The morning is
just perfect – it is foggy, it is raining, it is cold; the chilly breeze
smoothens the jagged lining of your inner being. This is your lucky day. A
rainy morning on a weekend in January – yes perfect!
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| Now that's a beautiful sight |
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| Vijay Chowk and the Majestic Panorama |
You need to be
in the perfect place for the perfect morning. As if on Artificial Intelligence,
the car takes off for the Barapullah Flyway without any coaxing. It is still
dark and the rain comes down in gentle sweeps. The wiper on the windshield dances happily unmindful of the chill. You drive in the halo like lights of Lodhi Road, go around
the always delightful Lodhi Gardens, under the tall Arjun trees of Janpath; fruitbats' favourite hangout (they are still quiet at this hour), drive through
Maulana Azad Road, past Udyog and Vayu Bhawans and onto your favourite place in
Delhi.
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| Raisina Hill - The slope angle that caused so much grief to Edward Lutyens |
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| Looking Down From Raisina Hill Towards India Gate |
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| The Dome of Rashtrapati Bhawan becomes visible after cresting the hill |
Just like
valleys, mountains, beaches, dunes, sometimes even the urbanscapes provide you
with that feeling of awe and serenity – places where the mind goes silent and
into that meditative state. Vijay Chowk in New Delhi does that to you every
time. The panoramic setting of the Raisina Hill with the two secretariats on
either side of the sloping road and the dome of Rashtrapati Bhawan rising in
the horizon is undoubtedly the most awe inspiring urban sight in the country.
To you this is homecoming. These red sandstone buildings are your childhood
backyard. Only the times have changed with lot more security personnel. But the
unmistakable rush of bliss remains unchanged.
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| Dahlias - Nature's Zoloft |
Today is even
more pleasing. Dahlias wet with dew and rain bloom in all their motley glory.
Dahlias always remind you of the approaching spring. God made Dahlias to put
that smiley face on those droopy shoulders. Dahlias are the happiest flowers in
the flower kingdom. Dahlias are nature’s Zoloft with zero side effects. Now
only if God made Dahlias for summers and rains.
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| The Norwegian Flag welcoming the Scandinavian Guest |
Today, the Dahlias have company. Flags flutter overhead. Giving company to the Tricolour are Norwegian flags. The Prime Minister from the happy country is visiting. This is double dose of Zoloft. Make it triple dose. You are ODing on this place, the dahlias and the happy flag. Holding the umbrella you are smiling too. This definitely beats sleeping late.
There are more
people here now. Nobody has come prepared for the rain like you. People wearing
woollens are walking in the rain. A
presumably pre-wedding shoot is taking place. The couple are striking poses.
They have dared to climb the traffic police post. Whistles ring out. The cops hate
seeing their only property encroached upon. The couple moves to the grass patches.
Wait a minute; you can swear the girl was wearing a saree few minutes ago. She
is in a skirt now. Who says the shoots are a walk on Rajpath. All these poses and costume changes are hard work
and serious business.
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| The Hogs hogging the Limelight All he wanted Was to be free And that's the way It turned out to be |
Vijay Chowk is like
a giant theatre. Take a seat, sit back and watch. Characters appear, enact
their acts and go. New scenes and new characters appear. One constant is the
traffic moving at the cross-section. This time even the traffic looks different. A band of
Harleys have rolled in. The deep rumble of the hogs reverberates through the
hill. Hells Angels are making a pit-stop on their make-believe Route 66. The
bikers put up a show for the onlookers. The Hells Angels roll out
averting a showdown with the Bandidos.
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| The President's Bodyguard Trotting Down Raisina Hill |
A new act is happening. The rain has actually intensified now. A bunch of President Body Guards are taking shelter in the traffic police kiosk. They are looking towards the hill. You have a feeling something totally cool is going to happen. Barricades are being rolled back as the PBG personnel start clearing Vijay Chowk and holding the traffic. On the horizon you can see the silhouettes of columns of horses. These are the horses belonging to the President’s Body Guard. You have literally grown up with these horses when they would twice make daily rounds of the polo grounds from Rashtrapati Bhawan on Willingdon Crescent.
And the rain
keeps coming. This is beautiful; this is what Delhi winters should be like.
Just when you thought Delhi is turning into one season city, Delhi surprises
you again.
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great shots Nirdesh. lovely morning indeed!
ReplyDeleteHi Siddeshwar,
DeleteAlways nice to hear from you! Its about time you paid visit to Delhi.
Cheers