That perfect ‘Delhi-returned’ Rajbir Deswal A trip from my village Anta to ‘Dilli’ was no less than a picnic in my childhood. The Grand Trunk Road, passing through the historical city of Panipat, had a famous hotel, The West, on it. The hotel was situated right next to the bus stop. Usually, it was Punjab Roadways buses that plied on these roads, besides those of a private transport company called ITHAD. These buses would invariably stop at Murthal and Biswan Meel for refreshments. In Delhi, having crossed Azad Pur, Kingsway Camp and Model Town, the journey culminated at Kashmiri Gate. I always craned my neck out to see the huge posters at Alpana Cinema. All the places that I am going to describe here do exist even now, but those days, they were ahead of their times. The ‘development’ into ‘New’ Delhi happened much later. It began at Azad Pur. Red-coloured Delhi Transport Undertaking buses and three-wheelers began giving us a feel of having landed in ‘Purani Dilli’. Now, the first thing to be done after disembarking at Kashmere Gate was to watch a movie in Ritz cinema. From here, one could reach Lal Qila on foot. A Ras Malai treat at Moti Cinema in Chandni Chowk coupled with the Paranthe Wali Gali’s famed recipes, sent the mouth watering even before one made it to those places. The historical Gurdwara and Kotwali, besides Fateh Puri, were other must-visit places. One could hire a three-wheeler to travel through Dariya Ganj, which had a divider on which hung potted flower plants. On the other side, Yamuna flowed by. Beyond it was Shahdra. Its huge iron bridge always fascinated me. Unforking at Delhi Gate and Khooni Darwaza, one would see Ajmeri Gate on one side. Here Minto Bridge opened into Connaught Place and left behind New Delhi Railway Station, Shiela Cinema and Pahar Ganj. Regal Cinema was my favourite in the city. The Pragati Maidan hadn’t come up by then. And hold your breath! You could then go right upto the foot of India Gate when travelling. The silhouette of the Rashtrapati Bhawan attracted, and when the buses winding up through Vijay Chowk made it to Safdarjung airport on the left and Palam on the right, you had done a tour of entire Lutyens’ Delhi. There were Kalka Ji and Green Park and villages like Chiag Dilli, Munirka and Hauz Khas. One had to go almost out of Delhi to reach Mehrauli, then just a village, to see the Qutub Minar. In the early Seventies, we went to watch The Exorcist in Priya Cinema, which was almost in a rock jungle. Majnu Ka Tila, Purana Qila, Dhaula Kuan, Birla Mandir, Jantar-Mantar and Chidiya Ghar were other major landmarks. If you had seen them in the Sixties, you were a perfect ‘Delhi-Returned’. Sadly, paan stains blot every other place in Delhi today. Being to the city leaves you jet-lagged. It’s certainly no picnic
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 12:02:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015