A Delhi Day

                                   

“What you had never been to Karim’s ?” was the surprised reaction when I sheepishly admitted that I hadn’t been to THE famous Karim’s. Neither to the one in Old Delhi nor in Nizamuddin. Not even once in those 3 years I spent in Delhi and after that in all those countless visits. So it was decided that we would go and have lunch at Karim’s and then go to Kunzum Café. Of course Kunzum Café is yet to achieve the cult status of Karim’s but it is definitely one of the interesting places in Delhi which have recently come up.

Thus begun an interesting day in Delhi, a city I thought I knew pretty well.

Among all those numerous travel shows on TV or the travel guides highly recommend; a visit to Old Delhi is definitely high on the list. It is different from the swanky New Delhi which is full of Malls, Super Markets and Multiplexes. The crowd, the narrow lanes and the madness can actually drive one insane. But behind the Jumma Masjid, hidden amongst the lanes, old buildings and rickshaws is a place which over the years has achieved the status of an institution. A wrong turn and you will miss this. That’s where Karim’s is located. This is the restaurant which finds place in almost all the travel guides, shows, recommendations about India. But beware; reaching Karim’s, braving the maddening Old Delhi traffic and crowd can be quite intimidating.

The place is always packed to capacity. My friends who accompanied me used to be regulars 10 years back as students of Delhi University. After a decade, they swore that it was the same. The menu hasn’t changed that much. The prices also hadn’t changed drastically. Most importantly the taste; it was as delectable as 10 years ago. Of all the items on the menu, Burrah Kabab is definitely recommended. The juiciest, most delicious kabab I had till date. Though some dishes are rather too spicy and full of oil, it’s the naans and rotis which are too good to be missed.

The origin of this iconic restaurant dates back to the Mughal Era. The owners are the descendants of the Royal Chefs of the mughal monarchs. After the British dethroned the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, the royal chefs left Delhi. But the art of cooking royal mughlai food was passed on from generation to next generation without fail. Thus in 1913, one of the members of the royal chefs family; Mr. Haji Karimuddin started Karim Hotel behind Jumma Masjid in the small lane in Old Delhi with the motto “of  earning money and fame by serving the royal food to the common man”. After so many decades, numerous awards and recognitions Karim’s is a place where one should eat atleast once. Sorry vegetarians; this is hardly the place for you.

From Old Delhi we came back to South Delhi specifically to Hauz Khas village, a “designer village” in the midst of the hustle of New Delhi. This place is very interesting with many cafes, show rooms and boutiques around, besides the ruins of the Mughal era. Actually the ruins by a tank are of the madrassa founded by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq in the 14^th century. The tank turned into a lake still remains beautiful. There, hidden in a small corner, is Kunzum café. Kunzum travel café to be precise. The café is named after a high altitude pass in the Lahaul Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. And they themselves say “the inspiration behind the brand that is all about memorable travel experiences.”

Kunzum café is a place to hangout with likeminded friends, meet fellow travelers or just laze around using the FREE wifi and occasionally sipping a cup of coffee or tea. The damage for all those..” Pay what you want”! Yes, Kunzum is not any ordinary café. It is the brainchild of Ajay Jain, a photographer and a travel writer. Kunzum was started in 2007 as a travel blog by Mr. Jain and in 2010 the café came up. The place is small but cozy. The walls adorn some fantastic images captured by Mr. Jain during his numerous journeys across the abroad. My personal favorite is the photograph of a female monk in some Himalayan Monastery. Even with her clean shaven head and the maroon attire of a monk, there is something in her eyes which speaks a thousand words. There are travel books all around. You can sit back and spend the whole day reading as many books as you want. too. In their own words : “This is what the Kunzum Travel Café is all about. A place for travellers to meet, exchange travel stories, make friends, even connect with future travel partners –while spending the day bumming around over coffee and free Wi-Fi. Also on offer are opportunities to attend interactive talks and workshops by travellers, photographers, writers and other relevant personalities. Or they can simply sit back and enjoy as musicians jam around.”

The best part: you are not obliged to buy anything. And when you have coffee, you may choose to pay what you like. Beat that.

There is a box near the door where one pay what he/she wants. There are many who DONOT want to pay anything. Still  Kunzum café welcomes all with the motto “ We Travel.So should you”

Delhi continues to hold a special place in my heart. Yes, even with that rather infamous tag of being unsafe for women. But I love the roadside chole – kulche, momos, paratha, the Delhi winter, India Gate, Ice cream in winter, Dilli Haat and now Kunzum and Karim. Oh Delhi you never cease to surprise me.

Hotel Marina in Daman..Old house of a Portuguese Lord.

“Stay in the House of a Portuguese Lord at a price you can afford “  -- the website of the hotel claims and it is no tall claim, mind it! Situated right in the heart of Nani Daman, this 150 year old bungalow which earlier belonged to a Portuguese Lord, has been renovated few years ago and opened for guests visiting by Daman. Hotel Marina has 10 rooms with all the modern amenities like TV, telephone, AC. The best thing about the hotel is the Old World charm it still exudes. During weekends and holidays, pre booking and confirmation is a must.

The sign on the wall of the house says “Reedificada 1861” meaning Rebuilt in 1861.So it even older than 1861!! This heritage house is now owned by a Parsi couple Mr. & Mrs. Tehmten Wadia who also live there.

The hotel has a small bar and a restaurant which serves Chinese and Indian food besides the Daman specialty seafood. The Goan prawn curry needs special mention. In Daman, liquor is much cheaper and the Bar menu of Marina is also no different. 

All other famous eating & drinking places are just a walk away from the hotel. So while enjoying all that this charming Portuguese town has to offer, one can easily come back to his/her private space in this quiet old bungalow. 

But there is one thign which I didnt like in the hotel. The Plastic chairs inside the restaurant didn’t go with the whole ambience of the hotel. Conveyed the same in the feedback form as well. Hopefully they will get rid of those!

Address :: Hotel Marina, Behind Police Station. Nani Daman.

As 2011 begins........

A new year has started..hoping for a new beginning or some life changing moments..Cant say. Not sure. But looking back at the year gone by, it did have some of those. Exactly on the last day of the 6th month, I shifted to this big bad city of Mumbai. Honestly this city never held any charm to me. Infact I felt intimidated by the city. Now after six months in this city, even though I have not grown too fond of it ; atleast the city doesnt scare me now.
Trying to welcome the new year with an open mind. Not with much expectations. Lets see.........Que Sera Sera.!

Taare Zameen Par

When an Aamir Khan movie is announced , the expectation already gets build up. It grows more and more with the tidbits published on magazines , papers and finally when the promos are on air, the expectation reaches the culmination. No doubts there were some HUGE disappointments ! ( Remember Mangal Pandey !!) But still an Aamir Khan movie still catches every filmbuff’s ( Hindi ofcourse) attention.

When Aamir announced Taare Zameen Par as the director and producer, surely the expectation was high. And surely he did not disappoint the viewers. A truly “ Hat ke” movie from a “ Hat ke” actor. Taare Zameen Par is the story of Ishaan Awasthi ( Darsheel Safary), a 8 year old child who loves kites, dogs, fishes and loves to paint. But he suffers from Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a problem related to learning. When one suffers from Dyslexia , he finds it difficult to read or to make out the alphabets , words and numbers. But it can be overcome. But under the sheer pressure of “ performing” , Ishaan becomes frustrated, so much so that he rebels. He is sent to the boarding school by his father. There he is crushed completely. Lonely and scared, he further gets into a cocoon. Ram Nikumbh ( Aamir Khan) , the new art teacher of the school could make out what’s exactly wrong with Ishaan and slowly tries to bring him out of his shell.

My heart really goes out to those small children carrying bags almost as heavy as him/herself to school. Not that I belong to some other era, but yes we definitely did not carry such loads to school. ( There , I again, start like a granny) But under constant pressure to “ perform” I wonder will these children ever enjoy their childhood. Of course my parents had breathe fresher air than me and my siblings in their childhood, but the air we breathe was also fresher than now. But the pressure to “ perform” was there always with us also. May be our parents had lesser pressure than us. I remember the great hue and cry when I was to appear in my 10th . Then when I was in 12th , atleast few people cared to ask. Graduation and PG, except for my family noone. Ofcourse after that , all those “ caring” aunts want to know my qualification so that I can “ settle down” . Now I only use the admit card of my 10th Board exam , as the official proof of my age!!

Taare Zameen Par is a good movie. I went to see the movie because I am an Aamir Khan fan , but I came out of the theatre as a Darsheel Safary fan also. What a brilliant performance! Infact every actor had done so well. A word of caution , it’s not a children movie , don’t get mislead by the cartoons on promos. It’s a movie about a child , maybe every child in someway, which every parent should watch.

I saw the sun rising over the Ganges

The Ganges – a river synonymous with India and Indians ! A river associated with so many stories , legends and myths. A river which a part of India’s conscience .

Heard from friends that the evening “ Arti” in Varanashi is a sight to behold and remember. No, I have never been to Varanashi. But this time on my way back from Bangalore , I had to spend one night in Kolkata. The place where I stayed , my friend’s place is right on the other side of the road by the river. When I finally reached her home it was already 8.30pm. She told me that I would get to see the river in the morning from the balcony.

Worrying about missing my flight back home, I got up early. I woke up and from the bed, through the mosquito net the whole sky getting ready to welcome the sun. I came to the balcony. There she was the Great Ganges – calm and quiet. The sun was like a bright orange against the grey sky.

It has been how long since I had actually seen the sun rise ? – I wondered . During weekdays from the moment I get up till the time I sleep, my mind is always occupied with many other things . Weekends – by the time I get up , the sun is already halfway through the West. After God only knows when , I saw the Sun coming out in the morning. It was awesome. I really am not sure when will I get to see this again!