blogsJam : Delhi Life

This is a huge mall. It can take many hours to navigate all the different sections, and there is a fair chance of becoming lost (or rather, trying to find a shop that you have found earlier). And if you have made an arrangement to meet somebody over there, then it can get difficult; because it .. read full article »

The Unitech Metro Walk Mall in Rohini has a total area of 200,000 sq. ft. It has shops for clothing and accessories, footwear, many different eateries, and best of all, a full fledged amusement park called Adventure Island that has 30-40 rides (many of which are well liked by visitors). In .. read full article »

There are a large number of people who believe in a homeopathic cure for problems such as muscular pain / back pain, for acne, for hair problems, and numerous others. Also with Dr. Batra's, Balson's is another famous homeopathic chain that is patronized by a number of people. So, some of the .. read full article »

Since we're on the subject of temple chariots, this is me at the Crafts Museum in Delhi. This chariot is really beautiful. It stands in an open courtyard, exposed to the sun and the rain. The wood has a weather-beaten look that I find very attractive. . The Crafts Museum (the official name is .. read full article »

During my attempt at learning how to swim, I have to keep in mind the following things:1. I have to keep my body absolutely loose2. I have to keep my eyes open under water3. I have to paddle with my legs continuously4. I have to breathe out into the water5. I have to rotate my hands without .. read full article »

Late in the evening, I satWith a few close mates,Silent, just staring atThe view beyond so great,Of splashing waves belowAnd a dark blue night,And yonder I sawThe city lit up so bright,I sang out loud happilyPopping nuts and puffed rice,Staring at the turbulent seaPerched on Marine .. read full article »

This is the concluding part of Delhi Journal 2007 and is divided into two parts. It was penned down long ago, but due to extremely busy schedule (or laziness?) of the author, was lying around unedited. Since I realized that it is time to post my recent experiences in summer 2008, I could not .. read full article »

Nirulas is a pretty famous restaurant for delivery of food in Delhi. On any given day, when people want to order food, they would ring the number for Nirulas and order food from their. For this purpose, I am giving both the menu and the contact numbers for the various Nirulas outlets:Delivery .. read full article »

Last Friday, some American guests of mine went on a Delhi Magic tour - the Bazaar walk through Old Delhi. They emailed me these photos from their walk. The Rath Yatra of Jagannath is a major festival in July (Rath = Chariot, Yatra = Pilgrimage). Tall, gaily decorated chariots carry the Lord .. read full article »

Spotted at Lal Kuan, a once-beautiful house named Zeenat Mahal.The brick-work is gone, the beautiful latticed balconies are lifeless.The carved arched entrance is hidden by a grey tarpaulin and a red board.Old Delhi is a mess, we all know it. But I am still saddened every time I see it crumbling .. read full article »

Post courtesy Akshaya(link)China Garden, located in the M-block market of Greater Kailash-II, is a branch of the famous China Garden chain of restaurants across the country. The chain is founded by Nelson Wang, a famous chef and the guy who could be quite literally termed as the one who has a .. read full article »

Ah so Skeety is back with another experience to share with friends....Oops she means quite a few of them....only that all will take some time to post. Before we move forward, this is to tell you that Skeets is taking a break from Delhi, and is in London visiting Nearly Headless Nick. So we shall .. read full article »

Compressed Natural Gas is seen as a cheap alternative to petrol in Delhi nowadays. It is also a green fuel in the sense that the gas burns much more cleanly than either petrol or diesel. However, for most people in Delhi, the usage is more due to the cheap nature of the fuel rather than any .. read full article »

I was checking my email when I saw this advertisement for a matrimonial services website:Is it just me, or does anyone else see the irony of an arranged marriage advertisement that promises love?Perhaps there is a blinding moment of romantic love somewhere during the lengthy process of arranging .. read full article »

In this deeply religious country, it is hard to publicly question the existence of God. Try declaring to an uncle or an aunt, that you do not believe in God. Worse still, ask them *why* they believe in a blue-skinned being flying around on a giant eagle saving the world. The initial response is .. read full article »

Near Gate 3 of Jama Masjid, I saw this little iron pestle. It was part of doctor's toolkit, used to powder roots and herbs (much more interesting than writing out boring prescriptions!). .It reminded me of a similar, but larger iron mortar and pestle in my grandmother's kitchen. Every year, .. read full article »

Imagine a place where there is a kilometer long lane of cars parked on both sides of the road, where there is a large number of Delhi's families coming there with just family members, or with extended family to spend a fun filled evening. There is ice-cream, cold drinks, and many kinds of small .. read full article »

For some time now, I have been eying the V3 East Center Mall in Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi. East Delhi does not have many good restaurants (in fact, very few), and it has always been a quest to figure out where one can go to when one wants to go out. Many times, we have ended up ordering food .. read full article »

It's a hot Delhi season, and one is wondering as to what to eat in the daytime. Sometimes one feels that eating the regular roti-sabji can be a bit too much, and one would like to have a break. A break does not always mean going off to the local pizza joint or the local heavy food stuff; instead .. read full article »

The Kaaya Clinics are a range of clinics that have come to prominence pretty recently. They do a range of treatments including skin care (acne, shining back skin, unwanted hair removal, making skin glow, etc), anti-ageing signs (facial skin rejuvenation, revitalization of tired eye), hair .. read full article »

....revelations are certainly made of these.It has been a couple of days since Skeety last went there. Gives her a high of sorts, and rejuvenates her. She is talking yet again about her beloved OLD area of Delhi. Bazaar Sitaram. Kuch Pati Ram. The name spells nostalgia and the place casts magic. .. read full article »

Moti Mahal Deluxe runs a chain of restaurants in Delhi and NCR, with some of these located inside Malls. For example, there is a Moti Mahal Deluxe located in the Pacific Mall, Crossriver Mall and V3S Mall, all located in East Delhi (Pacific Mall is located in Kaushambhi, just next to East .. read full article »

Everyone knows about the Masai of Africa, but have you heard of the Lion People of Gujarat? My daughter went to Sasan Gir Lion Sanctuary, and brought back this great portrait of a Maldhari herdsman.The Maldharis are buffalo-herders, who live in little mud nesses inside the Gir forest. Like the .. read full article »

For non-vegetarians, getting access to their regular supply of meat makes for a satisfying meal. This can either be in the form of getting cooked stuff (which implies either eating out at a food joint, or getting it delivered at home), or getting raw meat at home and then cooking it. It is the .. read full article »

Ghantewala (link) is one of the oldest and most famous eateries and sweets shop in Delhi. It went into business in 1790. There's an interesting story behind how it got its name, Ghanta actually means a big clanging bell in Hindi Legend goes that whenever the royal procession moved down this .. read full article »

I wonder how many people know that there is actually a wildlife sanctuary inside Delhi; people know about the large parks, about the Ridge, but an actual sanctuary ?It is the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 6,800 acres near Tughlakabad fort in south Delhi. Occupying an area of 6874 .. read full article »

On a hot summer day, nothing is as tempting as an iced lemonade flavoured with mint.The wet cloth on the rim sends out cool waves, dragging your eyes like a magnet.You watch the lemonade seller as he stirs the juice.You imagine its sweet-salty-sour taste.You feel the ice on your tongue and the .. read full article »

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)I remember Sona Sweets from my days while working near Nehru Place. Nehru Place has lots of wonderful small eating places - Sona Sweets is surely one of the best there. It is a small eatery joint which offers nearly everything in India fast food - from Chhole Bhature .. read full article »

After a bad experience at the String restaurant, we could have taken even a so-so experience at another restaurant, and we really did not want to travel too much, so we all went to just one level below (to the first floor) of the Shoprix Mall in Noida, went to the Eden restaurant. The lady at .. read full article »

We had completed a long delayed project, and the team was in a mood to party. It was decided that there would be bowling and then dinner; the Great India Place Mall next to sector 18 in Noida was ruled out since we had been there a few time before - it was decided that it was better to go to the .. read full article »

So - to continue from where the last post left off - I'm just back from a short summer break, to the blissfully cool slopes of the lower Himalayas.Naldhera - Abode of God - is 2500 metres above sea level, and an hour's drive from Simla. To get to Naldhera, we took a 10:00 a.m. flight to .. read full article »

We're hurtling down the Shivalik mountains in an Innova. Ranjit Singh, our driver, is a madman on a mission - to get us to Chandigarh by 2 pm for our flight back home. Shimla was surprising and interesting in many ways...we stayed at Chalets Naldhera, away from all the bustle of Shimla. More .. read full article »

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)To get over the Nirula's experience, we headed to Great India Place again to celebrate. This time we did advance booking for Pind Baluchi but once again we were not supposed to eat there. Just as we reached there, we found out that it was filled with women kitty .. read full article »

Kuki suddenly came into the celebrity news when it got reported that Karishma's husband had taken Kareena and Saif Ali Khan to the pub, and when a photographer tried to take their photos, his camera had all the photos deleted. But leaving aside this juicy tidbit, Kuki has gathered some name as a .. read full article »

A lot of Indians enjoy Chinese food; however, it is also a fact that most of the Chinese food that we eat is actually food cooked with an Indian flavour - after all, a true Chinese chef would not actually enjoy addition of things such as Indian spices, paneer (cottage cheese); in fact, the feel .. read full article »

Among the most interesting trends in recent times is the marriage of religion and technology. We've cleverly mixed the two and come up with a sort of instant Hindu bliss..Take this advert for cell phone ringtones in the Hindustan Times this morning. "Devotional Special", it says, in a font that .. read full article »

When the occasion is that of a wedding or an engagement or a house warming or a similar ceremony that involves the making of a large number of invitation cards (in the hundreds or thousands), then the need is to find a place that can do reliably and in the most economical way. One of the best .. read full article »

It was time for a treat, and we were all looking forward to a good lunch. So off we headed (all 12 of us) to the largest mall in Noida - The Great India Mall in Noida. It has a good top floor full of eating options. You get a Food court (food is so-so), a once good vegetarian restaurant (Yatra - .. read full article »

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)Swagath Restaurant is a famous chain of restaurants in NCR which specializes in Indian Mughlai food and Coastal food. It is surely the best restaurant in the coastal food category in Delhi and NCR. The main restaurant is at Defence Colony with branches at Malviya .. read full article »

When my sis and I were growing up, the kitchen clearly seemed to be the arch-enemy of self-respecting women.Around me, there appeared to be only two types of women: nondescript mousy housewives who did nothing but cook, and gloriously glamorous ones who went to that exciting place called .. read full article »

Well, after writing so much about Delhi food, I decided that it would be erally unfair if I, as a true Bong from Kolkata leave out our own foodie post. But this list has not been compiled by me, since I read it at www.palscape.wordpress.com, a blog by a Probashi Bong, in love with his food. Even .. read full article »

Unlike the lazy bum Reeta Skeeter is now, she was found to be quite active as a child. *Sigh*You know, the kinds who would go for a swim for four hours at a stretch... The kinds who'd absolutely loathe the afternoon siesta...In the afternoons she would be out playing tennis against the wall or .. read full article »

Sherwani's are being seen as the style statement when a male is about to get married; ethnic Indian wear, and very elegant, especially when the design on the You have a bride-groom who wants to look his best and stand out among the crowd (especially since nowadays in a marriage, everybody is .. read full article »

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)Lemon Twist, at Sector 63 Noida, is a new restaurant from people behind Lotus Pond, Delhi and Bamboo Shoots, Noida. The restaurant is a variation from their older tradition Chinese cuisine restaurants - here the focus is more on fusion cuisine. The restaurant is .. read full article »

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)Sampan is the Chinese cuisine restaurant at Crowne Plaza Surya. The best thing about Sampan is its location. It is situated on the top floor and offers a panoramic view of the city specially a marvelous view of the DND road with its curves and elevation properly .. read full article »

The Southwest Monsoon will be upon us next month. Delhi is baking-hot right now (88 °F / 31 °C), but the blessed rains will bring cheer to everyone, especially farmers and traders. The Southwest monsoon represents more than 80% of India's annual rainfall. Indian agriculture is still largely .. read full article »

Jade (earlier known as Jade Garden) is the oriental cuisine restaurant at The Claridges in New Delhi. The setting is good - on the ground floor of the hotel along a grove of bamboos. The atmosphere in professional and the staff is courteous.For the food part, it offers Chinese and Far Eastern .. read full article »

In the quest for saree shopping, we have gone to a number of different places, such as Nalli in South Extension, the many saree shops in Cross River Mall in East Delhi, Satya Paul, etc. However, in the end, when you have to buy a number of sarees for the bride (except for the wedding saree) and .. read full article »

Apsara Sarees is a shop right off the Chandni Chowk main road. As you head off into the Paranthe Wali Gaali and cross the first saree shop of Gauri Shanker, you get into the first turn, and there it is, Apsara Sarees. If you are looking for some of the heavy sarees for the bride and for some of .. read full article »

Post courtesy Akshaya (link)This is road-side eating at its best - the evening food stalls at the Brahmputra Complex, Sector 29, Noida is just fabulous. The food at these around 15 stalls offers great variety while being not heavy on your pocket. You have to eat standing up or in your car but .. read full article »