Showing posts with label #Delhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Delhi. Show all posts

Saturday 25 July 2015

Riding On The Rajdhani

I decided to break the pattern. I decided to travel by train on a rather long journey. So instead of flying from Delhi to Bangalore, I decided to take the Rajdhani Express, a series of fast trains that connect the capital of the country, Delhi, to various other major cities in the country. Some acquaintances were rather surprised that I decided to make this journey. It was, after all, going to be a 36 hour journey. Besides, why would one undertake such a long journey on an Indian train when a flight would cost you about the same and the entire journey would take you one third of the time taken by a train! Well I undertook that journey anyway and all I can say to the non-believers is that I am very glad that I did.

I must confess that it was with great trepidation that I got on to the train at the Hazrat Nizamuddin station that night. I had done a little research over the internet and all I seemed to read were dire warnings about how dirty and smelly the train was. And how nobody seemed to be very happy with their journey.  After reading all that I must say that my journey was a rather pleasant surprise.

A major advantage of doing this journey by train are the series of beautiful landscapes you get to see and absorb as you move from one state to another and then another.

A View Through The Train Window While On The Move

We went through four tunnels while moving through the hills of Madhya Pradesh. They reminded me so much of travelling to Mumbai with our mother when we were little kids, and she made a game out of switching off all lights and letting the compartment become completely dark! For some reason it always thrilled us so much to go through those tunnels as kids! To my complete surprise, it still thrilled me to bits!

 We went to sleep in Maharashtra to the sight of black soil covered in lush green and moved on to Karnataka which presented a stunning view of bright red soil once again surrounded by and covered with lush greenery. Please note that all the pictures have been taken through a slightly cloudy window of a very fast moving train. I apologize for the rather poor quality of these pictures.

Karnataka's Red Soil
It was a pleasure simply to sit and watch the landscape rush by and change and transform right in front of your eyes. After all, no one can deny that India is a beautiful country. No single trip to the country is enough to see all it has to offer whether it is history that you are looking for or if you just have the desire to lose yourself in the lap of nature.

Another View Rushing By My window
Greenery And Black Soil In Maharashtra

Usually, on long distance trains, the staff on a train is completely changed at some point during the journey. Not on the Rajdhani though. This simple system allows you to recognize the staff that is serving you. In return, the staff recognizes you and some ways into the journey starts recognizing your preferences in terms of food, beverages and timings. Which is a big help as you don't have to keep repeating what you want and aids in a more seamless service. 

I would be greatly remiss if I did not give a special mention to the ticket collector. I travel a lot on trains in India. And every journey reads basically the same way. You get onto the train. After a few minutes the TT (ticket collector) comes by to check your ticket. He will probably be in the process of being harassed by various individuals who want to know if there are any extra berths available on the train or if they can change their berth with a better one. So they hurriedly tick you off in their list, maybe ask you for an ID and then without a second glance or thought move on to the next passenger. But not the TT on the Rajdhani. He had a look at my ticket and surprised the breath out of me when before leaving he said "Thank you very much Miss"!!!!!! I have NEVER EVER met a more polite TT even in my travels abroad! 

Anyway, moving on, considering I was travelling on a train which is notorious for sub-standard and poor tasting food, I was rather impressed with the meals I was served through out my journey. Ofcourse, you have to keep in mind you are eating food on the train and can hardly expect fivce star quality food on it! We were served 3 different types of soup during the journey (tomato, mixed vegetable and Rassam since we were travelling to the South). Since I had opted for non-vegetarian meals, I was served one chicken dish, one serving of dal (lentils), 1 serving of rice and a few chapatis. We were served food all day as they don't allow vendors to board at various stations as is the custom on the regular trains. They serve morning tea, followed by breakfast, followed by lunch, followed by tea, followed by refreshments and finally dinner. 

Overall, the staff on the train was very good. They came to clean our compartments at regular intervals. They asked us if we had any garbage to throw away after every meal. They came to spray the entire coach with a room freshener after every 12 hours or so.

I am now looking forward to the return journey... Yes you guessed it - by train! I know for a fact, that if I have the time the only way I am travelling long distance is by train. 

Friday 6 March 2015

A Walk Through Lodhi Gardens

My mother loves all things Historical and Archaeological and though we live in Delhi, we have seen hardly any of the historical sites of the city. So this time for my Mum's 60th birthday, as a treat we decided to take her to the Lodhi Gardens where we would get a chance to see some beautiful architectural structures, enjoy a lovely walk in the beautiful garden (a rarity in itself in a city like Delhi believe you me!!!) followed by a lunch in Lodi - The Garden Restaurant of increasing popularity and gorgeous food! And it turned out to be a day to remember for all of us!

I will admit that though the monuments in the garden complex were pretty fascinating, I paid more attention to the garden, the birds and the walk around the place, and I loved every minute of it!

Lodhi garden is a walker's delight in a big concrete city. It gives one the feeling of being out there in the "fresh" air (well as fresh as it can be given its location!) and a feeling of being one with nature. It takes you away from the daily hustle and bustle of life and for a few precious hours makes you forget the city that will inevitably surround you once you step out of the garden.

A Small Section Leading Up To Muhammad Shah's Tomb
We chose a Sunday to visit the place, but if you like solitude and can take the time out from work, visit the Lodhi Gardens on a non-holiday weekday. That way you will be able to take in the natural beauty and not worry about the throngs of people, all looking to escape the city! Of course, the one thing you cannot avoid are the couples locked in passionate embraces in all the nook and crannies the garden provides, trying to get those few precious moments away from people they hope to avoid and keeping out of sight as well as they can! But then again, that is just a part of living in a big Indian city.

The Lodhi garden claim to house a large number of birds. I managed to see only 3 or 4 varieties of birds including the parrot, eagles, geese and a couple of other birds commonly seen in the area. I suppose you will have to make the effort to visit the garden early in the mornings to have a better chance of seeing more varieties of birds. I plan to visit the Garden again as soon as I can manage to wake up early enough. I will definitely do a follow up post on whether I managed to catch sight of any of the birds advertised in the garden.


The Parrot (If You Can Spot it!!!!)




The Sun Peeping Out From The Canopy Of Trees
It was a real pleasure to visit the enclosure that housed the ducks and the geese. Artificial though it seemed, it felt good to get an opportunity in a city to observe the behavior of these birds up close. Caution to parents planning to visit with their little children - please don't leave your toddlers to run amok in the geese cage! Both have a tendency to scare each other silly, thereby creating chaos and confusion and frankly destroying the blissful peace otherwise enveloping the casual observer of nature!






Definitely worth a visit is Sikander Lodhi's Tomb, if for nothing else than the delightful garden they have maintained inside the tomb complex. They do have some of the most beautiful and exuberant flowers in the complex. I would have liked to show you more pictures of the flowers but they also feature people who might not appreciate a mention on my blog!!!! 







I do not want to sound as if I am not giving the monuments their due credit. They are rather interesting and definitely worth a visit. Here are pictures of a few of them. Again, please note that I had a very cursory look at the monuments as it it was one of those days when I was more in the mood for a walk than for History. 


Carvings Inside A Mosque

Some carving Outside The Mosque Near The Bada Gumbad

The Bada Gumbad

Muhammad Shah's Tomb

What was interesting about visiting Lodhi garden in a Sunday was the view of Humanity one got while walking down one of the several walking paths made in the garden. It was nice to see families coming out to spend time together in the outdoors rather than sitting at home watching television or stuck to their mobile phone. It was heartening to hear people laugh out loud and have fun. It was a joy to watch children running around and watching adults act like children while playing cricket with them. We were also treated to a group who decided to sing the afternoon away which surprisingly coincided with a couple of people who brought their guitars along. All of it created a wonderful atmosphere of which I was lucky to be a part on in these busy times. 


Strumming The Guitar On A Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Lodhi gardens also boast of a small bonsai section that is rather interesting for those who like these kind of things! 

The ,lunch at the  Lodi - The garden Restaurant was scrumptious to say the least! The offer European, Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisines - all very well prepared be it beef or sea-food or vegetarian. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I would love to go there  again, the food was just too good! To add to all the AWESOME food is the ambiance. They have outdoor seating. But if you want to stay indoors, they even have an area that has glass walls so that you can enjoy the sights of natural beauty in the Garden while sitting inside. A truly beautiful place! 

All in all, the day was a great success and we all went home feeling rather pleased with life. I leave you with a few more random pictures of the Lodhi gardens....