New Delhi- How much could I explore in a day:)

Ever wondered why this place was referred as the Mughal Capital in older times.'Coz this had the grandeur and noble 'knight' like aura around its monuments.

And I thought of exploring this Mughal Capital on one of the modern, grand and majestic modes of transport-The Delhi Metro. During Common-Wealth Games in 2010, the Delhi government also started 'HOHO' bus survices (www.hohodelhi.com) but I still find Metro very convenient and safe to travel. Not to mention it feels quicker as well going by Delhi traffic & chaos;)

So Metro it is! and my first stop was the 'Metro Museum' at Patel Chowk Metro Station. This museum tells you everything that you want to know about Delhi Metro. Right from its constructive phase to the interesting network of places that it connects in Delhi. And yes! the souvenir shop here sells postcards too:) The rest of my sightseeing for most of the Delhi was on metro only. Tourists coming to Delhi can know more about 'Metro Tourist cards' from here- www.delhimetrorail.com

Travelling is definitely easier now !

My next halt was at 'National Philatelic Museum' which is nearby the Patel Chowk metro station.

NPM has an all ranging stamp collection that has been maintained very neatly by the Indian Postal Department. This includes the first stamp issued in India by the Sindh Dak in the year 1854. I was amazed by the vast collection of stamps kept there that were issued since 1947.

This one is one of my favourites

 There were stamps depicting our culture, heritage,personalities, related to fields of art,science & technology and many more.

National Philatelic Museum,Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg,New Delhi

Collector's packs are also available at a reasonable rate for collectors to buy. Although, I preferred buying loose mint stamps from the post office nearby.This way I had an assorted collection to send to my postcrossing friends:)

NPM quickly visited, so I again hopped on to the Metro and took the violet line going to Khan Market. Yes! my next stop was Lodhi Garden (near by Khan Market) and then a quick bite of some French patisserie at  L'opera boulangerie in Khan Market :) then finally head for home.

Lodhi Garden- This is where you may want to easily escape the city noise and let it wrap its greenery all around you!! yes, I would definitely recommend you to spend half a day here admiring nature or just simply observing people around. If you love visiting parks then its absolutely a 'not to be missed'.

'Shish Gumbad' 

Muhammad Shah Sayyid's Tomb- He belonged to the Sayyid dynasty. It has some distinctive features of its time-an octagonal plan,corner buttresses, decorative plaster finish,corbelled doorways and chhatris(pavilions on the roof)

Named Lady Wilington park in 1936 when it was designed into a artificial garden. But it is still famous as "Lodhi Garden"

Lodhi Garden has pleasant, peace & quiet grounds with some history(monuments) nestled in the middle of the city chaos.The monuments are a rich variety of architectural style ranging from Sayyid to Lodhi to Mughals. When here for a walk I can't resist my self from observing families relaxing, playing games & enjoying the company of their loved ones. A feeling of contentment kinda grips you as soon as you enter the park.

I love the colours on the clouds in the background 

   The sound of Ducks squawking, fountains in the small water-body near the bridge, all makes it perfect for you to enjoy the vista on any given day.

Interestingly, it is a hotspot for VIP joggers/walkers of Delhi. While enjoying your brisk walk here, you may stumble upon a famous cinema or tv personality, politician, writer,photographer... Lemme know whom you run into next time when you are here;) 

Brisk Walk in the greens,In & Out of the monuments :)

Tried to capture 'Shish Gumbad' while standing inside the 'Bara   Gumbad' Mosque.

I couldn't resist my self from taking the picture of this lady who was admiring the large tree from the 'Bara Gumbad' Mosque.

The garden looks more beautiful in the months of February & March, Spring time in delhi. It's a haven for many variety of birds. Khan Market is very close to the park and is worth a visit.I stay nearby only, so I have enjoyed many visits to both the places on weekends and in evenings. There are many cafe/ eating joints and designer studios to indulge you in dining & shopping. 

Sometimes,when I think of it I feel lucky to be staying nearby:)

To explore more of New Delhi click here-

History-revisited-part-1-qutab-minar

History-revisited-part-2-humanyun-tomb

  

  

Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti-Eternal Gandhi

Gandhi Smriti- Honouring virtues of truth, non-violence,unity & integrity

5, Tees January Marg, New Delhi-11

I have lived in Delhi all my life but never visited some of the well-known places that one should explore atleast once while here. This city has so much to discover and walk around to. It charms you with both old and modern styled cultural and innovative themes. It catches you offguard too! As it did to me when I visited 'Gandhi Museum' 

Honestly, I am not a person who would want to spend almost two hours looking at historical pictures and models of freedom fighters including Mahatma Gandhi. 'Coz most of 'us Indians' have done it while growing up (yeah! history was an interesting subject in elementary school and as kids we dug into it enthusiastically:))

Well! after a lot of goading by my father to atleast accompany him to Gandhi Museum, I decided to go. 

Gandhi Harp- This installation images Gandhi in the form of Harp. Each string when struck plays Indian national freedom songs.

My motive was to find a set of good postcards depicting Gandhi's life. So that I can use them for my exchanges. And yay!! I did find some interesting postcards depicting his life. Some of them are here-

Post Card(1)-Mahatma Gandhi with Lady and Lord Mountbatten, 1947

Postcard(2)-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in South Africa ,1906 and Gandhi in 1944

Postcard(3)-Gandhi drafting a document at Birla House, August 1942

M.K.Gandhi with his wife Kasturba 

See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no evil-Gandhiji's three monkeys

This is where Gandhiji was assassinated at 5:17 pm on 30th Jan, 1948.If you see closely,the small pillar reads:"Hey Ram"(these were his last words when he died).Also mentioned is the time & date as 5:17 evening, 30.1.48

Gandhiji's footsteps leading to the park in the garden outside the  Birla House

Birla House treasures cherished memories of Gandhi's last few days (last 144 days here) India's Father of Nation died here on friday, Jan 30 ,1948.

  

Gandhi's devotion to truth and non-violence have influenced leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela,and his beliefs continue to be studied and analyzed today.
At the memorial there is an interesting set of paintings & sketches made by children (when they were asked  to present Bapu's /father's vision for today's times) Gandhi was affectionately called "Father of our Nation" by the people of India.Some of those paintings depicted following themes & thoughts-

- mehnat ki kamai (hard earned money)

- prithvi ki raksha (Safety of mother earth)

- prem se jeeto ladai (Win everyone with love)

- bapu ko na bhulo (Don't forget Bapu /Father)

These paintings have also been made into huge kaleidoscopes (depicting stories of Gandhiji by children).

I realized, I was actually paying attention here....Remember, I came here half heartedly.

I was impressed by the research put into the Design and the usage of the concepts of multimedia-computing & Innovative tools. It's an excellent example of modern technological learning applications that are very much culturally reflective and body-friendly. It truly reflects Gandhi's thoughts on ecology, women, sensitivity to our surroundings and respect for all mankind. 

Other installations like-'Pillar of Castelessness','Stambh' (The Eleven Vows for the Satyagrahi), 'The Tim Line Browser', 'Dimensions of the Salt March', 'To Do Or Die' illustrated Gandhi & his thoughts perfectly.

This made me stay back a l'll while longer to explore the rest of the premises :)