Sights & Sounds of India- and beyond: May 2015

I have been remiss in not writing a blog on a memorable evening spent in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk during Ramzan in an earlier year. So when I visited again this month, I combined the experience of the two trips in this blog.

The place is a microcosm of India in action- combining everything ranging from urban chaos, period architecture, history, coexistence of contradiction, food, brotherhood and the spirit of entrepreneurship- all in a few square kilometer of densely packed space.

I explored two routes to reach- once I traveled by electric rickshaw from Kashmiri Gate near the railway station and another time I took the metro rail up to Chandni Chowk station. While traveling in the e-rickshaw through congested alleys is an experience by itself, the metro is clearly a more efficient option. The metro exit leads to a wide alley that ends at an impressive Navagraha Shiva Temple. The architecture, the graceful sculpture of seven horses in a pose of drawing a chariot and the large brass bells made it worthy of admiration.

The half-kilometer walk from there to Red Fort took me past a large Gurdwara, a quiet Church and a Jain Temple as well.

The street is lined with all kinds of shops. One shop which sells “Shudh Desi Ghee ka Jalebi” deserves mention. It stands out because of the signage and tempting display of the delicious product. I tried it both times- this time I realized it somehow adds extra weight- two jalebis cannot weigh 250 gms and cost Rs. 35 each in a street side stall, no matter how much “shuddh desi ghee” goes in to making it. Nice rip off. Traffic in Chandni Chowk consists of everything except train and moves in Brownian Motion- anything can swerve in any direction unpredictably. One way of experiencing India for foreigners could be an attempt to cross over from the Chandni Chowk street side to the Red Fort side. There are traffic lights, but things just keep coming from all directions. At some point, you feel philosophical enough to just walk out without looking, and then magically the traffic takes care of you till you reach the other side of the road.

The red sandstone Red Fort built by Shan Jahan in 1648 is magnificent. This time I managed to see the light and sound show which I missed on an earlier occasion as it was Monday. The walk through the towering arcades and past the durbar area which housed the Peacock Throne (which was stolen by Nadir Shah along with Koh-i-Noor diamond in 1939) was interesting but the show was a major disappointment. The lighting was unimaginative and repetitive, sound quality poor, city light posts shone in the background, and scaffolding on the structures destroyed the ambience as the story was narrated and lights projected on them. The show was tired, jaded and needs urgent overhauling, much like its cousin at the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. The examples to follow are the ones at Amber Fort in Jaipur and Golconda Fort in Hyderabad.

It was Ramzan time when I visited last time. I decided to walk up to Jama Masjid. It was a longish walk but I always enjoy strolling through such vibrant localities. On my way, I met with a person who was distributing free savories to anyone who asked for it (he told me he is following his father’s tradition), saw refreshing cold drink being sold and chatted with the Muslim fruit vendors who were getting ready for the day’s fast to end.

I reached the gate No. 3 of Jama Masjid just when the evening namaz was to be offered. This grand structure was built by Shan Jahan in 1656. I walked up the stairs and found myself in the middle of an ocean of faithful who had assembled in the spacious courtyard of the mosque waiting for the namaz. Many came in large groups and had food ready which they would eat once the day-long fast is broken. I sat beside the pool where people were washing their hands and faces as part of their preparations for the prayer. Most of the men had their prayer caps on. I was clearly the odd one out among the teeming millions, but I was neither prevented from being there nor attracted any kind of unsavory attention. In fact, as soon as the prayer ended three boys sitting beside me offered fruits and sweets to me. The gesture was extremely touching. I am a journalistic seeker of the power of faith, and I was fortunate to be part of this gathering of the faithful. It moved me to the same extent as the auspicious day gatherings of Hindus at Haridwar, Varanasi and Allahabad.

A big highlight of both my trips to Chandni Chowk was food. The Urdu Bazar and Matia Mahal Bazar areas near Jama Masjid Gate No 1 are dens of deliciousness. Rows of shops are selling bakery products, sehmai, dates, kebabs, biriyani, qorma, kulfi, firni, shahi tukra and such other delicacies. Evidently the legacy of the Mughal period lingered beyond the architecture and continues to charm the Indian palate. The epicenter of the gastronomic explosion in this area is Karims Restaurant. Established in 1913, the restaurant has carried the authentic Mughlai cuisine legacy faithfully. I heard much about the place and ate here on both occasions. The bara kebab, qorma and nihari are just few among many dishes to die for. The workers are busy as bee, and the ambience has no frills- just good food. I missed the mutton nihari on the first occasion- it is made early in the morning and is sold out by early evening. This time too, the last plate got exhausted just when I placed my order. However they were nice enough to bring a bowl of gravy of the dish, which was delicious. The blend of ingredients and the magic of slow boil cooking brought out a rich smoothness which is rarely found.