The Mughals, the Auto Expo and food!

Nikhilb2008 · 7th February 2010, 03:06

I’m sitting and this foreign couple take a seat next to me. We just nod and exchange smiles. Soon though, an Indian couple come and request the foreign couple to pose with them. This is something I’ve heard of but I haven’t actually seen it with my own eyes. The guy stands with the two phirangs and his wife takes a pic and thanks them and asks them which country they are from. They say Germany and the couple thank the Germans and walk away.

I can’t help overhearing that they are from Germany, so I start talking to them. I tell them about my German visit about a year and a half ago and they are very interested to know where all I had been. I had stayed in places like Sindelfingen and Fussen and they are impressed as these are not the usual touristy destinations. They get really friendly and are telling me about their visit to India. The girl is working in Bombay but her boyfriend is visiting only to meet her and explore the country. They have already explored most of the tourist destinations of Bombay.

Soon, they felt comfortable enough to ask some questions about India and Indians. “Why do you (i.e me) call the city Bombay and most people call it Mumbai?” “Why is it that the roads are so bad and always jammed?” They continued to ask many more questions. Unfortunately for them, they were treated to some of my strong opinions as well! By this time, it was close to 7:00pm and they decided to go to their hotel and then come back for the sound and light show.

Soon, it was 7:30 pm and I entered the Red Fort. It has a lovely charm when it’s completely dark. It’s kinda eerie as well. There are very few people as well. By this time, it’s getting ridiculously cold. The metal benches on which we are supposed to sit are covered with dew. I sit and in addition to the uncomfortable wet sensation on my backside, it’s also cold! Double trouble!

Soon, the sound and light show, called the Son et lumière starts. It starts with how this entire area was a jungle and was selected by Shah Jahan as the site of his new capital city, Shahjahanabad. It is actually more of a sound show. The light part is nothing special. They just light up the Diwan-i-Khas in different colours from time to time. It is interesting though. They explain how Nadir Shah and his army conquered Delhi and stayed for about 5 months and plundered the treasury. There was an incident when there were rumours that Nadir Shah had been assassinated. Indians attacked the Persians and in retaliation, Nadir Shah gave the order to his conquering troops to massacre every Delhiwallah they could find. On March 22nd, 20,000-30,000 Indians were killed. In a SINGLE day. Finally, the Mughal ruler of the time, Mohammad Shah had to beg for mercy. As a punishment, Nadir Shah forced the ruler to hand over the keys to his treasury. In May of 1739, the Persians finally left Delhi with thousands of elephants and camels carrying the booty from India. The loot from his Indian conquest had made him so rich that Nadir shah stopped taxation in Persia for 3 years. Among the treasures were the Peacock Throne, the Koh-i-noor Diamond, the Darya-ye-Noor diamond and lots of precious gems.

The show also consists of original recordings of Gandhiji’s voice, Nehru’s voice and Subhash Chandra Bose’s voice. The show ends with the independence of India.

The show finally ends around 8:30 pm. It is absolutely freezing! And I am starving. Time for food! However, Karims is a little far and I am worried that by the time I get back, the Metro might close. The last train is sometime around 10:25pm. It is already 9:00 pm by the time I get out of the Red Fort.

I decide to walk towards the Chandni Chowk metro station and see what I can do for dinner. I come across this small place frying hot bhaturas. I decide to have channa Bhatura for dinner as I haven’t had them yet on this trip. I order a plate of Channa Bhatura and they serve it in about 10 minutes. Hot soft chaturas with hot channa. The temperature outside is in the single digits, yet my mouth is burning because of my impatience! Yummy! Perfect weather to be munching on authentic Old Delhi fare!

I soon gobble it up and am still hungry. I order a couple of gulab jamoons. He gives two hot ones. They are absolutely delicious! I can’t stop myself and ask for two more! I settle the bill and move out. How much do you think this cost me? 75/-. That’s all!

I continue walking and come across another shop selling hot and fresh jalebis. I ask for a plate of them and he serves them with rabri. Absolutely YUMMY! Even though most of these food shops are open, I can see that the rest of Chandni Chowk is getting ready to sleep. Once I’m done with the jalebis, I walk to Ghantewala and have a badam halwa. Oh man, these are just so good!

Eventually, with no more distraction for food, I reach the Metro station and catch my train to Rajiv Chowk and from there on to Karol Bagh station.

My dad has had a long day as well and both of us are looking forward to just crashing. I haven’t yet decided what I’ll be doing tomorrow. Initially, I was planning to visit Old Delhi again, but my dad is persuading me to visit the Auto Expo. He says that it will be better on Thursday than on Friday. Let me wake up in the morning and take a call on that! For now, it’s time to visit dreamland. Where calories don’t matter and I can eat as many badam halwas and mutton burras as I want!

tortoiseNhare · 7th February 2010, 06:56

Great travelogue Nikhil. You make me nostalgic! The walled city was my home twenty odd years ago when I studied in Zakir Husain College. The college and our hostel were at their original place at Ajmeri Gate then. Chandni Chowk, Nai Sarak, Jama Masjid etc. were within walking distance if one knew the right galis to enter. Karim's had been a favourite haunt when the wallet permitted. The roadside kebab and biryani joints on the street leading to Karim's, serving a complete meal at just ten rupees, were the regular fare.

Delta Wing · 10th February 2010, 09:56

A very nicely written thread. The food combo with the cars is just so mouth watering. And the things about historical places somehow make it so much more than an ordinary travelogue or auto expo report. Armies-stomach-autos, somehow so well related. Five stars.

samabhi · 11th February 2010, 14:15

Great write up Nikhil..I was actually expecting the pics of Mutton Burra and Chicken Jehangiri and atleast the picture of the Karims....

s3va · 11th February 2010, 14:17

Techno-Travelogue. ! Good one man..nicely compiled

Abhay · 11th February 2010, 14:50

Very nice travelogue Nikhil (or should I say a trip back into time with food and cars making it even more interesting). Would like to re-visit Delhi someday soon (to enjoy the culinary delights and show these places to my wife who has never been up north!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Soon though, an Indian couple come and request the foreign couple to pose with them. This is something I’ve heard of but I haven’t actually seen it with my own eyes.

I have seen this quite a few times now and it is really baffling. Recently at the Ellora(Verul) caves same thing happened and I almost laughed out loud when the firang couple refused!

ikoneer · 11th February 2010, 16:14

Good Narration Nikhil. A good piece of history with brilliant photos has done the job excellently. There was no deviation from the topic and detailed very nicely.

All through the post i was wondering,why everyone's especially asking you about the food and got the answer finally.

All this so-called famous hotels/eateries very rarely match the expectation over period and withers slowly. Glad that you enjoyed at Kareems' to your heart and stomach's content.

WanderNomad · 15th February 2010, 22:12

I am loving it Nikhil. In fact we Delhiites have never explored it so well.

I just vaguely remember visiting Red Fort once in my childhood.

Amazingly well covered and narrated.

//M · 15th February 2010, 22:21

Exactly true WanderNomad. I've spent many years in Delhi and remember those walks to Paranthe-wali-Gali and Chandni Chowk. But never ever realized that the place is so beautiful as captured in the lens. Great work Nikhil and nice write-up.

kinmist · 5th March 2010, 17:54

Fantastic narration Nikhil !

Very well written. It felt as if we made the journey along with you..

Jaguar · 8th March 2010, 14:55

Awesome writeup Nikhil! Although I have lived in Delhi, had never explored the old Delhi area. Maybe I should do a trip just for that. Waiting for the next episode.

ampere · 8th March 2010, 16:28

Nikhil, Nice one. In true Paul Theroux style ! Any inspirations?

Nikhilb2008 · 8th March 2010, 21:11

You guys are too kind

Ampere --- Paul Theroux? Now that's pushing it! No inspirations as such.

ampere · 9th March 2010, 06:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

You guys are too kind

Ampere --- Paul Theroux? Now that's pushing it! No inspirations as such.

I lap up all the travelogues!

7th February 2010, 03:06	#76
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	I’m sitting and this foreign couple take a seat next to me. We just nod and exchange smiles. Soon though, an Indian couple come and request the foreign couple to pose with them. This is something I’ve heard of but I haven’t actually seen it with my own eyes. The guy stands with the two phirangs and his wife takes a pic and thanks them and asks them which country they are from. They say Germany and the couple thank the Germans and walk away. I can’t help overhearing that they are from Germany, so I start talking to them. I tell them about my German visit about a year and a half ago and they are very interested to know where all I had been. I had stayed in places like Sindelfingen and Fussen and they are impressed as these are not the usual touristy destinations. They get really friendly and are telling me about their visit to India. The girl is working in Bombay but her boyfriend is visiting only to meet her and explore the country. They have already explored most of the tourist destinations of Bombay. Soon, they felt comfortable enough to ask some questions about India and Indians. “Why do you (i.e me) call the city Bombay and most people call it Mumbai?” “Why is it that the roads are so bad and always jammed?” They continued to ask many more questions. Unfortunately for them, they were treated to some of my strong opinions as well! By this time, it was close to 7:00pm and they decided to go to their hotel and then come back for the sound and light show. Soon, it was 7:30 pm and I entered the Red Fort. It has a lovely charm when it’s completely dark. It’s kinda eerie as well. There are very few people as well. By this time, it’s getting ridiculously cold. The metal benches on which we are supposed to sit are covered with dew. I sit and in addition to the uncomfortable wet sensation on my backside, it’s also cold! Double trouble! Soon, the sound and light show, called the Son et lumière starts. It starts with how this entire area was a jungle and was selected by Shah Jahan as the site of his new capital city, Shahjahanabad. It is actually more of a sound show. The light part is nothing special. They just light up the Diwan-i-Khas in different colours from time to time. It is interesting though. They explain how Nadir Shah and his army conquered Delhi and stayed for about 5 months and plundered the treasury. There was an incident when there were rumours that Nadir Shah had been assassinated. Indians attacked the Persians and in retaliation, Nadir Shah gave the order to his conquering troops to massacre every Delhiwallah they could find. On March 22nd, 20,000-30,000 Indians were killed. In a SINGLE day. Finally, the Mughal ruler of the time, Mohammad Shah had to beg for mercy. As a punishment, Nadir Shah forced the ruler to hand over the keys to his treasury. In May of 1739, the Persians finally left Delhi with thousands of elephants and camels carrying the booty from India. The loot from his Indian conquest had made him so rich that Nadir shah stopped taxation in Persia for 3 years. Among the treasures were the Peacock Throne, the Koh-i-noor Diamond, the Darya-ye-Noor diamond and lots of precious gems. The show also consists of original recordings of Gandhiji’s voice, Nehru’s voice and Subhash Chandra Bose’s voice. The show ends with the independence of India. The show finally ends around 8:30 pm. It is absolutely freezing! And I am starving. Time for food! However, Karims is a little far and I am worried that by the time I get back, the Metro might close. The last train is sometime around 10:25pm. It is already 9:00 pm by the time I get out of the Red Fort. I decide to walk towards the Chandni Chowk metro station and see what I can do for dinner. I come across this small place frying hot bhaturas. I decide to have channa Bhatura for dinner as I haven’t had them yet on this trip. I order a plate of Channa Bhatura and they serve it in about 10 minutes. Hot soft chaturas with hot channa. The temperature outside is in the single digits, yet my mouth is burning because of my impatience! Yummy! Perfect weather to be munching on authentic Old Delhi fare! I soon gobble it up and am still hungry. I order a couple of gulab jamoons. He gives two hot ones. They are absolutely delicious! I can’t stop myself and ask for two more! I settle the bill and move out. How much do you think this cost me? 75/-. That’s all! I continue walking and come across another shop selling hot and fresh jalebis. I ask for a plate of them and he serves them with rabri. Absolutely YUMMY! Even though most of these food shops are open, I can see that the rest of Chandni Chowk is getting ready to sleep. Once I’m done with the jalebis, I walk to Ghantewala and have a badam halwa. Oh man, these are just so good! Eventually, with no more distraction for food, I reach the Metro station and catch my train to Rajiv Chowk and from there on to Karol Bagh station. My dad has had a long day as well and both of us are looking forward to just crashing. I haven’t yet decided what I’ll be doing tomorrow. Initially, I was planning to visit Old Delhi again, but my dad is persuading me to visit the Auto Expo. He says that it will be better on Thursday than on Friday. Let me wake up in the morning and take a call on that! For now, it’s time to visit dreamland. Where calories don’t matter and I can eat as many badam halwas and mutton burras as I want!
	() Thanks

7th February 2010, 06:56	#77
tortoiseNhare BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Guwahati Posts: 536 Thanked: 90 Times	Great travelogue Nikhil. You make me nostalgic! The walled city was my home twenty odd years ago when I studied in Zakir Husain College. The college and our hostel were at their original place at Ajmeri Gate then. Chandni Chowk, Nai Sarak, Jama Masjid etc. were within walking distance if one knew the right galis to enter. Karim's had been a favourite haunt when the wallet permitted. The roadside kebab and biryani joints on the street leading to Karim's, serving a complete meal at just ten rupees, were the regular fare. Last edited by tortoiseNhare : 7th February 2010 at 06:59.
	() Thanks

10th February 2010, 09:56	#78
Delta Wing BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 228 Thanked: 115 Times	A very nicely written thread. The food combo with the cars is just so mouth watering. And the things about historical places somehow make it so much more than an ordinary travelogue or auto expo report. Armies-stomach-autos, somehow so well related. Five stars.
	() Thanks

11th February 2010, 14:15	#79
samabhi BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 402 Thanked: 352 Times	Great write up Nikhil..I was actually expecting the pics of Mutton Burra and Chicken Jehangiri and atleast the picture of the Karims....
	() Thanks

11th February 2010, 14:17	#80
s3va BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dubai Posts: 646 Thanked: 5 Times View My Garage	Techno-Travelogue. ! Good one man..nicely compiled
	() Thanks

11th February 2010, 16:14	#82
ikoneer BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 486 Thanked: 14 Times	Good Narration Nikhil. A good piece of history with brilliant photos has done the job excellently. There was no deviation from the topic and detailed very nicely. All through the post i was wondering,why everyone's especially asking you about the food and got the answer finally. All this so-called famous hotels/eateries very rarely match the expectation over period and withers slowly. Glad that you enjoyed at Kareems' to your heart and stomach's content.
	() Thanks

15th February 2010, 22:12	#83
WanderNomad BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Delhi Posts: 271 Thanked: 11 Times	I am loving it Nikhil. In fact we Delhiites have never explored it so well. I just vaguely remember visiting Red Fort once in my childhood. Amazingly well covered and narrated.
	() Thanks

15th February 2010, 22:21	#84
//M Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 6,201 Thanked: 22,920 Times	Exactly true WanderNomad. I've spent many years in Delhi and remember those walks to Paranthe-wali-Gali and Chandni Chowk. But never ever realized that the place is so beautiful as captured in the lens. Great work Nikhil and nice write-up.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 17:54	#85
kinmist Newbie Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: delhi Posts: 14 Thanked: 0 Times	Fantastic narration Nikhil ! Very well written. It felt as if we made the journey along with you..
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 14:55	#86
Jaguar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,208 Thanked: 2,541 Times	Awesome writeup Nikhil! Although I have lived in Delhi, had never explored the old Delhi area. Maybe I should do a trip just for that. Waiting for the next episode.
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 16:28	#87
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,947 Thanked: 12,934 Times View My Garage	Nikhil, Nice one. In true Paul Theroux style ! Any inspirations?
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 21:11	#88
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,138 Times	You guys are too kind Ampere --- Paul Theroux? Now that's pushing it! No inspirations as such.
	() Thanks