It was one of those morning when you feel unloved, and not cared for. When you wake up feeling this way – all gloomy – you can either cuddle in your blanket and go back to sleep or decide to make your day totally awesome-sauce. I chose the latter.
I took a nice relaxing shower, put on my best kohl, packed my favorite Chana-pulses rice my dad cooked for me and took the metro straight to New Delhi. It is the capital city of India, in case you were unaware. I met my girl friend at the platform and gave her a big hug. We missed each other a lot, despite the fact that we just took a 5 day trip to Jaipur city only a few days ago.
We grabbed a Tuk-tuk (Indian Auto-rickshaw), bargained for just ten bucks on the fare and landed at the splendid Lodhi Gardens. It is in the heart of Delhi or “Dilli” as we call it. It has a special place in Indian history and belongs to the Lodhi dynasty, an Afgan dynasty that ruled India, from 1451 to 1526. The gardens were renovated from time-to-time by the Mughals, Britishers and many others. Its recent renovation, however, has made it a popular picnic spot for Delhiites.
We both sat one the grass, grabbed a cup of hot ginger-tea from a vendor, and sipped away, relishing the lip-smacking rice. After our binge eating session, we then laid down on the grass to talk, soak in the winter sun and look around at the faces that illuminated the garden premises on that warm Saturday morning.
You can spot all kinds of people here – street-drama performers practicing their routine, a big Punjabi family relishing in their sandwiches (and sometimes drinks), and dogs running around.
Look further and you can spot love-buds spending quality time together, uncles reading newspapers, and old grandma gangs taking strolls in their wheelchairs and cursing in Punjabi every time crazy kids run past them. There will be a guy playing guitar and singing in the corner. Sometimes, a crowd will cheer him on.
Nearby, there is an artist sitting in the grass, painting his masterpiece of the Sheesh Gumbad. Then, if you look on the other side, you can spot photography lovers capturing the beauty of the gardens, a girl reading her favorite book, and many foreigners strolling around. They are no less Delhiite, speaking Hindi fluently, sometimes even Punjabi.
Delhi sure is a melting pot of India – a spicy, tangy, greasy pot of butter chicken.
We spent four hours there just enjoying the sun and admiring the diversity and beauty the gardens possess. Days like these brighten up my heart. No matter how far I travel, exploring Delhi gives me the kick that nothing in this world can compare. Naturally, we had to end the day with the delicious food this city also has to offer.
I’ll tell you more about it next time.
