"Lutyens Delhi" rockss!!

I had mentioned this in one of my earlier posts as well that weekends can get really boring at times on campus ... with all the NCR junta heading for home ... hostel wears a deserted look and there is sudden silence after all the cacophony throughout the week.

But last weekend was a different one for me. A Mumbaikar friend and I headed for Delhi with one of our Delhiite friends. We had pursuaded him to arrange tickets for the Republic Day which he eventually did on the very last day. 25th Night we headed for Delhi ...and suprise surprise .... we were expecting a longish journey due to barricading for security reasons, it being the R-day eve. But to our relief initially and shock later (we thought that Delhi Police had forgotten that next day was R-day :) ) there was not a single place where our vehicle was stopped ..... and we reached the heart of Delhi in flat 25 minutes ... a journey which otherwise takes 2 hours and now with the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway problems even 3-4 hours at times.

Got up early morning and we headed for Raj Path ......on the way we realised that the entire area was like a fortress ..... there was security all along the way in every nook and corner .... I have no qualms at saying that I hadn't felt as safe in public as I felt that day ;)

Newyz ... the Parade was an awesome experience despite of the chilly weather .... watching the Jawans parade in total sync and all the weaponry and floats etc was a great experience.... sort of one of something I had dreamt during childhood .. when I used to get up in the morning even though it was a "No School" day to watch the parade and get overawed by the grandeur of it all.

But the best experience came in the later part of the day that is evening when we strolled around on RajPath for couple of hours waiting for the sun to set. One the sun set ... the sights that unfolded cannot be described in words ... the lit up India Gate, North Block, South Block, Parliament and the biggest of em all the Rashtrapati Bhavan ......... loooked simply stunning ... all lit up. We went right till the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and just sat there for an hour soaking in the grandeur of the various buildings on easily the most important road in India "The RajPath". Lutyens and Herbert Baker the architects have sure done a stunning job.

.... we also visited the Lodhi Gardens that day ... and the next day went to Connaught Place the most happening of places in Delhi ...... it was early on Sunday so the Central Park was quite empty ..... I also had my first taste of the much acclaimed Delhi Metro from beneath the Central Park to get back to MDI!!

Heres a compilation of pics :




by the end of the weekend ..... the grandeur of the structures ... the history associated ...... the sense of space which is terribly lacking in most parts of Bombay .... the mix of 16th Century Bada Gumbad of Lodhi Gardens and the 21st Century Delhi Metro .... bowled me over.

"Lutyens Delhi" rocks for sure!! :)