Our Delhi Agenda 2009

proxyindian

It's that time of year again. We're going to Delhi for the fourth year in a row, and each year we have pushed the departure date further back than the year before. (It's the heat!!!) It's in the 90's now, but hopefully it will be down by the time we get there one month from yesterday (October 27.... can you just imagine, our first visit was in early September!!!)

The first trip was the Golden Triangle with a shot up to Rishikesh. The second trip was Delhi & all over Rajasthan. Last year was Kolkata and Varanasi and Lucknow and back to Agra. This year will be only in Delhi, and we've got two themes running this time....

Delhi Archeological tour:

• Qutb complex & Archeological park
• Tughlaqabad
• Jahanpanah (Begumpur & Khirki masjids)
• All quadrants of Old Delhi
• Civil Lines
• New Delhi (beyond Rajpath, I mean)

We're skipping the Red Fort as we've been there twice.
The source of our walks is Lucy Peck's Delhi: A Thousand Year's of Building.

The other theme is to take a look at the layers that make up the city. It is our Delhi Metropolitan tour:

• Villages - contrasting Hauz Kauz with Chirag Delhi
• Newer Delhi - visit Lajpat Nagar (there's an interesting walking tour in the latest Time Out Delhi magazine)
• Newest Delhi - Gurgaon
• Wild Delhi - Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

So, if you have read this far, I do have some questions: What have we missed?
What areas should we visit that we haven't yet included - Karol Bagh? Akshardham temple complex? The latest Time Out Delhi issue describes a walk to look at the backpackers. I think that sounds like fun, and it might make a visit into Paharganj a little more interesting.

trooooon

Wow . . . that's as solid an itinerary as I could imagine . . . but hey there are always a few more places right?

Agrasen ki Bavdi (step well) off Haley lane in Connaught Place is quite something for the contrast of old and new.

Sangam vihar - a wild slum on Meharauli Badarpur road, definitely an important layer of the city!

Hauz Khas and Chirag dilli are very different villages, too add some spice the urban boom in Khirki village is a high density cosmopolitan nightmare not to be missed!

I would also suggest a trip to Sadar Bazaar, the wholesale market, the variety of wares and vibrant atmosphere is definitely worth taking in. If you're into automotive junk Mayapuri has a really wild market too!

Lastly for the forest (wild delhi) The ridge on SP Marg is probably the best preserved tract with largely native vegetation . . . Arangpur near Sultanpur (the oldest built remains of Delhi AD 1000 or so) has some forested ravines . . .

cheers

ps don't miss the opulent new malls!

__________________
what if . . . maybe . . . say . . . suppose!

proxyindian

We'd actually talked about visiting a slum. It isn't something I would do, actually, unless I was being guided by a charity, mutlub someone to keep us from getting lost and an organization we can make a proper donation to. There is a group called Jamghat and they do a night walk to show how people get through the nights on the streets. I'm not sure what else.

Anyone do a walk like that before?

Khans

Similar to it is City Walk by Salaam Baalak Trust in the bylanes of Paharhganj and around New Delhi Railway Station. The tour gets fascinating as the guides narrates his story as a runaway kid and takes you to the street shelter for boys.

proxyindian

Thanks for the suggestion. I just googled them....
Contact for Bookings:
Phone: +91 9910099348
Email: salaamwalk@yahoo.com
Timings: 10:00 am, six days a week Monday to Saturday, afternoons are also possible on special request. Duration: 2 hours

Have you done this before?

Khans

yes, on various occasions. I guess they charge something around 200 per person.
Infact my work involved association with trust.