sunday where nobody is working on these lawn-surrounded premises.

After our showers, we dressed warmly (Delhi is spring or fall-like, at this time of year) and left for complimentary breakfast in the café on the premises of our living quarters. We had masala omlettes with buttered toast (jam was also provided), fresh fruit (papaya, apples, bananas), corn flakes with lovely hot milk and hot coffee—truly a royal repast to set us off for a day of strenuous sightseeing. Once our breakfast was done, we hailed an Uber rickshaw and went off to the first item on our agenda for the day: Sunday Mass at Delhi’s biggest Catholic church, Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Holy Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral:

The ride through the glorious, traffic-free streets of New Delhi on a Sunday morning was one of the most memorable parts of our day. I am completely enthralled by the buildings you pass which are beautifully signposted. One minute you will be passing by the Ministry of External Affairs building, another time it will be the Lalita Kala Akademi, yet another time, it might the Taj Palace Hotel. All these structures stand alongside broad, tree-lined boulevards that end in rotaries that are crafted around tiny parks filled with sculpture. There is visual interest at every turn and I was fully taken by everything we passed. Truly, Edwardian architects, Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, achieved true magnificence when they were assigned the building of a new capital in India in 1911.

To my utmost delight, we actually passed by the Jantar Mantar—that incredible observatory that Maharana Jai Singh of Jaipur built because he was crazy about astronomy and wished to study the skies at night. The discoveries he made and the manner in which he mapped the heavens are truly impressive. We did not have the time for a visit here, but I have been to the red sandstone Jantar Mantar on past visits to Delhi and I know that it is truly worth seeing.

It was not long before we were pulling up outside Sacred Heart Cathedral, a distinctive twin-spired building painted red and yellow (like most of the official buildings in Delhi) constructed and decorated in the Baroque style. We were taken, on the left side of the gate, by a tree that had been planted by Pope John Paul II on his visit to Delhi and to a sculpture right by it by Neeraj Gupta. On the opposite side of the gate is a statue of the same Pope, his hand raised in blessing.

On approaching the entrance of the church, we realized that Mass had just begun. It was just past 10.30 am. As we had intended to attend Mass today, it made sense to sit through the Mass which was in Hindi. The church was full and every pew was occupied. The Cathedral is quite beautiful indeed and the Mass happened to be con-celebrated with five priests at the altar, The best part of the service was the choir that was simply magnificent. They had a full cohort of voices plus a variety of musical instruments that lent tremendous heft to the service. We thoroughly enjoyed the Mass, received Communion and left at the very end, happy to have participated in the full service.

As soon as Mass was done, we took a few pictures and left. We hailed an Uber auto rick that then took us to the next place on our agenda: Hazrat Nizamuddin to see Humayun’s Tomb.

On to Humayun’s Tomb:

The Emperor Humayun (1508-1556, born Nazir al-Din Mohammed) was the son of Emperor Babur and the father of Emperor Akbar. When he died in 1556, his wife, Haji Begum, decided to spare no pains, time, money or trouble to build him a mausoleum that history would remember. The building predates the Taj Mahal in Agra (built 60 years later by his grand-son Shah Jehan for his wife, Nur) and is said to have inspired it. Indeed, your first glimpse of Humayun’s Tomb is just as breathtaking as the Taj. But for the fact that this is built in red sandstone and the latter in pure white marble, there is little to differentiate them.

As in the case of most significant Moghul mausoleums, you enter through a large gateway or Darwaza which is just as ornamented as the tomb building itself. But, in our case, since we entered from the Hazrat Nizamuddin side, we passed by a number of very significant structures that pertain to Humayun’s contemporaries—his barber, his wife, etc. As we walked along the newly-created pathway leading to the main building, we detoured to visit Isa Khan’s Tomb and Khan-e-Khannan, two Lodi-era and Lodi-style mausoleums, that honor the memory of the worthies that made a mark on their times. The entire place is being refurbished by the Aga Khan Foundation which is sparing no pains to bring these fabulous Islamic monuments up to snuff in conjunction with the Indian government. There were loads of tourists around—Indians and foreigners—as this is a major landmark in Delhi and since it was re-opened to the public (after being closed for renovation for almost a decade), it is well mobbed. We loved the details of these minor architectural achievements, admired their symmetry and proportions and the ornamentation in terms of carvings, calligraphy and enamel tile work. Inside these mausoleums, there are multiple cenotaphs to honor the memory of many members of the same family. In fact, this entire sprawling complex, that stretches from Humayun’s Tomb to the Sunder Nursery Gardens with their Lodi tombs (Sunder Burj and Lakkarwala Burj which we had explored yesterday) makes a whole day’s magnificent excursion.

And then we arrived at the main monument: The most striking feature of Humayun’s Tomb (once you cross the threshold of the Darwaza and enter the main space) is its double dome in pure white marble. This dome is said to have inspired the design of the Taj Mahal’s dome. Placed on an impressive pedestal or plinth (accessed by climbing a flight of very steep stairs), the monument towers above and dwarfs you. The combination of red sandstone with marble embellishment is so aesthetically done that you have to marvel at the architects and exterior designers of that era. Persian and Moghul design combine effortlessly as do the many small chatri or umbrella canopies that might have been inspired by Rajput design in nearby Rajasthan. These were once covered with blue tiles and they are still in evidence.

The inside of the mausoleum is rather stark in decoration. Unlike the Taj Mahal that overwhelms the eye with its pietra dura (hard stone inlay) and its many marble jallis (or carved screens), there is nothing but some ceiling decoration here. The red and off-white patterns that surround the cenotaph of Humayun (bang under the dome and its central pediment) are stunning in their simplicity and minimalist design. His wife, Hajji Begum lies next to him (not symmetrical) under a smaller marble cenotaph. The rooms inside the monument are constructed around the mathematical and geometrical principle associated with the Figure 8—of special significance to the Islamic religion.

you walk inside and outside this structure (on the plinth or terrace), you are continuously struck by the geometrical precision, the symmetrical elegance and the many-sided visual interests that the building provides. In other words, it is simply breathtaking. Repeatedly, I was forced to remember my first glimpse of this building when I was just sixteen years old and visiting Delhi for the first time with my family.

Our train (from Bombay to Delhi) had just stopped at Hazrat Nizamuddin Station and was making its way to Delhi (Central) Station when we passed right by the back of this monument. I remember becoming dumb-struck by its nearness, its size and its magnificence. This, my first brush with Moghul architecture, has been etched in my mind as one of my most enthralling travel moments.

Here are a few interesting facts about this edifice:

--It is modelled along the lines of the Gur-Amir, the mausoleum of Humayun’s ancestor, Timur (also known as Timur The Lame and Tamberlane) which I was fortunate enough to see in Samarkhand in Uzbekistan, a few years ago.

--It signified a huge departure from the less ornate tomb of his father, Babur, which is in Kabul in Afghanistan.

--It is set in grand Persian-style gardens known as “Char Bagh”. This set the tone for all other garden-tombs that followed (such as the Taj Mahal in Agra).

--Among the many marble cenotaphs in the building is that of Dara Shikoh, his great-great-grandson (eldest son of Shah Jehan) who was murdered by his youngest brother Aurangzeb who murdered all his siblings and usurped the throne to become the last of the great Moghul emperors.

The site was chosen on the banks of the Yamuna River, close to the Durgah and burial place of Nizamuddin Auliya, the Sufi Saint (whose shrine we had visited yesterday) as many members of royalty were devotees of the saint.

--In the last phase of Mughal history, the last emperor of Delhi, Bahadur Shah Zafar, took refuge here from the British in 1857—during the Great Rebellion Or the Sepoy Mutiny that swept over Northern India and passed power into the hands of the British Crown instead of the East India Company.

From every possible perspective—history, architecture, interior design and decoration and landscape design--this venue is an absolute must-see on any Delhi Itinerary. In fact, if one is headed to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, this ought to be a mandatory stop as it will prepare the visitor for the glory of the zenith of Islamic architecture on the Indian sub-continent.

Off to a Birthday Party:

We would have liked to have lingered much longer at Humayun’s Tomb, but, of course, we had to go to a luncheon birthday party and needed to get back home to dress for it. Hence, without wasting too much time, but after ensuring that we had seen everything of significance, we made our way out.

Exiting from the main entrance of Humayun’s Tomb (exactly the way we had entered), we ordered an Uber Rickshaw to take us back to our residence at Barrkhamba. It arrived in a few moments and, half an hour later, we were getting changed into our party finery and making our way back downstairs to get another Uber rick to the Golf Club where the party was being held by the poolside. As the road was closed for some odd reason, the driver dropped us outside. We had no idea how much we’d have to walk to get to the venue (it turned out to be probably more than a mile). We cleared Security and made our way to the pool where we were greeted outside by our friend Anita who speedily introduced us to a bunch of her family members and friends as the party was on in full swing.

We got drinks at the bar (a G&T for me and a Cabernet for Llew) and after socializing with a few people and realizing that the party had to close by 4.00 pm to accommodate another party, we made our way to the laden buffet table for lunch. The food was just delicious: salad, dahi vadas (I think they are called dahi bhallas in the North of India), chicken tikka curry, mutton rogan josh, jeera rice, dal tadka, tandoori rotis. And the best part, of course, being dessert, there was pineapple cream (birthday) cake in the shape of the figures 90, carrot halwa and gulab jamuns—all simply scrumps!

Of course, we ate our fill while chatting with Anita’s Maulana Azad Medical College classmates who were there in full strength and slowly, but surely, made our way out, as the party came to a close. A really lovely afternoon was made special by the fact that Anita’s mother (whose 90th birthday we were celebrating) looked just lovely, healthy, happy and able to participate fully in her celebration. At the end of the party, they gave us a ride to the main entrance from where we picked up an Uber Auto rick to take us to the next venue: a visit to the National Museum.

Visiting Delhi’s National Museum:

I had visited the National Museum in 2019 during my Fulbright stay in India. At that time, my focus was the exhibition of the jewels belonging to the Nizam of Hyderabad who was reputed to have one of the finest jewelry collections in the world. The Indian Government was astute enough to have acquired the collection and are known to exhibit it to the public once every ten years. Since I happened to be in Delhi during the last exhibition, I had taken full advantage of my visit to see it. And indeed it was stunning. However, at the end of my visit, I was tired and hungry and had no energy left at all to see the other highlights of the Museum. This time I wanted to make sure I saw them.

And at the very top of my list was the famed Dancing Girl which had been obtained from the Harrapan excavations of the Indus Valley. I had expected to see something akin to the famous Chola Bronzes of Tamil Nadu that are massive in size and staggering in weight. On the contrary and to my utter amazement, this little bronze figurine is no more than four inches tall (if that). Indeed, she is tiny but she is simply exquisite. Not only is she intact but the detail that has been etched and sculpted into her form is so impressive—from the 23-25 bangles that she wears on her arm to her stance (with her hip and knee stuck out provocatively), she is indeed a memorable figure in black bronze.

This highlight seen, we moved through some of the other galleries and took in an ivory tusk carved with scenes from the life of the Buddha, an ornate ivory altar (very finely and delicately carved as to resemble lace), Harrapan seals, Shiva as Nataraja (large Chola bronze sculpture), large terracotta castings of towering deities, very fine Moghul miniature paintings on small bits of ivory, etc. The sculpture courtyard that is rounded in design is also very interesting to see.

Overall, we had a brief but very enlightening and satisfying visit to the National Museum. I only wish I had more time in Delhi to have also been able to include the National Museum of Contemporary Art—but I have seen this excellent collection before and did not have the time on this visit.

Off to Get Some Rest Before an Evening’s Appointment:

Having already had a very hectic day, both Llew and I were ready to change out of our party finery and get back home. We called another Uber Auto rick and were dropped off at our residence where we changed and promptly dropped down for a nap. Our friends, Allen and Anita and her mother Kamala, had invited us to their place for dinner but we badly needed to get some rest before leaving for that appointment. We were wise enough to set our alarms on our phone as there was no way we’d have been able to wake up on time—so soundly did we sleep.

But, an hour later, we changed and left. This time, we took an Uber taxi to Janakpuri—which we did not realize was really a long way from our accommodation. It took us more than an hour (given Delhi’s traffic on a Sunday evening) to get there and we had some difficulty finding the place too.

But when we did eventually find it, we ended up having a lovely evening with our friends. They have a beautiful, really spacious home in Delhi, filled with lovely show pieces and photographs. Dinner was takeout Chinese food but since I was really still very full, I ate very little of the noodles, chicken Manchurian, sweet and sour vegetables and the spring rolls. Dessert was the delicious Pineapple Cream birthday cake—but again, much as I have a sweet tooth, a tiny piece was all I could manage after our large afternoon meal.

It had been a memorable day and we were ready to call another Uber Taxi (which took a very long time to come) before we were able to return to our residence (at well past 1.00 am) and crash.

Until tomorrow, cheerio…

A Re-Discovery of Delhi: Day One--Lodi Gardens, Khan Market, Sunder Nursery Gardens, Hazrat Nizamuddin Durgah

Saturday, February 1, 2025

A Re-Discovery of Delhi:

Our trip to Delhi, motivated by an invitation to the birthday part of the mother of one of our close friends in New York, would be a re-discovery of the city for the two of us. Llew was returning after 2008 and I was last there in 2016 but only very briefly. Still, I recall always feeling stirred by this sprawling, ancient capital and always wishing I had more time to spend in it. These four days would allow us to do just that.

Departure from Bombay:

We left our Bandra flat at 4.30 am in an Uber car that flew along the highway and got us to the airport by 5.00 am. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7.00nam—so we were very much on schedule. We had no bags to check in and managed to clear all boarding formalities in very little time. This left us free to wander around the airport and get lattes and hot chocolate from McDonald’s as it would be about 7.45 when we’d get our meal on board.

Out Indigo flight was on schedule and very comfortable. Before we knew it, it was done. We ate our chicken sandwiches on the flight and asked for the famous Indigo Blue masala tea which was really delicious. The meal fueled us up for what would be a pretty hectic morning.

Arrival in Delhi and Journey to Fulbright House:

I had received clear and detailed instructions from one of my colleagues in the USIEF (United States-India Education Foundation) Office on how to get from the airport to our residence for the next three nights. We could have taken an Uber but we opted to do it by public transport instead. Accordingly, after landing, we took the shuttle airport bus from T1 (where we had landed) to T3 (Rs. 40 per head) and were at the T3 station in about 20 minutes. At this point, we saw signs for the Airport Express Line (metro) and headed towards it. We went through Security (and frisking—(which one must do at every metro station) before buying our tickets to get to Shivaji Stadium (Connaught Place)—for Rs. 50 each.

The train reminded me very much of the Heathrow Express train that one takes from Heathrow to Paddington in order to be in Central London in 15 minutes. It is spiffy, silent, clean and very well maintained. There are two stops (Aerocity and Daula Kuan) before one arrives at Shivaji Stadium. Once out of the station, the headaches begin because a series of touts will come forward to entice you to take their auto rickshaws to get you to your final destination. We finally settled on a rick for Rs. 80 and then discovered that we were barely five minutes away, The same ride would probably have cost us Rs. 40 in Bombay.

So a word of caution about Delhi’s auto rickshaw drivers: Although they have meters in their vehicles, they do not ply by them. To make matters worse, we happened to be in the city on the very day the fares had been altered. The drivers took advantage of this development by not running their meters. One is expected to negotiate a price with them before entry—this is tough if one does not know the city and has no idea how far one’s destination is or how long it will take to get there. Very quickly we learned that Uber auto ricks are the way to go! They are much more reliable and much cheaper (at least half the cost of what the crookish drivers charge). The only problem with this arrangement is that sometimes the autos take awfully long to arrive or might not be available at all in far off parts of the city. In those cases, we ended up calling for Uber cars (slightly more expensive but just as reliable).

So as soon as we were dropped off at our destination (the Fulbright Residence that I am entitled to use as a Fulbright alumnus), we found the watchman who checked our names against his list of visitors, let us into the gate and gave us our key. As this is a property of the US Government, Security is very strict indeed. We held on to our keys for the duration of our stay.

Settling into our Delhi Digs:

I have stayed in Fulbright House before and am fairly familiar with its routines. However, because we arrived on a Saturday, there was no one around. We let ourselves into our room and found it very welcoming and comfortable. A girl called Stuti, already resident next door, was working on her computer in the common area. She gave us the wifi password and we settled ourselves down for a much-needed nap as we had woken up at 4.00 am and were ready for a snooze. Setting our alarms for an hour, we made ourselves very comfortable and enjoyed the quiet and serenity of one of the most peaceful parts of Delhi. This area is part of the Diplomatic Enclave and is surrounded by the embassies of Iran, Nepal, etc. It is a vast property with a large lawn in front and a café attached to the premises. This is where we would enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning.

to the Lodi Gardens:

An hour’s nap later, we awakened refreshed and ready to tackle Delhi’s chaotic traffic. At 12.30pn, we set off to see the Lodi Gardens having taken instructions from the watchman. We found the Metro station called Mandi House and discovered the drill involved in going through Security (frisking again), buying a ticket (Rs. 40) to Jor Bagh (this involved a line change) and finding our platform. We had downloaded the metro map of Delhi on our phones but discovered, towards the end of our stay, that printed Meto maps are available at the stations (you have only to ask for them). We made our change at Central Secretariat and two stops later, were at Jor Bagh. The Lodi Gardens were only a short walk to the front entrance of the gardens.

Exploring the Lodi Gardens:

It’s a very good thing we had the Lodi Gardens at the very top of our sightseeing agenda as we soon discovered that all aspects of Islamic architecture on the Indian sub-continent have their roots in the buildings that were designed and constructed during the Lodi era. As soon as you enter the gardens, you are struck by the fact that they lie like a green oasis in the midst of the traffic-ridden city. This, by the way, is true of many parts of Delhi. There are these vast gardens, parks and green spaces that function like the lungs of the city. People take full advantage of them and they are used for exercise, strolling, relaxation and socializing.

As soon as we entered, we saw what looked like an ancient edifice ahead of us. It turned out to be Bada Gumbad, constructed in 1490, one of the many mausoleums that sprouted in the time of the Lodi dynasty in Delhi—the Lodis were part of the Delhi Sultanate. It’s construction is attributed to Sikandar Lodi and is remarkable because it is the first edifice to feature a full and rounded dome. It might have been intended as a free-standing tomb but no tombstone has been identified. The building, in its antiquity is highly photogenic and I found myself clicking pictures of it from every angle. The gardens were quite crowded with a lot of school groups in evidence—evidently on field trips. They were all over the property, taking pictures and exploring in giggling groups. From the main entrance over on the opposite, we could see yet another similar structure—this is Shish Gumbad—so-called because it was once adorned with mirrors (although none remain), However, the cobalt blue ornamentation at the entrance to the building is still in evidence. Walking around from one monument to the next, entering them to take note of the interiors (noting to write home about although there was very nice calligraphic decoration on the Bada Gumbad’s exterior walls) can be very tiring. It was fun to see people of every social class on the lawns, picnicking on mats that they’d spread out and tucking into food in every conceivable container that they’d carried with them. As it was about 1.30pm by this time, we too were peckish. It was time to see the last significant monument and leave to find some lunch.

The Tomb of Sikandar Lodi:

Sikandar Lodi, whose name was Nizam Khan, came to the throne of Delhi after the death of his father in 1489. He ruled till 1517 when his son, Ibrahim Lodi, ascended the throne and built this mausoleum in memory of his father. It is the first garden tomb on the Indian sub-continent and the oldest surviving garden-tomb in India. It is built in an octagonal design and is fully enclosed within a walled garden.

Like the other Lodi monuments in this garden, it wears its age on its sleeve. The crenulated walls give the monument great stature and the entry, up a flight of stairs, lends it status and importance. Once on the octagonal plinth, you cannot enter the main room—doors that are chained and padlocked prevent visitors from entering. However, you can peek inside and see the cenotaph in the center. When we were there, a bearded white visitor from Italy, sang a few lines in a rich baritone. When we asked him what he was singing , he said he was singing in Latin. It sounded marvelous, especially as the dome created an echo—the kind of effect he was clearly after.

When our circumnavigation around the tomb was done, we were ready to leave; but we still needed to find Athpula—Eight arched Bridge. This is another Lodi-era bridge that spans the river than runs through the garden. We found it really close to Sikandar’s Tomb and took a picture as a swan swam obligingly close to it and entered my frame quite sportingly. But then it was time for us to go, especially as we had spent quite a bit of time in these fascinating gardens with their towering established trees, sweet birdsong at every turn and lots of opportunities to people watch.

Off for Lunch to Khan Market:

By the time we were ready to leave the Lodi Gardens, it was past 2.00 pm and we were distinctly hungry. We hailed a rick and told him to take us to Khan Market because, by this time, we had made contact with our friends Allan and Anita, who wanted to spend some time with us. They had an errand at Khan Market and told us to meet them there, but to go ahead with lunch without them.

As soon as we arrived in Khan Market, we passed by a very modest kiosk which had a sign saying, Azam’s: Rolls, Kebabs, Kathi. It looked like the kind of place where we could get a quick, filling and reasonable-priced meal and, as we were too hungry to go scouting for another place, that’s where we stood (yes, stood—as there was no seating) and had our lunch: we decided to share a Mutton Kakori Kebab Kathi Roll and a Chicken Malai Tikka Kathi Roll—both served with a bit of cooling yoghurt and mint chutney. With each roll costing Rs. 300, it was not really inexpensive, but it was fairly tasty and made a filling meal.

We then walked around Khan Market for a bit and found it to be filled with upscale Indian boutique stores such as Nicobar, Anokhi and FabIndia but also imported chains such as Crocs and Hamleys. In addition, there were fancy eateries selling drinks and both Indian and Continental food. Just when we wondered whether we should stick around, we got a call from Anita who told us that they had actually just arrived at the Market. They told us to meet them at the entrance of Nicobar and less than ten minutes later, we were having a very affectionate reunion with our New York friends whom we had last seen in the summer (August of last year). At their suggestion, we decided to find a coffee shop in which we could sit down and catch up and have a lovely chinwag. So the guys went off to look for a suitable place while Anita and I did some browsing in Nicobar and received big-time sticker shock—the items were so expensive even with a 50% discount. Neither Anita nor I could understand why we would need to pay New York prices in a boutique in India—but this is what India has become: as pricey and inaccessible as you can imagine.

Afternoon Tea at Laduree:

To my great delight, I discovered that the guys had chosen Laduree, the fancy-schmancy French tearoom chain, for our natter. Just a few stores away, this very pretty tearoom that sells the most exquisite French pastry (each one retailing at Rs. 550—so also not cheap) and really good hot chocolate (as I know from experience of frequenting the chain in London, New York and Paris).

It was not long before we were seated to enjoy caffe lattes and hot chocolate and pastries: Llew and I shared the Plaisir Sucre (a chocolate hazelnut concoction) while Alan and Anita shared a Strawberry Tart that was as pretty as it was delicious. Of course, time flew as we chatted nineteen to the dozen about all sorts of things including our presence at her mother’s 90th birthday party the next afternoon. But, then it was time for them to get some alteration done at National—a tailoring establishment that also sold fabric. This gave us the chance to see the ‘back’ of Khan Market which we discovered that it is constructed around a charming garden. It’s a lovely place in which to browse even if you don’t really want to buy anything and had we more time, we’d surely have done this. But when their errand was done, they were ready to leave and Llew and I were ready to hit the next item on our sightseeing agenda.

A Visit to the Charming Sunder Nursery Gardens:

The Sunder Nursery Gardens are a fairly new addition to Delhi’s open spaces. They were vast acres of nursery land harboring hundreds of varieties of trees and other species and were used for the cultivation of plants and flowers that were then planted all over the city. However, in 2014, since the area also housed some fantastic Lodi-era tombs and mausoleums, the Aga Khan Trust for the Preservation of Arts and Culture came forward to fund the refurbishment of the structures and the gardens that surrounded them. The end result is a charming garden that is designed in imitation of a Persian-style carpet complete with blocks of lawns, terracotta light fixtures, loads of colorful flower beds including a rose garden. These surround domed mausoleums that are named Sunder Burj and Lakkawalla Burj—the two of which we had the time to visit. Meanwhile, we took pictures of the dahlias in full bloom as well as late-season roses. The water features or mini fountains were also playing and delighting the crowds of people who were there to shoot the breeze on a perfect evening in Delhi. We soon entered these structures, noted the plainness of their inferiors—although they make good settings for fashion photography—and as twilight was descending upon the city and the gardens, having skirted around the lake, we decided to move on.

Visiting the Nizamuddin Durgah:

Lonely Planet had informed me that Hazrat Nizammudin Durgah was not to be missed as it is one of the most mystical, magical places in Delhi. Accordingly, as darkness was rapidly descending upon the city, we left the Sunder Nursery Gardens (not to be mistaken for Sunder Nagar—a different neighborhood in Delhi) behind us to foot it to the Durgah.

A Durgah is a mosque and Delhi has some of the oldest ones in the country. This mosque is dedicated to the memory of Nizamuddin Auliya, a famous Sufi saint who was revered by the people in his own time. He died in 1325 at the ripe old age of 92 leaving legions of devotees in his wake. He popularized the poetic writing of a contemporary poet and singer called Amir Khusroo and together they devised a form of vocal entertainment called Quawalli—in which a team of singers and musicians uses the call and response technique of song to entertain their listeners. After Nizamuddin’s death, everyone wanted to be buried close to his final resting place—including aristocracy and royalty, This explains why there are so many tombs and mausoleums in the nearby Sunder Nursery Gardens.

A visit to this Durgah is unique because it has a long pathway that leads to the entrance. You need to go through a maze of very narrow streets lined on both sides by shops selling rose petals, attar and packets of tiny white sesame sweets (tilgul). For at least ten minutes before you get to the entrance, you will be pestered by shop keepers urging you to leave your shoes with them as you are not allowed to wear them inside. However, you need to wait until you get to the actual mosque itself—do not be in a hurry to leave your footwear behind.

Llew and I decided to take turns to enter the Durgah so that one of us minded the other’s shoes—we were afraid that our shoes would be missing when we returned. Inside, past an ornate arched entrance, fitted with mirrors and mother-of-pearl, we were in a large courtyard with many different little buildings and shrines. We could also hear loud music pouring out of the PA system and further ahead we could see hundreds of people crowded around another shrine where vocal music could be heard. We did not stay long—all I wanted to see was the marble dome and to experience the general air of spirituality and devotion that permeated the space. After taking a few pictures, we put our shoes back on and left. The way to the main road was equally daunting with crowds of people on both sides of the streets, devotees still entering as we were leaving and overwhelming sounds everywhere around us—a real assault on every one of our senses.

Off for Dinner to Ego for Thai Food:

It was then time for us to try to get to New Friend’s Colony where my friend Sangeeta had told me we should not miss the Thai food at a place called Ego Obsession. We found a rickshaw on the main road through Uber with difficulty and were able to ride quite a long way to the place which we found after a good half hour’s ride.

Ego Obsession was a lovely haven of quiet and classiness after the melee from which we had just come. We sank down gratefully on a comfortable sofa and ordered from an extensive menu. We decided to share the Tom Kha Gai (Chicken Coconut Milk Soup) and a Chicken Pad Thai which was filled with glass noodles, crunchy sprouts and peanuts. We chose water to drink and with that we had ourselves a really hearty and very tasty meal. The place did live up to its reputation and we were really pleased to end our day on such a happy note.

All that was left, after we paid out bill, was for Llew to buy himself a sweet paan from a passing stall, after which we used Uber to find a rick to take us back home to our residence on Hailey Road. It had been a very long day and we were both really tired and ready for bed.

Until tomorrow, cheerio...

Journey from Coorg to Bangalore: Spectacular Stop at Bylakuppe to see the Tibetan Settlement and the Golden Temple

Journey from Coorg to Bangalore: Spectacular Stop at Bylakuppe to see the Tibetan Settlement

Sun, Jan 12, 2025:

Coorg-Bangalore-Bombay

We came finally to the last day of our travels in Karnataka after what had been a simply superb break and unimaginably fruitful family time. All of us slept well and were ready to attack another oen of Kaveri’s stupendous breakfasts before the hit the road for what would be a long ride to Bangalore airport. But en route, we had plans to stop at a place called Bylakuppe to see a most unusual settlement.

Kaveri’s Fabulous Breakfast Sets Us Off:

Kaveri’s breakfast was as substantial and delicious as it had been yesterday. It was a curious mix of Indian and Western items—as seems to be the trend in these parts. I suppose they try to appeal to the tastes of every kind of guest. The Western element was Devilled Eggs—halved hard-boiled eggs whose yolks were removed, mashed and seasoned with tasty spices and then piled up into the white shells. There was dosas with potato bhaji (I made myself a filling masala dosa) with chutney and sambar and there were batter-fried capsicum that were just wonderful. Of course, there was fresh fruit (papaya today) with excellent coffee to wash it all down. We certainly did justice to the meal and thanked Kaveri and her helper profusely for spoiling us as they did.

Our Final Goodbyes to the Ponnappas:

We said our final goodbyes and thank-yous to the Brigadier and his wife, gave our tips to their domestic help, took photographs with them on their beautiful porch (which had been the spot of so much fun for us) and then piled our backpacks and ourselves in our van and were off with Ravi behind the wheel.

Our first stop would occur in about 90 minutes in a place called Bylakuppe which is very much on the Karnataka tourist map, as we could judge by the large number of visitors there and the huge number of tour buses in the parking lot.

Visiting the Tibetan Settlement and the Golden Temple at Bylakuppe:

Who would ever expect that there would be a settlement of Tibetans in the middle of rural Karnataka? Certainly not me. I was taken quite by surprise on discovering that after China invaded Tibet, a vast number of Tibetans sought asylum from communist rule in India. In fact, India’s willingness to help led to the creation of the largest Tibetan settlement outside of Tibet. The township was founded and developed by Lugsum Samdupling in 1961. He was followed by Dickyi Larsoe in 1969. Together, they created a haven for Tibetans to practice Buddhism—every form of it—by setting up monasteries, each ascribing to a different sect. Hence, there are a vast number of monasteries that can be visited at Bylakuppe, but the largest, most spectacular and best-known of them is Namdroling Monastery also known as the Golden Temple. That’s the one most tourists visit and that was the one we too veered towards. We parked our van in the large car park and walked a few meters on foot to get to the entrance which is characterized by a large, golden arch that forms a gate.

Once inside the gate, visitors walk along a lengthy path facing an imposing structure that is one of the temples that make up the monastery complex. We followed the crowds and arrived at the building ahead of us which was closed. Instead, visitors were directed to a building at the left which is, in fact, the Golden Temple. These buildings are all constructed in typical Oriental style and leave no doubt that they are sacred Buddhist sites of worship. We left our footwear in a large bag and made our ways upstairs into the Temple itself.

If the exterior is interesting enough, the interior is simply breathtaking. You face three massive avatars of the Buddha—The Buddha himself, on the left Alokateshvara and on the right, the Maitryi Buddha. They are completely covered in gilding and are immediately striking, both for their color and their size—they simply tower above the visitors. The wall behind them and the walls along the sides of the building are simply covered with vividly-colored paintings depicting creatures from Buddhist iconography—animals and birds. The effect is to stun the viewer by the sheer size and grandeur of the spectacle. There were no guides available (unless one had come in a tour group) and we had to make the best of appreciating the place by simply taking photographs. Indeed, it was a most worthwhile visit and one that you are not likely to see often in India—unless, I suppose, one goes to the border state of Sikkim (where there are many Buddhist monasteries).

Exploring the Shops in the Monastery Complex:

It is possible, of course, to spend a great deal of time exploring the shops attached to the monastery complex. Buddhist llamas, dressed in the magenta and yellow robes of their sect, man these shops, They speak perfect English as well as Hindi and they make competent salesmen. We ended up buying a few trinkets from the shops including magnets of The Golden Temple and Bylakuppe as well as keychains. I bought a brass inlaid wooden tissue box that I had been seeking for a long while. We could easily have spent more time shopping, but we needed to avoid the stress of not arriving at Bangalore airport in time for our flight. So we resisted the temptation to shop further and made our way back to our van.

Journey to Bangalore Airport:

There’s nothing exciting to say about our returning journey to Bangalore which was about four hours away. We were all rather subdued at the fact that our wonderful travels were coming to an end and we continued to process (and laugh) over the best parts of it.

Soon, we found ourselves on the outskirts of Mysore, at Srirangapatnam, where our driver Ravi stopped at a place where we could eat lunch. It was a huge dining hall that offered vegetarian thalis—both South Indian and North Indian varieties. We used restrooms and washed hands and then, with our hunger pangs revealing themselves, we sat down to eat. Thali meals are always huge and filling. My South Indian thali had puris which I enjoyed while the North Indian ones had parathas. Everything was very substantial and tasty and reasonable too. We enjoyed our lunch and returned to the van for the last stretch of our journey.

In about three hours, we were on the outskirts of Bangalore. Sadly, we did not drive deep into the heart of the city and did not want to take a chance getting there as Bangalore’s traffic is horrendous and we could not risk being late for our flight. However, we had adequate time to drop Blossom and Menaka off at the latter’s flat before we could carry on towards the airport.

Goodbyes to Blossom and Menaka:

We spent about ten minutes unloading Blossom and Menaka’s baggage and saying goodbye to them at the point where our wonderful travels had begun. Then, we returned to our van (which suddenly felt much emptier) and drove all the way to Bangalore airport which we reached in about 45 minutes.

Return Flight to Bombay:

With about half an hour on our hands before getting to our gate, we were able to do some last-minute shopping for Mysore pak and Dharwar pedas which are specialties of the region to give away as gifts. Armed with these buys, we walked to our gate where we found that boarding was to begin shortly. Nothing much to state about our return flight to Bombay except that it was on time and comfortable and offered our Chicken Junglee sandwiches. At the suggestion of Blossom and Menaka, I requested the famous Masala Blue Tea on my Indigo flight. Apparently, they are one of the few airlines to offer it. It was actually really delicious and being caffeine-free, left me with no qualms about drinking it.

We easily found two rickshaws at the domestic airport which allowed us to get quickly to Bandra although it was almost midnight when we arrived at Home Sweet Home. It had been a wonderful trip and we gave thanks silently as we crashed for the night.

Thanks for following me on these travels. I hope you enjoyed seeing these places through my eyes. It was a marvelous trip, made better by the company and filled with the best possible memories.

Exploring Victory Coffee Plantation in Coorg, Family Fun and Games, Lunch in Gonikuppal Village, Relaxation at Victory House

Exploring Victory Coffee Plantation in Coorg, Family Fun and Games, Lunch in Gonikuppal Village, Relaxation at Victory House

Sat, Jan 11, 2025:

Coorg:

After the past three days of hectic sightseeing, today was devoted entirely to R&R—Rest and Relaxation—much to Chriselle’s relief. She had been a trooper over the past few days and had stuck it out without complaint through a whole lot of trekking and traipsing despite being horribly afflicted with plantar fasciitis. She was ready to hunker down and simply enjoy chilling over the next couple of days.

Accordingly, we all woke late after luxurious lie-ins but found ourselves hungry enough to do justice to the promised huge breakfast that the Air B&B tout.

A Royal Breakfast at Victory House:

We found, to our astonishment, that breakfast was actually home-cooked, made lovingly by the hands of the proprietress, Kaveri herself, with the assistance of a man who also served us. When we arrived at the table, we found that fresh, hot dosas were being delivered to our plates, right off the griddle. They were delicious on their own, but there was accompanying potato bhaji, should we desire to stuff them and make malasa dosas—which is what I did. There was also a Coorgi vegetable curry that was to be eaten with rice stringhoppers and fried bananas that were absolutely delicious. There was freshly cut watermelon too and the ubiquitous Mysore filter coffee which was always superb. Kaveri informed us that the coffee from her own estate is marketed and is available online under the name of KavBrew through her daughter. Believe me, we could not have expected or been offered a better repast.

A Long Exploratory Walk on Victory Estate:

After breakfast, replete with a really delicious meal, we decided to walk off our hearty indulgence by exploring the vast acreage of the coffee plantation. The weather and temperature were simply perfect and with Kaveri instructing us to follow the garden pathways of her property, we found ourselves enjoying tropical flowers and lush greenery. As the morning went by, we stopped to admire an abundance of crotons in various shapes and colors and we identified various types of ‘ginger’ flowers—shell ginger, red ginger, torch ginger (which is a most striking and unusual flower that I had never seen before). There were loads of heliconia (known commonly as crab claw), as well as birds of paradise in varied colors. There was also golden trumpet, Brazilian plume, Amazon Lily as well as the more commonly found hibiscus, ixora, etc. We found a lake and bordering it were touch-me-not plants that we stopped to examine. It is incredibly soothing to walk amidst colorful greenery on a lovely day. We also stopped to admire coffee bushes that were heavy with berries, ready for the picking. Needless to say, we took a lot of photographs and then, when we had traversed quite a bit of the estate, we sat down on the parapets above the culverts (I learned a new word for the large drainage pipes!) and gabbed about relatives, family history, etc. It was such a companionable morning and one we thoroughly enjoyed.

Then, just as we were ready to return to Victory House, along came Kaveri to find out if we’d found the coffee drying terraces. We told her that we had not. And so she offered to walk with us and show us the place herself. In the process, we learned more about her own family background and the estate and plantation that she so lovingly tends. Once at the coffee terraces, we saw a vast amount of space devoted to drying berries that were in various stages of dehydration. They would all have to become really black before they would be peeled, shelled and roasted. It was fascinating how much we learned about coffee from having spent only two days in Coorg.

Fun and Games at Victory House:

And then, we slowly made our way back to Victory House. As it was still only about 11.00 am and we had no thoughts of lunch at all as our sumptuous breakfast still sat high in our tummies, we decided to gather together on the porch and play games. We thought we’d start off with Dumb Charades and so we divided ourselves into two teams, separating couples, and off we went. We had the best time and the most hilarious experiences as we tried to mime the names of Western films. It was truly super fun. The game went on for quite a while before we stopped to think about lunch. This was primarily because Brigadier Ponnappa kept asking us if we were going to leave the estate to explore at all! We told him that we only wanted to stay in one place and enjoy the beautiful house and garden! Anyway, after a while, we decided to go out and explore the nearest village, called Gonikuppal, where Kaveri told us there were a couple of restaurants from where we’d get a good meal. She recommended a place called Durga Bhoj and so off we went with our driver Ravi taking us there in our van—at a distance of about 20 minutes’ drive.

Lunch at Durga Bhoji at Gonikuppal:

Needless to say, Gonikuppal is a one-horse town (if that!) and but for a main street and a couple of intersecting ones, there is nothing much to see. We found the restaurant and made our way to the top floor where we were seated and handed menus. We found Coorg Pandi Pork on the menu and decided to have that with chapatis and Vegetable Korma. Everything was good and very reasonable and we had a good break. Chriselle picked up some Cadbury’s chocolates which we all shared for dessert while back in the van.

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

Long Afternoon Naps Bring More Relaxation:

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

As soon as we reached Victory House, we adjourned to our individual rooms for afternoon naps—some taking longer ones than others. Before we knew it, it was late evening and we were ready to re-group over wine, gin and tonics and nibbles (which we had carried along with us)—sundowners enjoyed in true British plantation style!

It was then that we thought about ordering dinner in. Our hosts had to leave to attend a party and we had the place to ourselves. We sat down and did some more chinwagging, quite happy that we’d spent a very quiet, restful day—it provided a breather in the midst of the hectic pace of the rest of our travels.

We did call in for more food—this time we ordered Roast Pork and Paneer Masala with rotis—all very satisfying indeed. We talked about our plans for tomorrow and our decision to leave right after breakfast—which meant that we’d need to re-pack and get organized for a fairly early start.

And with that, we cleared up after ourselves and returned to our rooms to take a long needed rest at the end of a very rejuvenating day.

Exploring a Bit More of Mysore, then Journeying to Coorg: St. Philomena's Cathedral, R.K. Narayan's House, Nisty Coffee Plantation

Exploring a Bit More of Mysore, then Journeying to Coorg:

Fri, Jan 10, 2025:

Mysore-Coorg:

We awoke after a very restful night in the quiet serenity of our Homestay on the outskirts of Mysore called ‘Gitanjali’. We heard beautiful birdsong and the rustling of trees, but apart from those soothing sounds of country life, there was nothing to disturb our sense of quiet tranquility. The rest of our group were up and seated on the wide verandah overlooking the beautiful tropical gardens filled with hibiscus flowers, jackfruit and coconut trees. It was quite idyllic indeed.

Breakfast at Gitanjali Homestay:

At 8.30 am, breakfast was laid out and ready for us. We looked forward to the meal. It was served in a sheltered machan kind of place with all sides open to the gardens. But before we quite arrived at our seats, we ran into the owners of the place, the Achiacha’s. I did not get his name, but his wife’s name is Muthu and it is his daughter, Yamuna, who runs the place. They were a very gracious couple indeed—also retired army personnel. Yamuna apologized for not being present when we arrived last night, but she had to take her cat to the vet and had to leave at short notice. We told her that our arrival went very smoothly. We spent the next few minutes chatting and taking pictures with the very gracious family who were equally delighted to meet us.

Breakfast was laid out buffet-style, when we eventually sat down to fill up. The promo material talked about South Indian and Western items and we were very pleased to find masala omlettes with toast and preserves (there was banana jam and orange marmalade plus butter, of course) and a Coorgi bean curry served with a large rice pancake that was cut up in wedges. Fresh fruit in the form of bananas and papaya were also available as well as really superb Mysore filter coffee grown on their estate. We took our time knowing that this would probably be our main meal for the day. When breakfast was done, we said our goodbyes to our hosts, took some pictures of the beautiful arches, arbors and pergolas on the property with their bowers of flowers (hibiscus, honeysuckle, etc.), got back into our van and left. We still had a couple of places in Mysore that we wanted to see before we hit the road for our long ride to Coorg.

Visiting St. Philomena’s Cathedral:

St. Philomena’s Cathedral is a Mysore landmark. It is a landmark of the Roman Catholic church, constructed in Neo-Gothic style in 1939 during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Its style and architecture were inspired by Cologne Cathedral. It was designed by a Frenchman named Daly.

The church is named for St. Philomena, a young Greek martyr of the 4th century. The remains of a teenage girl, no older than 14, were found on May 24, 1802, in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla at the Via Salaria in Rome. On further examination and study, the remains and a vessel containing dried blood, were taken to be her holy relics. They were evidence of the fact that she had died a martyr’s death as an early Christian.

Today, the church is the main place of worship for Roman Catholics. The main nave can seat up to 800 people. But its real interest lies beneath, in the Crypt, which can be visited. Descending down into it, we found a reclining statue of St. Philomena and a further basement floor beneath us. From the Crypt, there is a narrow passageway covered in black granite plaques covered with the names of Mysore’s Catholics of old. These were either buried in the vaults that form the famous ‘Catacombs” of this Cathedral or they made donations towards the building of this imposing edifice. We walked along the Catacombs and emerged on another side—towards the back of the Cathedral. It was a very interesting experience indeed.

I remember attending Mass at this Cathedral, as a pre-teenager, when the Mass was still in Latin and still sung. In fact, the little I know of the sung Latin Mass comes from my memories of hearing Mass every day as we were resident in the classrooms in the same compound as the church. Hence, we could hear the proceedings of every Mass.

Visiting St. Mary’s School:

I was keen to visit the premises of the adjoining St. Mary’s School that is in the same compound as the Cathedral. The reason is that this venue is strongly tied to memories of my stay in Mysore with my family for a whole month in the late 1960s—I was probably no more than 10 or 11 years of age. My father had hired a classroom for our use with bathrooms and toilets adjoining it for our exclusive use for the entire month of May. I have very happy memories of that month when we made friends with other families that lived nearby—the Devrajs, for example, and one Anglo-Indian family from Georgetown, Madras, that had hired another classroom. The young Devraj boy, Josephat, and the children from the Anglo-Indian family, were my friends and companions during that month and it had been great fun.

I wanted to take some pictures of those classrooms and so we made our way to the bank of low buildings. One of them was clearly a new construction, but at the back, past the empty office of a Principal, I saw the classroom we had occupied and the set of bathrooms (now under lock and key) that had been available for our use. It was an extremely nostalgic visit for me and I have to say that I felt quite emotional as I recalled the happy times with my parents, my younger brothers and my cousin, Bonnie, who had accompanied us on that trip and spent the entire month with us (while she was a college undergrad at St. Xavier’s College in Bombay). I took the pictures I wanted, wandered around the premises and, about ten minutes later, we were ready to move on.

Visiting the Home of Indo-English Writer, R.K. Narayan:

RK Narayan (1906-2001) has a special place in the hearts of most Indians. He belongs to the generation of earliest Indian Writers in English (the other two are Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao) who gained the attention of overseas and indigenous audiences. Although the many novels and collections of short stories he wrote were known to readers, it was when his book, ‘Malgudi Days’, an anthology of short stories, were adapted for television and were shown weekly through Indian Doordarshan, that he literally became a household name. Everyone fell in love with his little protagonist, Swamy, who like any little boy from a quiet, mofussil settlement in India (Mysore was definitely the inspiration for the setting) had his fair share of adventures as he got into mischief with his neighbors and friends. As a young teenager, growing up in Bombay, I remember sitting down with my entire family to watch ‘Malgudi Days’ on TV. The stories were beautifully adapted, well directed and superbly acted.

Through the various rooms of Narayan’s home—that he occupied, lived in and wrote most of his books in—now converted into a museum, we were given a complete insight into the life and work of this extraordinary man who came from very ordinary roots, but by sheer lard work and a bit of luck (he was introduced to some of the biggest literary stalwarts of the time such as Graham Greene who promoted his work and found him a Western publisher), became a highly regarded Indian writer.

As we moved from one room to the next, we learned so much about his family, his marriage, his wife and daughter, his early jobs, his first forays into writing and publishing, his reception in the rest of the world and the accolades that came pouring in as he grew older. It was a wonderful capsule of Narayan’s work, the walls covered with framed quotations from his novels and his own pronouncements. In the main living room, we saw the sofa and the desk at which he worked. In another room, there were his clothes—jackets, coats, sweaters, shirts. In yet another room, his spectacles, watch and cufflinks, reposed in a glass case. Framed on the walls also were many photographs depicting him with other eminent international writers. There were first editions of his books in many languages There were colored still photographs from the shooting of ‘Malgudi Days’—the TV series. The kitchen is intact, although empty. There is a wide curving staircase that leads to the upper storey where there are more rooms filled with information about and memorabilia from Narayan’s life and work—his utter distress and depression when his beloved wife died very young leaving him to raise his daughter. In later years, it was this daughter and his grand-daughter who worked very hard to preserve the house and make it a museum. Refurbishing it and making it capable of receiving visitors was a mammoth task that was supervised by his own family members.

We are very fortunate to have this lovely relic of Indo-English Literature preserved in this backwater of Mysore. Yes, fans of his work do visit occasionally but when we were there, there was only one other family that were touring the premises. I kept thinking of my visit, several years ago, to Oxford, Mississippi, in the USA, when I’d had the privilege of visiting the home of the American writer, William Faulkner. Narayan was deeply influenced by Faulkner, particularly in the shape of Faulkner’s creation of a fictional setting he called Yoknapatawpha County. Narayan hit upon the idea of creating his fictional Malgudi from the work of Faulkner. I was very pleased to have visited both these homes—that connected two really diverse writers—in my own lifetime.

It took us more than an hour to cover the home at leisure. One can easily spend an entire morning here as there is much to be read in every room. As time was of the essence for our party, we left after taking a few pictures, got into our van and made our way to Mysore.

Journey to Coorg:

The road journey from Mysore to Coorg takes about 5-6 hours, depending on traffic. We did not have much and I thoroughly enjoyed leaving the urbanity of Karnataka behind (although Mysore is a model city and I could gladly have spent more time there) and entering the rural greenness of the state. The highway is well delineated and maintained and the journey in our spacious van was very comfortable. As we’d had a big breakfast, we stopped at Café Coffee Day where Chriselle and AJ treated us to refreshments of our choice—some had tea, others coffee, yet others more exotic milk shakes. Mine was a chocolate hazelnut milk shake that was to-die-for. It was large and very filling and was a meal in itself. I was very happy at my choice of shake as it easily saw me through the long ride into Coorg.

First Impressions of Coorg and Visit to a Coffee Plantation:

Coorg is a small district in the state of Karnataka that lies at the very southern end of the range of mountains called the Western Ghats. From colonial times, it has been known for its coffee plantations as it provides the perfect climate and terrain conditions for its cultivation. Coffee bushes need cool temperatures, well-drained soil and the shade of other trees to prevent them from receiving the direct rays of the sun. Coorg provides that perfect combination of conditions.

We knew we had arrived in Coorg once we started to drive along narrower lanes flanked on both sides by low bushes. At that time, I did not recognize these are coffee plants. But, about half an hour into our entry into Coorg, our driver Ravi stopped at a plantation called Nisty Coffee Plantation which offered tours of the plantation and the coffee processing plant that was on the same premises. For an entry fee of Rs. 200 per head, we were presented with a tour guide—a young man who took us through the plantation and pointed out several trees to us.

A Tour of Nisty Coffee Plantation:

Coffee is not the only cash crop grown on the Nisty Plantation. During our tour, which had about 15 participants in it, we discovered that a variety of spices and condiments are also grown on the same lands. We saw cinnamon trees and fresh pepper trees and received a great deal of information about their growth and use. Walking through the coffee plantation, we saw loads of berries on the trees. These ranged in color from pale pink to black. Our guide explained that they are all handpicked when they are very dark in color.

A little later, we walked in single file downhill to arrive at a small structure which served as the coffee-processing plant. Berries are laid out on the ground in direct sunlight for several days to dehydrate them and allow them to turn black. The outer skin is then peeled and the twin berries within are extracted. These are roasted gently so as not to burn them, before they go into the pulverizing machine where they are ground into coffee dust. We received a great deal of information on gradations of coffee beans, the blends that have chicory added to them to bulk them out (adding chicory lowers the quality of the coffee and makes it much cheaper). We learned why certain coffees cost as much as they do (they are superior varieties such as those sold in Starbucks or other upscale coffee shops) and why Nescafe, which processes instant coffee, is able to sell its products so cheaply. The end result of the tour was that I will never be shocked at the price of coffee at Starbucks again. I now know why it costs as much as it does.

At the end of the tour, we were led into the shop—a vast space covered with shelves in which all manner of spices, coffees, dried fruits, chocolate and candy were on sale. I bought the famous Coorg Pandi Masala which is used to make Coorg Pandi Pork (at the request of two of my friends). I also bought a typical souring agent, similar to tamarind or kokum, that is used to make this typical curry. In addition, I bought whole anise (as I have never found it in Bombay) as well as whole nutmeg as these were lacking in my spice rack. Overall, I enjoyed our shopping expedition at the end of the tour. We were ready to get back in the van and move on.

A Short Visit to Mercara and the Raja Seat Gardens:

A short drive then took us to Mercara (now renamed Madikeri, as all Anglecized place names in the South of India are being returned to their native pronunciation). This is the capital of Coorg and it is really just one main road with shops on both sides of it. Our driver parked his van and dropped us off at a well-known garden that slopes down to the valley. It is called Raja Seat Gardens and is supposed to have been set by one of the colonial administrators to enjoy the panoramic vista of mountains spread out before him.

On entering the Raja Seat Gardens, we found a number of animal sculptures dotted around. These would probably be quite amusing to children. There were also bowers covered with flowers and well-tended flower-beds filled with late seasonal roses. At the end of the walk were a number of seats that overlooked the mountains and a series of stairs that led down to a lookout point which offered some fine photo ops. Other than these aspects, there was little of interest in Mercara.

Once out of the garden, we walked along the street, passing by shops filled with spices and coffee. Our idea was to find a restaurant to have an early dinner (as we had not eten lunch), but we found out that none of the places served before 7.00 pm. Hence, instead of hanging around Mercara, we decided to drive off and get to our accommodation for the night early. Perhaps we could order dinner in as it appeared that our accommodation was an hour’s drive from Mercara in a place called Polibettu.

Arrival at our next Homestay—Victory House:

As expected, our drive to our accommodation took us an hour. Along the route, we passed nothing but mile after mile of coffee plantations that we could easily recognize after our very enlightening and instructive plantation tour. When we did get to our spot, we found it to be in the middle of a plantation (indeed we had expected this too). Dusk was falling swiftly over Coorg when our van entered the driveway premises of the plantation. We found the proprietor, Brigadier Ponnappa seated on his porch, awaiting our arrival, and rather startled to find that we had arrived in a 12-seater van (being that we were only six persons).

Our first impression of Victory House was of a gorgeous Victorian home, such as you see on Martha’s Vineyard in the USA or in the suburbs of the UK. It had the fabled gables of such homes, a very wide wraparound porch, two storeys with windows that opened on to the gardens. In other words, we had hit the jackpot in terms of a place to spend the next two nights and we were delighted.

We soon introduced ourselves to the Ponnappas—the Brigadier and his wife, Kaveri—the latter turned out to be a charming lady who actually runs the place. She sat us down in the huge living-cum-dining room that was simply filled with carved teak furniture and brass and glass antiques. After introducing ourselves and our places of origin, we talked to her about obtaining a menu so that we could order some dinner—we told her we had not eaten lunch and were famished. As she does not supply meals (except breakfast), all she could do was direct us to a restaurant that she said was run by Suresh, one of her relatives. We discussed the possibilities of menu items and chose the famous Pandi Pork as well as the Roast Pork—as pork is quite a specialty of Coorg.

In the meanwhile, Kaveri showed us up to our rooms. Luckily, there was a room on the ground floor and Blossom and Menaka were quick to bag it as Blossom has difficulty climbing up and down stairs. Upstairs, we (Llew and I) and Chriselle and AJ, occupied two other rooms, each en suite (with its own bath attached). The rooms were beautifully decorated and yet cozy and comforting and looked very welcome indeed. As the place contains just three en suite bedrooms that are given out to visitors and since we occupied all three rooms within our party, we had the whole place to ourselves.

Right outside the upstairs rooms, there was a little lobby area (a mini living room, I suppose), where we settled down for a glass of wine and other nibbles while we awaited the arrival of our dinner that we had ordered on the phone. When it did arrive, we went down the stairs to the Dining area. Kaveri provided us with plates and other necessities, water, glasses, etc. and we sat down to enjoy our first taste of the legendary Pandi Pork of which everyone had talked before our departure. It was quite good and had a sourish taste to it—the result of the special souring agent that grows only in this region. We’d also ordered a vegetable dish and with the typical rice rotis of the area, it made a filling meal.

It had been a long day as we’d made our way from Mysore to Coorg and taken in a lot of items of interest along the way. Little wonder we were all rather exhausted and ready to go to bed as soon as we finished dinner.

We looked forward to a very restful next day as the hectic pace of our travels was proving to be a bit much for Chriselle.