tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4435016509800495612024-03-10T00:20:39.847-08:00Delhi City Guide - Travel Guide and Planner to DelhiA personalized Delhi city guide around Delhi with information and insider tips on what to see, how to travel, best shopping places, art of bargaining, what to eat, what stands out, festivals, fairs....and moreChitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-29795244572679498102023-12-26T04:29:00.000-08:002023-12-26T04:29:35.532-08:00Shopping on Janpath – patri – street or flea marketRevisting Janpath, yes despite being in Delhi, I had not shopped there
in ages. Sangeeta (my sis-in-law) and to be doctor niece (Ananya) were the
reason for this re-visit. Their enthusiasm for the shopping was infectious. The
place looks the same but the pavements are full of artificial jewellery in
metal, clothes, home furnishing and more. It took half an hour, for the old
enthusiasm for JanpathChitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-64510198111458234722023-12-17T23:30:00.000-08:002023-12-17T23:30:49.966-08:00Eating Out in Delhi...watch for more updatesFood glorious Food….thus the song from Oliver
captures our relationship with food. Recently food has been subjected to more
than its fair share of publicity and coverage. Yes social media is chock a
block full of food articles, write ups, cookery shows, recipes, what is coming
as a revelation is that Delhites seem to be favouring eating out more than
anyother activity. I am serious…really… at theChitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-61339879198737043282023-12-07T22:35:00.000-08:002023-12-22T04:36:32.416-08:00Desi Oon Festival - The world of Indigenous WoolsIt is usually believed that wool in India is used only in the North
and certain parts of Eastern India where it is cold. The sources of wool – sheep, goat, camel,
buffalo, yak and more. The population of the animals is scattered across the
country. The pastoral community keeping alive the bio-diversity and cross
breeding amongst the breeds. The pastoralists controlling large flocks of
Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-14711232540083413822023-12-04T21:37:00.000-08:002023-12-22T04:37:12.737-08:00Christmas market at the Swiss Embassy – Swiss-German Christkindl Market 2023It’s the time to….fa la la la….yess…Ho Ho….red dress, red caps, long white
beard, Christmas Tree, gingerbread and more… There is something to December,
which brings in its wake a season of joy, laughter, love and everything that is
nice. The season in Delhi kicks off with a number of Christmas Markets. When I
was a child, it used to be Christmas Mela on Janpath and how beautiful it was
decorated.Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-76964875615879288082021-02-05T05:08:00.001-08:002023-12-22T04:37:31.604-08:00Antidote to Delhi’s winter – Halwa, halwa and halwa..at Sheeren BhawanThe original article appeared in The Hindu
Read the unedited version here....
Warming the body with winter halwas
An old Chandni Chowk halwai had once told me, “dilli ka halwa to halwa soan hai” – meaning Sohan halwa is “the” halwa of Delhi. It is and Ghantewalan’s Sohan halwa is legendary. In the same breath that made by Chaina Ram is also saluted. Of course, Chaina Ram’s is more known for Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-7378240847276342012021-02-05T04:45:00.000-08:002021-02-05T04:45:03.920-08:00Buying Mangoes in Delhi..... Come summerMangoes galore - tasty, summery and so so tempting
Summer spells only one thing – MANGOES in capitals. The king of fruits for some, even a novice can distinguish amongst the varieties. For the connoisseur, mangoes are a byword in luxury, precisely peeled, cut to perfection, served beautifully untouched by hand. It is a fruit on which nearly everyone goes gaga on. And the capital is never left Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-29694371843229544462020-03-26T22:33:00.003-07:002021-02-05T04:51:57.462-08:00Shop for a cause at this place in Delhi - WWF - World Wildlife Fund Shop - Lodhi Estate
All of us love the cute sticker of a panda, the logo of the World
Wildlife Fund. The cute little Panda looks great on a lot of merchandise that
this little shop sells. The shop situated in the basement of the WWF building on
Lodhi Estate. Ensconced amongst the India International Centre, Habitat,
Chinmaya Mission etc, it is in iconic surroundings. And true this the
merchandise is also Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-44834996464572200652020-03-20T02:50:00.001-07:002021-02-05T04:51:44.744-08:00Value for money Craft shop in Delhi - INTACH Shop at INTACH – Lodhi Estate,
Our series on some unusual shops in Delhi
What do you do when grounded due to the Corona virus – well start writing
on all the posts that you wanted to write but could not squeeze given your busy
schedule. This writing is also theraupetic as it helps me re-coup and remember the
wonderful time spent in these shops…So here goes…one my favourite blog posts.
I am an inveterate shopper. No,Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-60171103373086189252019-12-23T21:53:00.001-08:002021-02-05T04:49:13.968-08:00Achyut Kanvinde's shaping of Delhi - Uncommon partnership which stood the test of time of the modernist duo
The original article appeared in The Hindu, you can read it here
Achyut Kanvinde: The man behind sustainable ... - The Hindu
Read the unedited version here....
Call
it a quirk of fate or destiny, two men from diverse backgrounds met when they
were chosen to go to the US for a study tour by CSIR (Centre for Scientific
& Industrial Research) in 1945. The mission, to study modern Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-38571726214795357652019-12-04T02:36:00.000-08:002019-12-04T02:36:41.775-08:00Architects shaping Architecture of Delhi - The Design Group
This article appeared of mine appeared in The Hindu,
Architects who were ahead of their times - The Hindu
Read the unedited version here...
Modernists
ahead of their times
“For
Ajoy and me the open spaces between buildings and open spaces around buildings
was as important as the built up area,” says Ranjit Sabikhi, partner of The Design Group (1961-1991). The
other Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-19717922432417137352019-03-04T21:16:00.006-08:002021-02-05T04:55:09.099-08:00 An eatery to step in at Delhi's Daryaganj - Moti Mahal
This article appeared in The Hindu
A palatial offering - The Hindu
read the unedited version here...
Where Butter Chicken and Dal Makhni originated – Moti Mahal
Daryaganj
Think of a Punjabi staple which is a byword in North Indian dish
roster and the answer usually is Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken and Dal
Makhni. It is a menu chart which no restaurant is complete. These stapleChitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-68890287469550174072019-01-18T22:49:00.002-08:002021-02-05T04:59:20.266-08:00Fine Eating in Delhi's Connaught Place - United Coffee House
This appeared in The Hindu
United Coffee House turns 75 - The Hindu
Read the unedited version here...
Flash back of 75 years...
“Archived
dishes are a very big homework. We have an archival recipe record of nearly 400
– 500 dishes which we have served in our restaurant in the last 75 years. They
are not original or authentic recipes but our adaptation of these to the taste
Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-61896679638126963462019-01-02T21:30:00.005-08:002021-02-05T04:50:24.316-08:00Delhi's favourite go to snack - Chole Bhature at Sita Ram Diwan Chand
This article appeared in The Hindu
An ode to masalas: Sita Ram Diwan Chand - The Hindu
Read the unedited version here....
I
am a self confessed Chole Bhatura freak. I have traversed distances across
Delhi to savour the delights / pack them in. I have retraced these epic
journeys to devour them time and again. But if there is one batch of Chole
Bhatura which wins hands downChitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-72075101832081168482018-05-02T23:04:00.001-07:002021-02-05T04:57:26.803-08:00Nostalgia and value for money at Delhi's Indian Coffee House - Connaught Place
This article appeared in The Hindu Serving a legacy - The Hindu
Read the unedited version here....
Indian
Coffee House – Delhi – India’s first home grown chain of coffee house turns 60
Today,
CCD, Costa Coffee, Starbucks and other such franchise outlets are the order of
the day. Long time before these became “in” and fashionable, a chain of home
grown coffee shop established itself Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-30899681112587675602018-01-28T21:45:00.002-08:002021-02-05T05:00:19.572-08:00Delhi's Adda - Triveni Terrace Café – where the who’s who rubbed shoulders with nobody – sans any attitude.
This article was published in the Hindu
A brush with kadhi-chawal: the history behind Delhi's Triveni Terrace ...
Read the unedited version here...
Usually
design defines a space, at times a persona or personality shapes the space, in
a rare combination the design, persona and space come together to create a
beautiful confluence. Triveni Kala Sangam can be called one such space. The
Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-10377808871859432062017-08-27T23:12:00.000-07:002017-08-27T23:14:52.917-07:00Naanwais of Delhi
My article on Naanwais of Delhi appeared in The Hindu
Search Results
The naanwais of Delhi: On the Afghan bread trail - The Hindu
Read the unedited version below....try this place....it is nice and different...
Naan
Afghani, Naan Obi, Bolani, Lavasha, Roghani….they are various names of breads
from Afghanistan available right here in the heart of Delhi. Thanks, toChitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-26771677312750452372017-07-06T22:08:00.001-07:002021-02-08T02:54:48.475-08:00A growth of Delhi a modern city through the eyes of Madan Mahatta
(The original article appeared in The HINDU Vignettes of Old Delhi - The Hindu read the unedited version here....)
Delhi
is a city built and re-built over time, a city with myriad influence spanning
centuries and culture. Lutyens Delhi has been much documented and written
about. It is however the building of modern Delhi, a change from the British
Era to the Indian one, Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-58630549623949478152017-05-05T22:31:00.003-07:002017-05-05T22:32:45.133-07:00Wenger's - an establishment that changed the way Delhi ate its patisserie
The original article appeared in The Hindu - Stories from the oven - The Hindu
Read the unedited version here...
Somewhere
in the early 1924, an enterprising Swiss couple Mrs. Jeanne Strechi Wenger
along with her husband H C Wenger began a catering venture for the British
troops operating from Kashmere Gate called Wenger’s. Their food must have been
good as in the then Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-77668324816505196212017-01-20T00:53:00.001-08:002021-02-08T02:55:30.527-08:00Delhi's towering creation - The Hall of Nations – Pragati Maidan – A Raj Rewal Creation
Remember any structure as one moves towards the zoo
towards Pragati Maidan. One remembers the Purana Qila, and then the honey
combed structures within the Pragati Maidan. The structures an integral part of
the exhibition area usually evokes memories of innumerable exhibitions held
there. The best of all the exhibition, the India International Trade Fair. For
most, it visually reiterates Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-5553670951739663582016-05-11T21:57:00.001-07:002021-02-08T02:56:42.169-08:00 Delving into Delhi's bakeries - Dil Kush at Chitli Qabar, sampling the bakeries of Chandni Chowk
(This article appeared in the Hindu titled
Dil Khush at Chitli Qabar - The Hindu Read the unedited version here...)
When
one speaks of bakeries it is places like
Goa, Bangalore, Pondicherry… which come to mind. Delhi on the other hand has
always been a Mughal bastion with insatiable appetite for Mughalai food
followed by evergreen Punjabi cuisine. Bakeries inChitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-73862131373308184362016-03-15T09:08:00.002-07:002016-03-15T09:08:49.889-07:00Jewellery Galleries and Schools in Delhi
Most exhibitions are private affairs. Huge
trade shows have not been successful despite great effort. In the private shows
it is the designers like Poonam Soni, Aparna Gujral, Asha Kamal Modi, Art Karat
who thrive. MMTC (Mines & Minerals Trading Corporation), a large Public
Sector Enterprise organizes its consumer / retail exhibition, a real treat
during Diwali (the Indian festival of Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-59631799708464142312016-03-07T00:21:00.001-08:002021-02-08T02:57:20.684-08:00Delhi's Jugaad - Reparing Electronic Gadgets – the saga of repairing a Record Player
Super Electronics - Ravi Kant Sharma and his electronic repair shop
The era of LP records was magical. The beautiful
sounds of music charms the mind and soul. It is not a patch to the current
digitized versions. Recorded live using musicians and artists, there was no
room for error. It was magical, perfect and in tune nay missing a beat. I had
the privilege of listening to these records at a Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-32825698153961311522016-02-12T01:56:00.001-08:002021-02-08T02:57:37.423-08:00A slice of Bengal in Delhi - Basant Panchami at C R Park (Chittaranjan Park)
The Bengali bastion of Chittaranjan Park comes alive
for Basant Panchami with beautiful Saraswati Dolls of all sizes. Kul, kanthali
kola, jackfruits, drumstick flowers, shank alu and more… Basant Panchami marks
the coming of the Basant Ritu and is celebrated across India. At one point of
time people used to herald it by wearing yellow clothes. In Bengal it also
marks the day for Saraswati Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-22962123206555154652015-01-29T00:37:00.001-08:002015-03-19T01:06:21.832-07:00When are markets closed in Delhi
Delhi has umpteen number of markets. The biggest question thus is which shops are closed when? It is indeed an irritating phenomenon after making a trip to the market (yes braving traffic jams and finding parking place) to realise it is the weekly off or holiday at the market.
Shops abound in every nook and corner. Delhi is an indefatigable shopper’s delight and the
markets cater to Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-443501650980049561.post-79570735619003273212014-11-09T21:46:00.000-08:002015-01-12T22:05:59.007-08:00Jewellery scenario in Delhi and its environs
Jewelry scenario in Delhi and its
environs
They say “the past reflects the future”,
and it is amply so for India’s
capital Delhi.
If one were to look at the current scenario for jewelry in Delhi, one needs to understand the past glory
of the city. A glory which transcends time, and goes back to nearly 5000 years.
Delhi is said
to be the erstwhile capital of the Pandavas in the historic epic Chitra Balasubramaniamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01591845643857213422noreply@blogger.com0