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Experiencing Delhi Like a Local

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Visitor’s say it’s polluted, messy and always so crowded but have you ever asked a Delhite? They would probably talk about comfort in the chaos. A million people and unspoken stories, small happenings and heartwarming feelings all reside here.

If you’re planning to take a day off from classes and go around exploring, this might just be the most authentic way to experience Dilli, a local’s tried and tested guide.

1. Start from the campus
Both North and South Campus are home to the top colleges of the city; and of course, the top eateries. The canteens of the colleges are famous for their savories, often popularized by Bollywood films. Have some chai at the hangout spots like Sudama’s Tea Stall set up on the University bylines. You can also head to seminars being held in colleges or participate in the events, specially with fest season around the corner.

Tip: Do not forget to carry your college ID card. The guards won’t listen otherwise, you know.
2. Head to Majnu ka Tilla
Majnu ka Tilla, or Aruna Nagar is a Tibetan settlement in North Delhi, known for its quaint little cafes, bakeries, boutiques and souvenir stores, it is home to multiple monasteries and a huge Tibetan market. To get there, take the yellow line metro and get off at the Vidhan Sabha metro station. A rickshaw ride later, you will find yourself in streets that smell like the coffee your body so desperately needs. The streets have pretty architecture that can add up to your Instagram aesthetics.

Tip: Talk to the locals there and not just for directions. They have great stories to tell.

3. Explore Chandni Chowk
Chaotic and unbelievably busy, Chandi Chowk in Old Delhi is often recognised as Delhi’s retail market. It is hub to a number of food places, jewelry shops and clothing items. You can also find some unique and hand-crafted stationery and accessories. Visit the Jama Masjid, Lal Mandir and Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara and witness the religious harmony co-exist. Grab some lunch in Paranthe wali Gali and put that tick on your checklist.

Tip: Keep notes of Rs10 and 20 handy with you and commute through e-rickshaws. Enjoy the hustle bustle of the street at its fullest.

4. Spend the evening cycling at Lodhi Colony
Started in 2016 and officially inaugurated in 2019, Lodhi Colony is India’s first public art district. The walls and bylines are adorned with beautiful art and graffiti, providing visual delight, and making the ride extremely pleasant. Rent the cycles from Jor Bagh Metro Station Gate No.1 for Rs 60 for an hour. There are theatre nearby so you can also watch a play at Indian Habitat Center or Lok Kalayan Manch.

Tip: Chauhan Ji’s chhole bhature are quite the ‘World’ famous here. Just in case you had some space left in your stomach.

5. End the day at India Gate
This place is always brimming with picnickers and vendors selling ice cream, bhelpuri, fruit chaat, soft drinks, packaged food, colourful toys and so much more. While it does seem to be pretty cliched, a night visit here must be on top of all the to-do-in-Delhi lists. Surrounded by grassy lawns, the 42 metres tall monument is brilliantly lit every evening. At a closer look you’ll find the names of brave martyrs engraved all over its surface.

Tip: Play some Rang De Basanti music, the vibe is always worth it.

Feature Image Credits: D for Delhi

Aishwaryaa Kunwar
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Campus Central

National Youth Day: ABVP Organises various celebrations in Delhi

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The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) celebrated the National Youth Day at different locations in Delhi, including Faculty of Arts (University of Delhi) and Mukherjee Nagar. It commemorated the 157th birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and organised several competitions and programmes including a Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) awareness session. 

ABVP celebrated Swami Vivekananda’s 157th birth anniversary as the National Youth Day. In remembrance of the great saint it organised programmes at various locations  which included Faculty of Arts (DU), Mukherjee Nagar, and Kalkaji.

In the forthcoming week, ABVP will be organising various symposiums as well as recreational functions like painting competitions and art exhibitions, highlighting based on Swami Vivekananda’s life.

It also held a CAA awareness session, Shri Prafulla Akant, National Joint Organising Secretary, ABVP spoke about busting myths surrounding CAA. “Students, today, must brave the rough-hewn road to success. They must be wary of the political opportunists intending to waylay unsuspecting students and retard their career progression by exploiting them for their partisan political ends. The students must avoid palavers and judiciously engage in debates on consequential issues to achieve a meaningful denouement”, he said in the press release.

As a tribute to Swami Vivekananda at Delhi University’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Shri Sriniwas, National Joint Organising Secretary, ABVP, said, “There is an impending need for a contemporary construction of Swamiji’s thoughts. He was an ingenious thinker with a unique appraisal of India’s intractable problems and devoted a sustained effort towards discovering native solutions for the same. His exceptional ideas that form the bedrock of modern India, still continue to inspire millions to choose the path of selfless service towards the nation.”

At the programme being held at Faculty of Arts, Sidharth Yadav, Secretary, ABVP, Delhi, said, “Swamiji’s endeavours and his missionary zeal to foreground the veritable truth about India’s unique history and culture served to raise India’s stature in the eyes of the world. He was one of the few original thinkers of modern India whose ideas will continue to provide thought-leadership to posterity.”

In a wreath laying ceremony held at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Durgesh Kumar, President, ABVP-JNU, said, “It is imperative to keep alive the right to dissent in campuses across the country. In today’s polarised atmosphere, one that has split the student community into half, it is equally important to pursue dialogue and deliberation for solving contentious issues. Our temples of learning must not become havens for partisan political adventures. JNU needs to embrace Swamiji’s ideas for the root and branch eradication of centrifugal forces from our beloved campus.” His comments come after the recent violence allegedly caused by ABVP activists. While students at JNU have been protesting over the fee hike issue, the violence has escalated the political tensions.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: Anonymous

Sriya Rane 

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Arts & Culture

How to Celebrate Christmas in Delhi

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Living in Delhi may not be the most archetypal when it comes to celebrating Christmas. But, do not fret because we have multiple solutions to make this Christmas more jolly for you!

The jolly holiday of Christmas in Delhi often appears rather gloomy in the absence of snow, pine trees, or even the basic festive environment. But, that’s not all that Christmas is about. Delhi may not be the ideal place for Christmas, but it also not all disappointing.

Here are some ways in which you can enjoy Christmas to your heart’s content:

  1. Visit a Church

With Christmas around the corner, chapels and cathedrals across are lit up in the zeal of the festive mood. One can spend a nice, warm day at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Vatican Embassy Chapel, or the Cathedral church of Redemption and enjoy the choirs, feast, prayers, and the decorations having a jolly good time with the perfect Christmas vibe. Make sure you don’t miss the midnight masses celebrating the birth of Christ!

church
Image Credits: India Today
  1. Christmas Markets

Christmas also fills the streets of Delhi with countless markets, posing a hotspot to wisely invest your money on various quirky items or maybe just delicious food! Set your shopaholic souls free and don’t let a dime go worthless. Swiss German Christkindle Market, Delhi Haat, Select CityWalk Christmas Carnival and even the Sadar Bazaar are some of the best Christmas markets in the city and must not be missed.

 

Image Credits:
Image Credits:
  1. Sit in a Cafe

Delhi is home to some of the most delightful, cozy cafes. If you’d rather spend Christmas in a calm and solitary environment, grab yourself a large cup of hot chocolate, pick up your favourite book and snuggle in a corner of a cute, little cafe and maybe even build your own holiday aesthetics. Diggin in Green Park, Rose Cafe in Saidulajab and Coffee Bond in Uday Park Market are some of the most alluring cafes in the city. Blue Tokai along with Bahri Sons bookstore in Saket is the perfect refuge for absolutely any day! And if nothing, just grab a grande pumpkin latte in one of those gorgeous Christmas cups from Starbucks.

Image Credits:
Image Credits: Aditi Gutgutia
  1. Christmas Movies Marathons

Honestly, you don’t even need to leave your home, or even your room to enjoy Christmas to your heart’s content. Just get yourself a big bowl of popcorn, grab your coziest blanket and your laptop and its charger and binge watch the countless, hilarious, heart-warming Christmas movies till your eyes turn sore. Some of my personal favourites include- Home Alone, A Christmas Carol, The Nightmare before  Christmas, Arthur Christmas and The Grinch. If you want to watch terrible, cheesy movies, don’t feel guilty, for it’s Christmas time and you can watch all of Vanessa Hudgens on Netflix and not worry about being judged.

Image Credits:
Image Credits:
  1. Club Hopping

Not everyone can find solace in quiet evenings as suggested above. To those of you, I recommend club hopping. Sticking to one club, after a while, starts losing its appeal and thrill. Moving from one club to another with your gang on Christmas Eve has a kick to itself, just dancing away to your favourite tunes (and maybe even getting entirely wasted *smirk smirk*). Connaught Place, Hauz Khas and Cyber Hub are some of the prime locations with multiple sensational clubs located in close proximity.

  1. Social Work

Christmas is a time of merry making with presents and cakes. But it is also a time of forgiveness and generosity. Make this Christmas truly christmassy, not just for yourself but also for those in need by putting forward your helping your helping hand. Reach out to animal shelters, orphanages or under-privileged schools and offer your services. Be the Santa Claus of the needy. Donate books, clothes and presents and let the jingle bells ring for those deprived of the joy.

Feature Image Credits: Times of India

Aditi Gutgutia

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Arts & Culture

Momos, Delhi, and Little Traditions

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 A Love letter to Momos, the staple food of many Delhiites, and a look at some experiences built around Delhi’s momos and momowallahs.

To many of us, the first word that comes to our lips when we are hungry and the wallet is light is chal momos khaate hai (lets go eat momos). Momos have become so ingrained in Delhi’s culture that every student you ask can give you the name of their favorite momo shop, and a list of experiences they have had while eating momos. Dolma Aunty, Hunger strike, Majnu Ka Tila, Yashwant Place, and the momo stalls close to our colleges may just feel like a second home to us.

When one talks about momos, how can we forget the loveable momowallahs who pile steaming goodness along with lipsmacking chutney on our plates. Those who eat momos regularly probably see their momowallahs and know their habits better than those of friends. Faizan, a second year student from Jamia Millia Islamia talks about his college momowallahs habit of being friendly with some of his customers. He says “ If you are in college and you need to grab something for your hunger, Momos are your best option. Hundreds of students at my college grab momos between lectures from the Hygienic Mark Cafe, the owner of the place is an interesting person although he gives preference to girls for some unknown reasons. People wait in queues for getting their plates but not the girls. Hygienic’s momos are an integral part of life at JMI.”

Momos have also led to some amazing memories for people with many small dates being planned around momos or including momos. Chhavi, a DU student, says “One of the greatest dates, I’ve ever been on just included chai, hugs and momos. Being a cold winter evening, momos are such a relief. Specially when served with Mayo. It must be remembered, that the best momos are chicken and steamed.” Delhi and momos, a romantic connection indeed and momos have also given the citizens of Delhi some romantic moments of their own. Anandi, a DU student, says “In the streets of Dilli Haat, sharing a plate of chicken momos with my partner, as the chilly Delhi air engulfs us and the momos chutney hits you; tell me something more romantic than this.”

Momos have formed the basis of many small traditions among old friends. Samaksh, a second year DU student says “ After all of us got into college, me and my friends really didn’t have the time to meet each other that regularly with everyone getting busy with their new lives. We made it a tradition to drive down to Yashwant Place once or twice a month at night to eat momos and smoke. It is probably one of the only times I see all my friends together now.”

These silly little anecdotes describe what momos mean to us broke young college kids trying to enjoy even the little moments of our lives, in something as trivial as going out to eat this Tibetian delicacy from our staple momo stalls. Momos in a way define the student culture in Delhi.

Feature Image Credits:

Prabhanu Kumar Das

 

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Feature Image Credits: Little Black Book

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DUB News

DUSU Converts Office Common Room into Open Library for Students

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The Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) decided to convert the common room of its office space into a library for students, which is supposed to remain open throughout the hours of the day, all days of the week. Read on to know more. 

The North Campus of the Delhi University (DU) has, for a protracted amount of time, longed for a good place to study. The students often complain about the lack of 24×7 libraries and moreover of quality libraries itself.

This problem is more visible during the exam season at the Varsity. As students aren’t able to study in hostel or PG rooms as the rooms are primarily small and the libraries seem to be full all the time. The present libraries either lack the seating capacity or updated books and internet. The students thus, are forced to go to private studying spaces and libraries which are chargeable based on the hour. A large amount of the students hence find this to be very expensive and therefore aren’t able to study properly.

DUSU has, on various occasions, tried to overcome this problem by sending letters to the DU Administration, but the same has not resulted in any positive reaction by the latter. Seeing the gravity of the issue, DUSU led by its President, Akshit Dahiya, has tried to deal with the problem on its own. DUSU has converted the meeting/waiting room in its President’s cabin, at the DUSU Office, into an open library.

Speaking to DU Beat, Dahiya said, “DUSU has for a long time demanded to turn regular libraries into 24×7 libraries in order to help the students. I have met with Proctor and the Rector several times over this issue, as we in our manifesto promised for better and increased number of libraries. During the exam times, several students have conveyed to me that their rooms are too small for studies and that college libraries are always full. Thus, they are forced to go to private libraries and as many of the students cannot afford the same, they face a lot of problems in managing their expenses. Thus, I opened my meeting room for these students to study. I have even sent a letter to the Proctor and other concerned authorities and have warned them that, if no action is taken to solve this library issue, I will even send these students to their offices itself. However, they seem to understand the gravity of the situation and have agreed to meet me on Monday. We are providing the students with internet for e-books and a space to study to the students at the DUSU Office. The students are supporting us a lot and are giving us positive feedback too. I aim to get a solution out for this issue in my meeting on Monday with the Proctor.”

This is a welcome step taken by the Union. However, its implementation and security will be seen only as time comes

 

Feature Image Credits: Scopio

Aniket Singh Chauhan

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DUB Speak

A Not-so-Humble Guide to Travelling in Delhi Metro

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The Delhi metro is arguably the most important element in a student’s life, especially when she needs to get to that 8 a.m. lecture. Read further for a guide to a more satisfying metro experience.

The metro is the most frequently used mode of transport for most of us students at the Delhi University, and for so many others. So much so that many of us spend long hours everyday on the metro itself. If this ride plays such a prominent role in our lives, it might as well be a rather satisfying experience, if not entirely pleasurable. To ensure this, we must understand and respect the personal space of those travelling with us.

  • Let’s begin with a very basic, yet overlooked issue- do not request people to make room on the bench when there clearly isn’t any. 

Everyone on the metro is already crammed up. There is no point fitting six people on a five-seater bench when no one is comfortable. Which brings me to my next point. If you can, please stand. Stop eyeing younger passengers into giving you their seats. They probably had a worse day than you. Be a little more compassionate towards us, please.

Note: For those of you standing and holding on to the handles for support, maybe try wearing a deodorant? I don’t blame you for having sweaty armpits; we live in Delhi, I’d be surprised if you didn’t. But now that you’re shoving it in so many faces, might as well be a little more considerate of the others around you. After the long, tiring days everyone goes through, sniffing at smelly armpits is really the last thing they need. 

  • Moving on, try to avoid too much PDA.

 I mean, call me orthodox but watching a couple snuggling up in a corner while having your own nose deep in your course book can be highly irksome (?). Sure you’re generating enough heat to warm up the entire metro in this winter season, but kindly spare all the single people out there. They don’t need this kind of negativity in their lives. 

  • Please do not throw up in the metro. 

Again, I understand, it’s a genuine problem. But you cannot ruin the already-melancholic mood of the metro, and then conveniently exit at the next stop. You don’t just throw up. If you feel icky, you get off at the next station and get yourself some medicines. But you don’t wait for it to get worse. It’s about your health only, you see? 

Now there are other issues to be kept in mind. 

  • Listen to Rini Khanna and Shami Narang when they ask you not to eat in the metro or play music.

Trust me, ketchup smells disgusting. We know you want to enjoy your burger to the fullest, but nobody wants to smell that ketchup. No offence, but you don’t even have the best taste in music. Man created earphones for a reason. Now is the right time to flaunt your airpods. 

There is so much you can do to while away your time in the metro while not encroaching upon anyone’s personal space (unless the metro is jam-packed, in which case you can only pray). So let’s try to make our journeys more peaceful and satisfying for all of us.

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

Aditi Gutgutia

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

The Luxury of Riding a Cycle Rickshaw

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With a lot of us using public transport to commute daily for college and to other places we go to, we sometimes take these for granted and fail to see the little bundle of happiness that the public system of transport is.

“Metro se Kaun-Kaun jayega?” (Who all will take the metro back home?) is a question that is very common in the college campuses of the University of Delhi. Whether you might be a student from the Delhi NCR region or somebody who lives away from college intentionally to save some money, we all have used the Delhi Metro a lot. And certainly, the Delhi Metro has had a lot of importance in the daily lives of Delhiites, but it’s not like all the colleges are at a walking distance from their closest metro station. Thankfully we have a lot of public transport facilities available to make that small commute easier, in the forms of E-Rickshaws or Auto Rickshaws. But there exists another form of transportation that maybe has gone oblivious with the fast moving world, that is the quintessential ‘Cycle Rickshaw’.

Cycle rickshaws are the type of three wheeler public transport which is structured a lot like any other type of rickshaw, except it is pulled by cycle like mechanism and is powered by a human! Look at it this way, a human, in the 21st century, willingly pulling a cycle rickshaw for you and doing so much hard work just to earn some money. It almost sad but remains a living reality of a large part of India.

It is truly ironical that such a cheap luxury is available to us and still we rarely ever use it. Since the cycle rickshaws are a dying industry, it is mostly run by fairly old men and it is heartbreaking to see an old person doing the hard work for you. When asked, they simply smile and reply something along the lines of “Beta abb toh aadat si ho gayi hai” (Oh child. Now,I am used to it). And truly, these rickshaw pullers would be one of the fittest people you would ever meet.

Cycle rickshaws were initially a very big part of our childhood as well, from fighting with our cousins to sit at the back of the small seat to sometimes even asking the rickshaw puller if we could pull it; even seeing a cycle rickshaw can sometimes bring back the most beautiful memories and one can simply forget all the worries of life with a ride. But they need not be restricted to just reliving old memories, they can also be used to create new ones. Cycle rickshaws are perfect to ride with dates; they are silent, eco-friendly and some of them can only carry two adults at a time; the perfect kind of privacy you need! Not just that, they are versatile because one can enjoy cool breeze without its overhead roof and can also protect oneself from the sun with its adjustable roof, sort of like a sports car; which makes it a luxury in another aspect!

Cycle rickshaws have a beauty of their own in terms of aesthetics and one can enjoy life at its slow pace while enjoying this modern day luxury. One can also learn a lot from a simple conversation with any rickshaw puller because they have a lot of experience and a simple act of kindness brings upon such a big smile on their face, it certainly lights up one’s day.

 

Feature Image Credits: Deewanshi Vats for DU Beat

Akshat Arora

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Bazinga

Bazinga: Free Metro Rides for Women now in Action

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The Delhi Cabinet finally passed the bill approving free travel for women in the Delhi Metro leading to multiple debates and discussions.

After about five months since the introduction of the Bill by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government on 11th October, the Delhi Cabinet approved free travel for women in the metro in the national capital. This scheme, announced by Chief Minister Arvend Keijriwal on 3rd June, will be effective from 27th October 2019, the auspicious day of Diwali.

The cabinet approved a grant of INR 980 crore to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to implement the scheme. The cabinet also provided a grant of INR 7 crore to add 380 more feeder buses to the existing number of 194.

In certain studies, it is noted that in the Delhi Metro, women passengers account for almost 25-30 per cent. The average farebox revenue per rider was noted as INR 28, according to the annual report of the DMRC for the year 2018-19. This amounts to almost one-third of DMRC’s total revenue.

“I travel every day from Ghaziabad to South Campus via the metro, which amounts to roughly INR140 per day. A huge amount is spent by my parents every month on my travel expenses. They have been resentful towards the idea of sending my younger sister to a college far from home. This new scheme by the government has given my sister a new hope,” says Rasmila, a student at Jesus and Mary College.

The new scheme also provides a safer mode of transportation to women. “As of now, only 30 per cent of Metro commuters are women. The fare hike last year hit women the worst, forcing them to shift to more unsafe modes of transport like private buses, ride-sharing, or even walking. This move will help them return to the Metro’s safety,” says AAP’s Ashiti on her Twitter account.

However, despite all the support gained by a larger public, the scheme has also received a whole lot of criticism suggesting issues like overcrowding, or a probable drop in the quality of services due to erosion of DMRC funds. Some argue that the money that the Government wants to spend on free metro and bus travel should have been used to improve security infrastructure and uplift women safety in the city.

The idea of free public transport has been experimented across many cities around the globe in the USA and Europe like Germany, Belgium and France. The initiative was taken either for the entire population or for a few sections such as students or senior citizens. The reaction and impact on the use of private cars and increased use of public transport have been mixed.

There is huge anticipation regarding the final execution of this ground-breaking scheme. The effectiveness of the same can only be interpreted for now.

 

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!

 

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

 

Aditi Gutgutia

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

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DUB Speak

To the Indians Who Love Their Bharat Maa, Let’s Focus on Mother Earth?

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Indian political discourse manages to stay off climate change. Read on to find out the reasons and implications of this ignorance. 

In India, there is a water crisis in several states. Case in point: Chennai. We are a leading country in population, and have leading cities in pollution- to the effect that being a non-smoker in Delhi is no longer possible, as we all breathe in toxic fumes. Ghaziapur garbage dump is as tall as Qutub Minar, among other dumps in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai. One-third of Himalayan ice caps will not survive this effect of climate change; the melting of glaciers has doubled in the last two decades. It will only increase in some time. There is close to no rain in Delhi, but the regular floods in Mumbai, Assam, and Bihar are not unheard of. 

Despite the deteriorating situations, climate change and environmental policies were still not a priority during the elections. Jobs, corruption, and security have always remained popular ideas in the country’s political discourse. This sadly reflects on what the voter-base wants to hear, and shows that we still have a long way to go. Among various reasons for this ignorance, poverty and illiteracy become major factors. For a starving family of unemployed seven or eight people, living in a makeshift tent under a flyover, a square meal will be more important. But who will be affected immediately, and to the worst effect in this situation of climate change? The majority of our population includes people with no homes, who barely make their ends meet, and they will all face the brunt of this (ignorance) the most.

The image of mother, or Maa in Hindi, is highly glorified. The mother, who is called the backbone of the family—in line with the pedestalised notions of motherhood—is only talked about when there is a need to evoke a sense of nationalism or to emphasise the proverbial self-sacrificing nature of women. But between the loud traffic and noises blaring on news channels, all the screaming voices in our country hardly say anything for our ‘Mother’ Earth. 

The crux of the matter is that India needs more environmental policies and laws to be enacted and strictly enforced. Class twelfth Political Science books talk about how after the British drained our resources, it took several years for us to realise the problem, and only much later were we able to rectify them—we are heading down this path again. It is not the time to convince people if climate change is real, because it is. 

The Ministry of Environment and Forests needs to be seen as the highest profile allotted in any cabinet. Simply because currently, environmental issues are not the focus point; our existing policies do not suffice and many of our policies allow industrialists to cut down trees in bulk, and we are ill-equipped to manage any natural disasters. 

Recently, the Garbage Café in Chhattisgarh has acknowledged an important concern. It will open next month, and take certain kilograms of garbage to provide food to people. This café will open in Ambikapur, India’s second cleanest city. A similar story was heard about a school in Assam, which provides schooling to children in exchange of plastic waste. Another revolutionary idea was the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals having been made from 80,000 tonnes of recycled electronics and mobiles. 

Theories on the world ending in 2012 gained a lot of traction, but scientists telling us how to protect this Earth—an act for which we pointedly have time till 2030—is yet to make as big of an impact as a movie. These ideas that have been proposed are unique solutions to fighting multiple problems together. But they are yet to gain the social mileage that they deserve. The Indian political discourse needs to change and reflect today’s problems to fight the real enemy. 

Feature Image Credits: MIT Technology Review

Shivani Dadhwal

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Arts & Culture

Six Off-Beat Things to do in Delhi

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Set aside the clichés and the same old hangouts, here are a few unique things to do in our city that will actually expose you to its heart.

Delhi’s must-visits are punctuated by its forts, monuments and marketplaces. There’s not even a sliver of a doubt that India Gate and Qutub Minar are the city’s historical marvels and you need to go enjoy them. But if you really want to know the city or if you’ve seen the tried-and-true and are looking for something new; here are six off-beat things to do in Delhi:

 

  1. Naughara Gali’s Painted Havelis
Naughara Gali, Kinari Bazar Image Credits: Hiveminer
Naughara Gali, Kinari Bazar
Image Credits: Hiveminer

Far from the Chandni Chowk crowd, chaos and chatter, you’ll find a peaceful lane located just off of Kinari Bazaar. With its nine painted Jain havelis or mansions built in the 18th century and intricately carved white marble Jain temple, Naughara’s little hamlet is a tranquil oasis. The interiors are decorated with murals and paintings in vivid colors. Visit this lane to step into a bygone era but do keep in mind that leather and photography are not permitted inside.

  1. Qawwalis at Nizamuddin Dargah
Nizamuddin Dargah on a Thursday Evening Image Credits: The Better India
Nizamuddin Dargah on a Thursday Evening
Image Credits: The Better India

The resting place of one of the most famous Sufi saints, Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya, the Dargah is located in the Nizamuddin West neighbourhood of New Delhi. Thursday evenings are characterised by serenading qawwali renditions by families who have been performing there for centuries, such as the Nizami brothers. Spend an evening with welcoming strangers and gifted artists.

 

  1. Visit Champa Gali
Champa Gali, Saket Image Credits: DforDelhi
Champa Gali, Saket Image Credits: DforDelhi

This up and coming local favorite is gradually gaining momentum and has garnered significant popularity among the youth of Delhi, not only for its distinctive food joints and cafes but also for its labyrinthine, Parisian bylanes. Champa Gali exudes a welcoming, old-world charm and is a hotspot of bohemian themed cafeterias, coffee shops, art galleries, and a few stores that offer organic produce and tid-bits. The old ruins of the Saidulajaib neighbourhood, housed next to the Saket locality of South Delhi have been revamped and are now can be found decked with fairy lights, eccentric decor, and taverna-like spaces that are sure to offer a great evening hang-out with friends.

 

  1. Street Art at Lodhi Art District
Lodhi Art District Image Credits: LBB
Lodhi Art District
Image Credits: LBB

One of the prominent residential districts of Lutyens Delhi has been revived to house India’s first public open-air art gallery. Facilitated by St+Art, the alleys of Lodhi Colony are decorated with more than 20 murals, art exhibits, and wall paintings that have been painted by both Indian and International artists. Located between the Meherchand and Khanna Markets of the neighbourhood, the street art at Lodhi is a must-visit on a breezy evening, when you can enjoy a stroll past the creative marvel of these walls and snap a few Instagram-worthy shots. Visit the markets nearby for a bite of delectable street food and do remember to try out the fresh fruit juice from one of many vendors in the vicinity.

 

  1. Phool Mandi, Ghazipur at the break of dawn
Ghazipur Phool Mandi Image Credits: Holidayiq
Ghazipur Phool Mandi Image Credits: Holidayiq

Delhi’s famous Phool Mandi or the wholesale flower market offers more than 600 kinds of flowers for sale each morning. Recently shifted from Baba Kharak SIngh Marg to Ghazipur at the Zorawar Singh Marg in the Tis Hazari area, the flower market is a must-visit; whether you are an avid haggler, budding photographer, or simply fond of flowers. The exquisite buds on offer at the market from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. include tulips from Holland and orchids from Sikkim, and are made available to the retailers and early-shoppers at one-fifth the sale price. The catch is you will have to get to this market as early as possible if you want to escape the mad rush and want to be able to choose your blooms undisturbed. Visit the market for a unique retail experience like never before.

 

  1. Daryaganj Book Market
Daryaganj Sunday Book Market Image Credits: Delhipedia
Daryaganj Sunday Book Market
Image Credits: Delhipedia

Ask any book-lover of Delhi, and they’ll tell you about the two kilometer stretch of Daryaganj market which turns into a book paradise every Sunday. Both sides of the road are lined with stalls upon stalls selling all kinds of books – which can be purchased both ‘by piece’ and ‘by kilo’. Located a short auto-ride away from the Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj hosts hordes of book-shoppers on the weekends so make sure to reach by nine in the morning to be able to get what you are looking for.

So, get out there and make the most of your time here, at the place we like to call a myriad of emotions -Delhi!

Feature Image Credits:LBB

 

Bhavya Pandey

[email protected]

 

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