DD 1.3!

yahan wahan saara jahan dekh lia h 

kahin bhi tere jaise koi nai h

Dilli 6! Chandni Chowk. Pranthe Wali Gali. Red Fort.
It is everyday that we visit malls and showrooms..but how often do we think of getting a sneak-peek into our rich heritage..an impromptu trip to old delhi..accidental entry into paranthe wali gali and a bad choice of parantha fillings! as we roamed around the market aimless pushing through hawkers and rickshaw walas..no matter how much was the feeling of desh prem, our noses were twitched! :P and then avoiding all the hustle-bustle we were pushed into a gali..and guess what! it was the all too well known pranthe wali gali! As we waited in a queue outside 'the god knows how many generations old' shop..couldn't stop but stare at the menu..and the feeling of chalo kuch alag khaate hain overcame our taste buds! And with this thought we ordered what i believe was the weirdest in the menu..rabri and banana prantha! sweet fillings inside salted flour crust and to top it all fried! that was surely enough to keep us away from food for the rest of the day! :D aftr we were done with our lunch adventure..we decided it was time for some 'official' sight-seeing!
There it was standing tall right infront of us..The Red Fort! and the weather suddenly became more complying as is visible in the pic..as we entered the fort the first thing we encountered were shops! and believe me the sight like that of dilli haat wasn't what i was looking forward to..but as we moved into the interiors of the fort, the view we witnessed was magnificent! more of regal! Diwan-e-aam..its subdued yet beautiful architecture in sandstone was for the King to address the common man..and if he considered u to be special he could also address u from his peacock throne :P..Diwan-e-khaas..about which the sufi poet Amir Khusro famously wrote 'if there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here!'
All was plundered from the throne to kohinoor..but what they could not take away was its significance! 

DD 1.2

The Baha'i House of Worship or the Lotus Temple as it is popularly called sits regally, symbolizing common foundation of all religions. The common characteristic of Baha'i Houses of Worship is that they are all nine-sided. Nine is the highest digit which symbolizes comprehensiveness, oneness and unity. Thus this 27 petaled lotus flower is surrounded by 9 pools beneath it. Not to bore u with more details. This has always been one of the must visit places in my list and even a scorching Sunday afternoon wasn't enough to deter me from paying it a visit. As we danced (literally! thanks to the burning floor and long queue) our way to the temple premises, we were taken to the sanctum of the temple. As is known bahaism does not support idol worship so we were lead into a colossal hall with church like benches. Some hymns and prayers were being sang out as we sat down to experience the power of silence and magic of meditation..strict instructions were given regarding the prohibition of talking to one another or clicking pictures.

well i did both of that! :P called up home sitting there..took a few snapshots..and when the silence finally doomed upon us we decided it was time to leave ;)
But the charm and grace of the temple created as much havoc in my mind as a gulab-jamun does to my taste buds :D

Dilli Darshan 1.1 ;)

i know this series shud have started a lot earlier! :P..thanks for the reminder ..CV ban gya?? ;) Good Friday! fridays are usual with my massi calling me up and saying aa rahi h na! it takes as much effort as fighting a world war to win over her..bcoz everytime i lack logic and reason not to visit her..so as u myt have guessed delhi is almost a second home for me..i literally know more about it than even a localite! yet its expanse never gets me tired..and every weekend i look forward to exploring new places..having a south indian in my team made it easier..usko dilli dekhna h aur mujhe ghumna! last friday had a khaas trip to Hauz Khaas village and Iindia Gate, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, during sunset ..left both of us equally awestruck :D ..Today was equally interesting..had to go to office..:P  but that certainly didn't keep me from roaming..since it was an off day for many so i too bunked half a day and took a metro without knowing my destination! called up a frnd and asked her what could be done in half a day..Chandni Chowk was what she suggested..Red fort has been one of the places i have always wanted to visit but somehow couldn't..meanwhile sitting in the metro i also pinged my roommate..knew she had to go somewhere for work..so as it turned out she was in the metro on her way back! half a day would not have done justice to the magnificent red fort so i thot i myt as well keep it for another day..so i called up my frnd and told her about the change of plans..updated my roommate on my intentions ;) and asked her to wait for me at a metro station..so that we could get together and go to Saket..yeah i know malls! but it just added another place to my "been there" list. Exhausted, but totally made the most out of the day and out of my wallet too ;) thanks for the amazing time i had in ur company today Deepika ;) yes ppl u can be jealous! :P