Safdarjang’s Tomb

“The last flicker in the dying lamp of Mughal architecture in Delhi.” Anon. This beautiful red sandstone mausoleum stands in the centre of formal gardens (“charbagh”) surrounded by a fortified wall. It is situated just to the south of Lutyens’ New Delhi, a few kilometres to the west of the other great Mughal mausoleum, Humayun’s…

Diwali

This is going to disappoint Deb, I am afraid. Here in Delhi, Diwali is dull, crowded, smoggy and very loud. Although Chinese-manufactured firecrackers have been banned, there were intermittent, eardrum-rupturing explosions through the night. I am not sure that this ordinance/ordnance chases away evil spirits, but it certainly kept me awake until 1am. I went…

Ajrakh

In Gujerat and Rajasthan there are still a few craftsmen who use the ancient traditional Ajrakh technique to make patterned cotton cloth. It is an incredibly complicated and time-consuming business. There are fourteen steps in the process, but basically, it is a reverse block print, with areas of cloth being treated to avoid dye. The…

Delhi Metro as a Flaneur

Daily Post I vividly remember the first time I stepped onto a Delhi Metro train at Rajiv Chowk underground station in the heart of New Delhi at Connaught Place ten years ago. It was a shock. The station wasn’t just clean, it was spick and span. There were no beggars. It was air conditioned. The train…

Explosion

Last week I went shopping in the walled city of Old Delhi to buy fancy boxes of dried fruit and nuts as Diwali gifts. Yesterday morning at 10:45am, there was an explosion a few streets away near the Lahori Gate in Khari Baoli. One person was killed and several injured. Clouds of black smoke blanketed…

Traffic

There is probably a Latin name for it, kerasophobia, perhaps. The constant honking of car horns here in Delhi drives me crazy. Some drivers blast their horns to signal their approach, so that everything in their path will move aside to let them pass, like Moses parting the Red Sea. Of course, it makes no…

Shine

Two photos from me on the topic. This is the evening sunlight shining on the ramshackle shops of Khari Baoli (it means a salty step well) in Old Delhi.It was taken at about 5:30pm and the street is packed with people buying and transporting dried fruit and nuts – traditional gifts at Diwali, the Festival…

Thursday Doors

This is a door set into the main gate of Purana Qila, the Bada Darwaza. This was constructed in Delhi in the early 16th Century by the Emperors Humayun and Sher Shah. I really like the way the repairs have been bodged – it reminds me of my DIY skills (or lack of). There is evidence…

Cee’s Which Way Challenge

This is a view from the top of our clinic building looking down on the “gali” – a narrow lane in the unplanned settlement of Jahangir Puri. The area has become established, with street lighting and electricity. You can even spot a few satellite dishes. There is a metal barred gate to stop intruders from…

Today was Karwa Chawth

Ten days before Diwali, on the fourth day after the new moon immediately after Dussehra, married women fast to ensure the long life, health and prosperity of their husbands (those with boyfriends and fiancés are supposed to be excluded). The Hindi word “karwa” is a clay pot with a spout, the symbol of peace and wealth.…