All The Hues Of Sunlight !!

I have always been fascinated by sunrise & sunsets. Whether I am able to capture a particular imagery of 'Sun playing games with it's rays' or not, I don't know. But every time I try, I stand awe-struck looking at the hues of colours that the sun beautifully creates all around !!

Notice the rays filtering through the trees from the upper right side. This temple is surrounded by long trees and the entire area sort of radiates positive energy.    

Sunset captured at Humayun's tomb one evening. I remember while I was standing there I looked at the 'V' that the sun made with different shades of orange in it.  

I was told that early in the mornings sky here turns really beautiful & changes colour. And beautiful it was:) But to experience and capture this amazement of sun's playful side I had to get up @ 4 and then see the magic.   

While I was trying to frame that tree-trunk behind the arch,  dancing sun rays directed them selves on the pillars so as to dramatically draw more pillars on the floor :)   

Beautiful colours in the cloud.-all the hues of orange in it !

Colours of setting Sun behind the trees at Delhi Zoo 

Random Perspectives

While sitting here and thinking about what to write, I thought of going through some old pictures and sharing them here. 

This is a random perspective on images that captured my fancy one way or the other.

  

An early morning scene at the phool-mandi(flower market). I have come many a times with my father to buy flowers here. Every time there is a happy occasion in the house we rush to phool-mandi. This day, I was accompanying a friend and our cameras. While I was admiring the colourful flowers all around, this man with lots of marigold strings on his back brushed past me and I couldn't stop myself clicking. 

'Bells'during travels have always fascinated me. They are a common site in the hills of north India.

 

Flowers sometimes have this ability to have your attention completely focussed on them. I was trying to take picture of the mosque  (in the background) at Old- Fort, when, with a gentle stroke of wind this 'Hibiscus' moved and I decided to focus on it. 

 I have visited 'Taj-Mahal' twice in my lifetime. Every time you visit here, it's always a new awe-inspiring experience. I would like to go there again once during the full moon. 

I saw these two pigeons sitting cozily like love birds when I was about to enter the gate at Old-Fort.

I am curious to know about any of your perspectives that you captured randomly like this:) tell me about it....

'History Revisited'- part 2: Humayun's Tomb & I.G. Memorial Museum

Humayun's Tomb & Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum

Humayun's tomb was declared a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE in the year 1993

To read on 'History revisited'-part 1 click here 

Next on my visit was Humayun's tomb.It is situated in Nizammudin area. As the name suggests it is the tomb of Mughal Emperor Humayun. It was designed by Persian architect Mirak Mirza Giyath and was commissioned by Humayun's wife Hamida Banu Begam in 1569.

It is said that this tomb is the first substantial example of proper Mughal Style (influenced by Persian Architecture) in India. Inside the walled enclosure are the most notable features of  those times-Charbagh(garden squares with pathways water channels) 

Entrance to the complex as seen from inside

Although Sikandar Lodi's tomb was the first garden tomb built in India but it is Humayun's tomb that set up a precedence in new style and fad in architectural designs and creativity during the Mughal rule in India.  This thought on architectural creativity & design reached its zenith with the 'Taj' in Agra. This complex takes in graves of several other subsequent Mughals.

This small door leads to the main complex of the tomb

Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum- My next stop was Indira Gandhi Memorial museum situated at No-1, Safdar Jung Road, New Delhi. This place is near my house, so after spending the earlier part of the day at Humayun's tomb exploring this museum didn't feel tiring at all. I was here today not because of the postcards but because of the awe and respect that we all have for the Iron Lady of India, our first and only female prime- minister.

Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister of India from 1966-1977 and again  from 1980 -1984

   Her ever confident and powerful gait, her fearless style of working and the wise and strong expression with a streak of grey line in her hairstyle intimidated everyone.She is my favourite Indian political figure ever.

So visiting the museum ( her house at No.1,Safdarjung Road was converted to a museum in her memory after she was assassinated in the garden of the same house one morning) was quiet an educational as well as touching experience for me. 

A view of her desk in her study 

view of her study from another angle

With Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi, September 1924

With her two sons Sanjay & Rajiv 

There is a souvenir shop there, from where I bought some postcards and books on her.  

As an earnest citizen, you may like to have a deeper understanding of what Indira Gandhi stood for as prime minister of this country. Like Gandhi Smriti, I would recommend  that you visit this museum atleast once:)    

The last few meters of Indira Gandhi's walk have been covered with crystal suggesting a river in flow. A sheet of clear glass marks the spot where she fell. 

Place of martyrdom-As she proceeded on this path and approached the gate & sentry post, she was fired upon by two security personnel. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31st October 1984 at 9:20 am.

'History Revisited'-part 1: Qutab Minar

Sometimes when you want something badly and you have been waiting long for 'it' to happen. Then, the 'wait' becomes longer and time seems to move very slow. It feels as if the rest of the world is functioning as it is! but you are left in a vacuum where time is still....

To get me out of this vacuum mode I thought of sharing some pics about my visit to one of the very famous historical monuments of Delhi that I happen to go to last weekend.I needed to move out  of this stillness. So ! me and my phone headed for some phoneography after lunch. It was a weekend, Delhi was a l'll quiet on roads. Not many cars racing around so driving was no pain;)

Sun sneaking behind the Minaret-beautiful monument. Qutab Minar & its monuments are listed as UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

 But as soon as you reach Mehrauli, noise from tourist buses,vehicles and lot of tourists around indicated that we've arrived at our destination. Interestingly, I saw a a good set of postcards of UNESCO HERITAGE sites in India (published By ASI) and you bet! I bought some of those :)

Qutab Minar- A photographer's delight and archaeologically a beautiful monument to visit. My advise is to go to this monument preferably early mornings.'Coz during the day time there are so many people around that it becomes difficult  to get good pictures of this heritage site.

Qutab Minar was conceived by Qutub-Ud-Din-Aibak, as a tower of victory attached to Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque. It is the tallest stone tower in India. At a height of 238 ft and 379 steps,its height is still 5ft less than that of Taj Mahal. 

There are numerous inscriptions in Arabic & Devnagari characters in different places on the Minar that explain its history. The main mosque-Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque, to the North-East of Minar, is said to be the earliest Mosque built by Delhi Sultans on Indian Soil during those days.

This view was a l'll difficult to capture :)

Ruins at Qutab Minar

This Minar was made for the use of mu'azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer near the Mosque. Qutab-Ud-Din-Aibak raised the first storey. His successor & son-In -Law Iltutmish added three more to it. When this was damaged by lightening in 1326 & 1368, the fourth storey was dismantled and reconstructed by Firoz Tughlaq with an additional storey(making it a five storied structure). Later in 1503,Sikandar Lodi carried out the stone restoration in the upper stories.

These sets of corridors were almost every where. Early mornings are a perfect time  to zoom  in on these and capture light filtering through them. But alas! I went during the day time. 

The entire area consists of a rectangular courtyard enclosed by cloisters,erected with the carved columns and architectural members of twenty-seven Hindu & Jaina temples which were demolished by Qutab-Ud -Din-Aibak. This account was recorded in his inscription on the main eastern entrance.

Likewise, the Iron-Pillar in the courtyard bears an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi script of 4th century AD indicating that the pillar was set up as a 'Vishnudhvaja'(standard or 'dhvaja' of God Vishnu) on the hill known as Vishnupada in the memory of a mighty king named Chandra. It is said that Iltutmish shifted it from Udaigiri (MP) in 1233.

  

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 :)