Worldroom MICE Tourism Guide: India 2008


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	Delhi a city that rightly wrested the title of the nation's political capital eons ago, is slowly establishing its hegemony as India's culture capital too. The city is a confluence of the traditional and the modern. Perched on the western tip of the Gangetic Plain, it has seen the rise and fall of empires and its entwined destiny with them has seen the city meander alike. It absorbed into its soul every imprint left by every plundering invader and the former coloniser. As Lutyens' Delhi possesses its own grandeur, Lodhi Gardens serve as a testament to the contribution the Sultans made to the city's landscape. Delhi is a city of contrasts. While old Delhi whirls in a time warp, the new developments are a reminder of time travel at the other end of the spectrum - the future. Has the city moved from its dynastic past? Not quite. Inhabited first in the 2nd Century BC, various dynastic rules lorded over the city. The last to perhaps have taken power over the city was the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, who was exiled after the mutinous rebellion of 1857. Navigating through these boundaries of this labyrinth show that this is a city where business and pleasure both matter. It's a cultural hub that attracts singers from across the border and hosts film festivals of consequence. Interestingly, it is Mughal architecture that holds forth in this diverse city. It has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites - The Red Fort Complex, The Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb. Delhi is also home to sprawling museums of art and natural history, Jantar Mantar (an observatory built in the 17th century), Purana Qila (the old fort), several places of worship like the Birla Mandir, the Akshardham Temple and the Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India, capable of holding 25,000 devotees). Infact, a stroll through the city is impossible without stumbling over on what might be a remnant of an old tomb - a relic from a forgotten past. It is this past that reflects in the present. The Sound and Light show at the Red Fort separates these two time zones. The Lahore Gate, a crowd puller each year at the Independence Day, hides behind its walls the history of the Mughal Emperors. Today, scattered kites and the bustle of the city perhaps believe in its existence as a modern edifice that hides in its fold an ancient history. The Humayun's tomb with its sprawling gardens and waterways is perhaps the first most significant piece of Mughal architecture. Using the backdrop of this tomb, many a cultural programmes have been made alive, much to the chagrin of heritage watchers. But there is another part of the city that is equally loved and venerated the Delhi which is a careful labour of love by architect Edwin Lutyens. This was a Delhi conceived in sprawling magnificence, with foresight and planning. The architect laid out the central administrative area of the city. At its epicenter is the Viceroy's House or the Rashtrapati Bhawan, scaling the peak of Raisina hill, connected to Rajpath, the King's Way. The Secretariats, housed the government ministries, designed by Herbert Baker, who incidentally also designed the Parliament House. The future of these colonial remnants is perhaps destined to go the way of the colonizers, as dereliction is leading engineers to suggest tearing them down and making way for the new. Whether it manifests into reality is yet to be seen. The city's past has a deep influence on the food, culture and style of the present. Colourful bazaars in imperial Delhi, the parathe wali gali in Chandni Chowk and the momos at Lajpat Nagar are as much a part of the lives of delhiites as the modern malls and multiplexes. Street fare is as exciting as high-end food is scrumptious. What is the Delhi of today? After independence and till the 60s, successive government built infrastructure to boost business in the city. The facelift this city has received has smoothened its wrinkles. Over the past few years, flyovers have soared up as fast as high-rises, making travel smoother in the city. Thanks to the Delhi Metro Rail Project, travel is no longer a veritable nightmare. Its boundaries are expanding outwards to grow rapidly horizontally, rather than vertically. Be it traditional eateries peppered with modern pubs in the area formerly known as Connaught Place, or racy bars and family outposts in Gurgaon, Delhi caters to all. Entertainment is wholesome. The city is lush green with parks. Families can head to Appu Ghar, right in the heart of the city or any of the parks on the outskirts for a day out, or pack a box and join the multitude of picnickers who line the India Gate lawns. While the uber wealthy can trot off to Santushti to shop, Dilli Haat is where classes and masses meet to buy authentic handicrafts straight from artisans who gather here from all over the country. The Garden of Five Senses spread over 25 acres is another area for relaxation of the senses, awash with fragrance, water bodies and a riot of colours. Perhaps, the singular most definitive transition of Delhi has been the rapid development of the NCR, the development of Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad as industrial and residential hubs. Industries have shifted here, boosting the region's economies. Every month a new skyscraper sprouts to touch the clouds. Clubs and community centres have brought back the joy of living, broad roads and wide green spaces offer another option to mall rats that are spoilt for choice. Delhi has grown beyond its literal connotation and its physical boundaries. Delhi is the heart of the country, a heart that swells when the Republic Day Parade goes by on the roads stretching between India Gate and the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It promises its visitors a lot more that it takes - a heart of gold in an iron fist of power.