The India Gate

This monument is a memorial built in commemoration of more than 80,000 Indian soldiers who were killed during World War I. The monument is an imposing 42 meters high arch and was designed by the famous architect Edwin Lutyens. India gate was earlier named All India War Memorial. The design of India gate is almost similar to its French counterpart war memorial, the Arc-de-Triomphe.

Names of over 70,000 Indian soldiers are inscribed on the walls of the monument in whose memory it is built.

The eternal flame, at the base, was lighted in commemoration of the unknown soldiers who laid their lives to serve this nation.

Apparently, this iconic monument is more captivating at night but because Mama is leaving tonight, we visited this in the day.

Humayun's Tomb - A Mughal architecture

It is a World Heritage Site (by UNESCO) since 1993. Built under the orders of Hamida Banu Begum, the wife of Mughal Emperor Humayun, in the mid 16th century; the globular dome, high arches, lattice stone windows, and geometric patterns of the tomb reflect the traditional Islamic style of architecture. It has been said to inspire the structural design of the glorious Taj Mahal.

Built of rubble masonry and red sandstone, and white marble, it took eight years and Rs 1.5 million to build Humayun's Tomb.

The highly geometrical and enclosed Paradise garden around the Maosoleum, paved by walkways and two central water channels, reflect the four rivers that flow in Jannat, the Islamic concept of paradise.

Apart from this, a number of other Mughal luminaries, such as Hamida Begum (Akbar's mother), Dara Shikoh (Shah Jahan's son) and Bahadur Shah II (last Mughal Emperor), were also buried herein.

That's the layout of the massive plot of land. And you can see the 36 squares that surround the structure, divided only by water channels.

I thought the cleverness of the arched door accurately encapsulating the main structure from afar was worth a shot. The square pools of water around the structure beautifully reflects the grandiosity of it all.

That's the grave itself. Honestly, it was quite a "huhhhh?" moment for me, given the majestic facade and the quite ordinary-looking grave. That's me and my mum overlooking the Paradise Garden.

Tuesday Market at Bogel

On Mondays, we have a Monday Market. And on Tuesdays, we have..... a Tuesday Market! It's located at Bogel, situated about 5 mins away from home if you go by a rickshaw (that will cost you only 15 Rupees).

Mama and I felt so bad because both of us make quite a load and this old man had to muster what's left of his energy to push the pedals. When there was a slope, he had to get down and push the whole cycle-carriage up slope. We swore never to take this again!

So many things are sold here. Things you probably never even thought of!Trinkets, more clothes, costume jewellery, toys, kitchen utensils, Chappati-maker (the thin flat bread-like thing that is made of wheat flour), books, dried noodles on a cart, bangles of a spectrum of colours, more street-side delicacies, and even Achar (preserved fruits in spicy sauce that all Indians can't live without)!

Top to bottom (L-R): The busy busy over-crowded market. A variety of Achar, differently spiced. A psychedelic array of bangles in all sorts of colours! Fried Samosas - dough-crust stuffed with spiced potato filling. Fried Maggie noodles sold on a cart - noodles here are not particularly popular. Fresh vegetables - Sabzi - colours that caught my eye.

It's killing me...slowly but surely

Inhaling the exhaust fumes from the traffic everday... that is what that's killing me. I mean you don't need to be a genius to know that you're dying an unnatural death if you're in carbon monoxide and dust and dirt everyday.

Bazaars - mama and I gone wild

India is also known as a shopping paradise with an abundance of markets, bazaars and the like. Things here are extremely cheap though most of the markets sell almost the same kinds of things - kurti tops (akin to a tunic, ending at mid-thigh), shoes, normal tops that we also find in Singapore (only CHEAPER!), more kurti tops, and random people coming up to you to sell you copy watches and sunglasses.

The atmostphere is crazy - filled with people shouting hard-to-beat deals, customers bargaining, some even arguing (at least, that's how it sounds to my mum and I), beggars putting out their palms one person to another, and the hunger-inducing smell of their road-side stalls selling savoury snacks. It's a whole combo right there!

First stop: Lajpat Nagar

Top to botom (L-R): The first two photos - Pakodas for sale topped with onions and green chilli sauce. Neembu Paani (fresh lime soda) under 38 degrees is god-sent! The bicycle trishaw - if you're heavy, pity the man cycling and don't take this please! Mama bargaining! Busy busy Lajpat Nagar! The last two photos: Frozen Kulfi - the best street-side dessert you can find on a hot day! So rich, so creamy and so divinely sinful!

Second stop: Janpath and Palika Bazaar (a Mall like Far-East Plaza)

Top to bottom (L-R): The first two photos are of Janpath - a very commercialised and touristy area and thus, things are more expensive and in India, you still find shoe-cleaning services like that. The next two are of Palika Bazaar, an underground mall which reminds me of Far-East Plaza with the bright neon lights selling jeans, tshirts, shoes and etc. I had to take a photo of "pArmanent body tattoo" haha.

That's Divya, a 10 year-old girl who trailed us for a good 10 minutes pleading us to buy the necklaces around her arm. She knew "me hunger", "me no business", "please buy Mdm" which shows she knows this is a tourist haunt and learned these basic phrases. In the end, next to a drinks cart, she pointed out to a Mango juice that she wanted and so i got that for her for 30 rupees. It was then that another boy came and said he wanted a drink too! I was probably another victim to her smart and cunning survival tactics! My mum and I ran!

Third stop: Sarojini Nagar

Top to bottom (L-R): The first 3 photos - this is a busy busy market as well. Some old school juicer right there - he had to bash the fruit with that wooden thing in his hand. But this Anar Juice is the best juice i've tasted in a long while - orange, pineapple and pomegranate - so refreshing if you don't look at how it's made! The streets are filled with these "walking stores" selling toys, socks, handkerchiefs, and etc.

This is how Paani Puri is made! The best street-side delicacy i've had. By far, my favourite! It's 20 rupees (SGD$0.55) for 6 pieces. The small balls are fried and crispy and a hole is made in it to fill it with the green sauce you see. To prevent this dining experience from getting messy, you gotta put the whole thing in your mouth! You'll have all the sweetness and spiciness exploding!You'll see a crowd around these stalls. All you gotta do is stand there, he'll give you a small plastic bowl, and you keep asking for one after another and when you've had enough, pay and walk away!

Mehndi Laga ke Rakhna

Directly translated: Leave the Mehndi on. This is a very popular Bollywood song about Mehndi, wedding, and everything else in between!

One of the larger aspects of the Indian culture - donning the Mehndi - is seen to be a big deal on many different occassions including Indian weddings. No wedding is complete without the decoration of the bride's hands and feet with intricate designs. Mehndi signifies the strength of love in a marriage. It is believed that the darker the Mehndi colour, the stronger the love and the bond between the bride and the groom.

But, one can also put it on even when there isn't a special ocassion! Which is what Faiza (the daughter of the family i'm living with) did for me. She designed my palms, free-hand, letting her creativity flow. You seriously need talent to draw it for someone else.

Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia

This is the shrine that's about 2 minutes away from where i live. How do i even begin to describe the atmosphere at the shrine. Just look at the number of people who throng this place everyday from dawn till about 10pm!

This is basically what goes on at the Dargah on a normal day. Throngs of people come to visit and pay their respects. Only men can enter the room where the grave is and you can see that people are standing in a line to enter the doors and make a round around the grave. This is also accompanied by, the music you hear called, Kawali. To put into perspective, they are our version of hymns.

**** If you look close enough, in the first 20 seconds or so of the second video, at the background on the right hand corner of the video, you will see a woman's silhouette, clinging onto the wall, flinging her hair vigorously. She was apparently possessed and was reacting to the prayers and the holiness of the shrine. Some people believe that by coming here, they can rid themselves of evil spirits.

That's basically how a small fraction of this HUGE shrine looks like.

Again, stalls selling these brightly coloured cloths, incense sticks and rose petals.

This is also a common sight at the shrines. Homeless poor people begging. That's a small child sleeping on a gunny sack on the cold hard floor, and her mother (in yellow) fanning on.

As you can see, these are the "owners" or the people in charge of the Dargah. And Salmi Chacha's name is there too!