Lodhi Garden Turns 75 - Delhi's Muse

Lodi Gardens  - Delhi’s muse

If there were one modernistic icon which straggles the past and present and holds all of Delhi with fond memories, it is its green lung - the Lodi Gardens. It is the power house of oxygen literally for Delhi, given the acres of green area and figuratively, it is where the corridors of power meet informally at the time of their morning walk!!! A place to be literally seen enjoying nature for Delhi’s bold, beautiful and the powerful. This is where many politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats, expats, artists, writers…….take their pleasant morning walk. Or while away their time in the evening. It is a place where relationships are formed and deep friendships nurtured. For the old, it is nostalgia as it reminds them of what Delhi once used to be, covered by forest area. For the young, it is a charming laid back world, far from the maddening crowd. It has been much written about, it has been the setting and provided inspiration for many a book by well known authors, including that of Kushwant Singh.

Lodi Gardens is located at the heart of Delhi, very close to Khan Market, off Max Mueller Marg. It is spread over 90 acres and is a standing testimony that the monuments of the past built several centuries earlier can exist peacefully with modernistic restaurants, themed gardens, international influences and more. The history of the Gardens is very interesting. As per INTACH’s brochure it was once called Bagh-I-Jud, the burial grounds of the Sayyid and Lodi dynasty and the monuments are traced to the 15^th century. As a Garden, it was first developed in 1936 to preserve the beautiful monuments located around the area. It was Lady Willingdon, wife of the British Viceroy at that time, who is said to have fallen in love with place and was keen on setting up of the garden. The village around it was called Khairpur, the villagers were moved and the space was created for the park. The gardens were developed with a mix of trees native to India, exotic ones, plants of various hues. Thus the monuments were given a new lease of life. The park was Lady Willingdon Park, after Independence it was re-named Lodi Gardens. As a tribute to the several monuments of the Lodi period and Sayyid periods located in it. It was re-landscaped in 1968.

The Lodi Gardens are a historian’s delight for it houses a cluster of monuments. Of which the oldest of the monument is the Muhammad Shah Tomb. Muhammed Shah (1434-44) was the third ruler of the Sayyid dynasty. The octagonal pattern with Chhatris is the hallmark of this Tomb. The Bara Gumbad, its decorations includes stucco work. No one really knows who has been buried but the conjecture is that it was meant for a high official held in great esteem by Sikandar Lodi (1489-1517). On its West, it houses a beautiful small mosque, said to be built in 1494, which is decorated profusely with coloured tiles. The Sheesh Gumbad to have been built in the late 15^th century, gets its name from the tiles century, gets its name from the tiles that once decorated it. Hence the nomenclature glass or glazed dome. The remnants of the Persian blue tiles can still be seen. The Tomb of Sikandar Lodi is enclosed in a square garden which is enclosed within high walls. It also has a wall mosque on the west side. In all the monuments, the clever use of stone, the arches, the shapes are an architect’s delight. The Athpula getting its name from ath meaning 8 and pula meaning bridge or piers was built during the Mughal rule – Akbar’s reign (1556-1605). The bridge probably covered a part of the tributary of River Yamuna, unbelievable today that the river Yamuna once flowed through the heart of South Delhi!!! 

If the monuments are a historian’s delight, then the trees are a Nature lover’s quest. It houses more than a 100 variety of trees. Some local, some traditional Indian, some rare imported and cared to with great love. The National Bonsai Park was started in 1996, today it has a butterfly conservatory, rose garden with around 25 varieties of roses, Lily pond, herbal garden. A recent addition, the fragrant tree corner with 2000 trees of 21 species. It is home to several varieties of birds and little animals.  

Apart from these factual details, it is the undisturbed ambience which makes the Garden so special. It is ideal for picnics during winters and wonderful oasis of cool comfort in Delhi’s hot summer days. It makes one nostalgic for the good ole Delhi sans its traffic jams, dust and choc a block roads. Nevertheless it is literally one of the last remnants of what Delhi used to be once upon a time, lots of green areas and a laid back lifestyle. It is a 75 year young muse Delhi will not forget in a hurry!

(This appeared in the July 2011 issue of Air India magazine - erstwhile Swagat)

Markets of Delhi - What is hot n where.....

Julie Andrews trilled in the evergreen Musical The Sound of Music, Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens….. these are a few of my favourite things….. if it were to be sung again in Delhi, every word in the list would be shopping, shopping and shopping. Yes, it would be mild to call Delhi, a shopper’s paradise, it is a shopper’s addiction binging on the almost maniacal. Unlike other places, Delhites do not need an excuse to shop, it is almost a habit, be it the wedding season, the festival (and there are more festivals in a year than the number of days!!!), birthdays, marriage days, rituals, ceremonies…….shop Delhi must!! And to give indulgence to this craving are well stocked market places, from the ever popular nukkad (corner mom pop stores) markets, the upscale Khan Market, Connaught Place, Malls (Saket, Ansal Plaza…), South Ex, G K I & II.., to the weekly – Budh bazaar, Shukr bazaar (Wed or Friday markets)….the wholesale markets of Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh, the evergreen Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Markets….the list is never ending ever increasing. In these markets, the supremely expensive sits very comfortably with the dirt cheap bargainable, contemporary modern pieces are as much sought after as antiques, bargaining is a compulsive habit and reveled in and not considered infra dig. And everything is bought, cushion covers from the designer outlets to cushion covers from the footpath weekly bazaars. Delhites do not distinguish between upmarket or downscale, an average shopper is as comfortable shopping in the swish environs of Malls as bargaining hard at the Budh Bazaar.

The variety in each of the shops is mind boggling. Try this, despite shops selling same products (jewellery, shoes, sarees….) no two shops stocks similar products or prints, one is awed with the design availability everywhere. So here’s a recce of Shopping in Delhi.

One of the most comfortable places to shop is the Khan Market, the nice leafy avenues, controlled traffic, enough space to move about and the swish crowd makes it an excellent place to stroll and indulge in. Similar areas for quite browsing include Santushti Complex, Hauz Khas Village and Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan. Connaught Place aka CP, always holds a special place in the hearts of everyone coming to Delhi. Sensuous silks, stylish bags, custom made shoes, jewellery…

The college goers, backpacker tourists paradise is Janpath. The main attraction is the small bylane selling export reject fashion wear at dirt cheap prices. The best of Western fashion can be accessed and good brand names at a mere fraction. No, they are not rip offs but a consignment meant to be shipped abroad at times gets rejected because of time delays or minor quality problems, this finds it way to the portals of Janpath. A fashion savvy individual can pick up the best at affordable prices. It attracts tourists and even fashion divas. The main shops on the street also stock some beautiful stuff, the antique textile sellers from Gujarat in another inside bylane also offer interesting patchwork and furnishing pieces. Craft pieces, metal wares, footwear are all must do here. A similar place for such affordable wear is the Sarojini Nagar market where nearly two bylanes are full of excellent T-shirts, skirts, Kaftans…cushion covers a plenty on the foot path and shops selling beautiful sarees and woollen products. In the same genre is Lajpat Nagar which though was a middle class market today offers an excellent range in fabric, stitched garments… it stocks Lucknowi Chikan, juttis, kolhapuri, printed Jaipuri Cotton and loads of Fabric.

The bylanes of Chandni Chowk pack in so much of nostalgia and variety that one can spend decades browsing it and still come with surprises. Each of its bylane is devoted to a particular product. The fact some shops are centuries old simply adds to the flavour. So the Kinnari Bazaar offers zardozi work, woven laces, worked pieces, Dariba Kalan is well known for silverware, Kapda market for clothes, fabrics, Khari Baoli for dry fruits, snacks, sherbets.., Nai Sarak is a book lover’s treat while Lajpat Rai market for electronic goods, the main road houses plenty of gold and silver merchants…One can discover niche shops selling pure zari work, selling itar or hand made perfume.., Sadar Bazaar is a wholesale market and stocks everything from shoes, silver, clothes, kites, books, lace, borders….The famous place in Karol Bagh is the Banker’s Street which has rows upon rows of shops selling gold ornaments. Nearly every gold styling from the country can be found here, Konkani, Marathi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bengali…The Gaffar Market is excellent for rip offs and fake electronic items.

The Malls changed the way many shopped atleast during the summer months, where else can one get an Air conditioned market. The Ansal Plaza which was the first soon had competition from the DLF Emproio, the Saket Malls – MGF Metropolitan Mall, Select City Walk (it is a must do place!) are today “the” places to see and shop. The Flea Market Night organized attracts its fair share of visitors.

The biggest attraction and shopper’s indulgence is the humungous IITF – India International Trade Fair held from the 14th to the 30th of November every year at Pragati Maidan. With participation from almost all states and foreign countries, it is a gargantuan enterprise, offering excellent bargains and plenty of freebies. The display of gems from Burma, Rajasthani & Gujarati wear, Hyderabadi pearls, Carpets from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Saffron, dry fruits…..

They say shop till you drop, in Delhi there is no drop it is only shop shop and shop!!!

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Handicrafts and handloom hold a special place in India and there is much experimentation on to create contemporary pieces using age old skills. For excellent craft picks – Baba Kharak Singh Marg (all State Emporiums are located here), Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan where Tribes, Kamla, Industree stock some very beautiful products. Cottage Emporium in Janpath. To buy straight from the craftsmen - Crafts Museum shop and demonstration area and Dilli Haat (INA Market & Pitampura).
Fab India outlets, Khadi Bandaars, Soma, Anokhi, Neemrana Shop….are others offering excellent ethnic stuff.
Interiors – The Bamboo Store, House of Istavam, Zara
For T-shirts – Tank Road for wholesale and Tantra outlets, Tribes
For silverware – Amrapali (Khan Market), Silverline
Antique Furniture – Amar Colony market, Puratan
Darya Ganj Sunday Market for books especially old.

(This article appeared in Discover India October 2010 Issue)