Delhi This Winter: A Picture Book!

I spent the past week in Delhi. I walked, went in auto rickshaws, took buses and boarded the Metro at times. The days were cold, the sun was feeble and the sky generally overcast. The haze would not go away until almost noon. But I used my camera to my heart's content. Here are some glimpses from my outings.

It is a riot of colours with chrysanthemums--called guldaudi locally--blooming across the city!

Winter is the time to flaunt one's silks. Some lovely options in a store window.

Cycle rickshaw is still a popular mode of transport in Old Delhi. This street is chock-a-block with vehicles on a cold and dreary winter afternoon.

Kejriwal smiles at you from posters all over the city. At a bus stop in South Delhi.

Isa Khan's tomb inside the Humayun's Tomb complex. It is so neat that it reminds one of a tiered cake!

This ceiling with this intricate painting is in the tomb complex. Perfect symmetry and bright colours! And they built it about five centuries ago. Amazing!!

Winter is the time for school picnics. The complex was teeming with children from several schools. Supervised by their teachers, these girls wait outside Humayun's Tomb.

Coffee Home, Baba Kharak Singh Marg. This spacious eatery in the busy Connaught Place area is a favourite haunt of shoppers as well as office-goers. The outdoor area under the shade of this huge tree is an added attraction.

The dome of this lovely structure in the Hauz Khas Complex catches the rays of a hesitant sun on a somewhat hazy morning.

A doorway to the mysteries of history. At the Hauz Khas Complex.

The Hauz Khas Complex is frequented mostly by college students. The ancient ruins act as a backdrop for the cellphone-toting modern generation. An interesting contrast!

Hauz Khas...the royal tank! It is hard to believe that this tranquil expanse is right in the middle of a bustling metropolis.

Hauz Khas Village. Small boutiques, art galleries and fancy little restaurants in an old setting. These spaces have been created without changing much of the original structures. Expensive, but unique and charming at the same time.

These winter vegetables on a cart by the roadside are so inviting...they are bursting with freshness. Attractive colours too!

Flowers...another of nature's bounties. Neatly decked up in bouquets at a roadside stall.

Christmas is a winter phenomenon. It is time for shopping, fun and food at a mall; the decorations adding to the festive atmosphere. Another riot of colours here!

Delhi In December: Behind The Veil Of Fog

It is December. The sun rises reluctantly from behind the fog. The leafless trees are standing still, their bare branches looking mysterious in the hazy morning landscape. On some days, the fog is so thick that when you look out of your window in the early morning, you don't see anything except layers and layers of it, giving the view a misty, dreamy look. The best place to be at this hour is under your cosy quilt, but very few can actually afford to do so. Children have to be forced out of their beds to be in time for their school. One can see hordes of them - bundled up in warm clothes- waiting at bus stops all over the city. You wonder how hard it will be for them to hold a pen with their numb fingers and actually write something in their notebooks. But kids in Delhi are made of sterner stuff. They manage to tackle the extremes in their city's weather with a nonchalance that often eludes their elders.

Around mid-morning, when the sun is finally out and shining-albeit weakly-it is a beautiful day. Dahlias and chrysanthemums are in bloom, their umpteen shades a feast for the eyes. Take a walk in a park, go to the market or just soak in the sun anywhere, it feels great to be outdoors. Those who are fortunate to have a patch of land outside their houses, make good use of it by growing seasonal vegetables in it. It is very refreshing to see green leaves of coriander, mustard, spinach and methi, huge heads of cauliflower and cabbage along with the leaves of carrots and radishes that are growing underground in your neighbourhood. When a kind neighbour sends her fresh produce over, you can see how good a really 'fresh' vegetable tastes.

A visit to the Sarojini Nagar market or Dilli Haat in the late morning/early afternoon is very tempting. While the latter is mostly frequented by lovers of handloom fabrics and handicrafts, the former is popular with the masses. Clothes, footwear, luggage, utensils, household items, gifts, groceries, vegetables, fruits...one can find almost anything in the lanes and bylanes of this sprawling market. It is flooded with Christmas merchandise at this time of the year. Most of the goods available here are generally easy on one's pocket, making it a favoured destination of shoppers in South Delhi. The soft drink and ice-cream stalls are forgotten. Instead tiny shops selling tea are doing brisk business. And the spicy aloo-tikki has people queueing up outside a small shop that churns out the wonderful stuff. It is just right when one wants to take a break from the tough bargaining that is a part of shopping at the Sarojini Nagar market.

The sun begins to lose its warmth around dusk. It becomes dark quite early, and suddenly too. Time to get indoors and put on one's socks, mittens, mufflers, scarves, caps, sweaters...whatever. The concrete structures that our houses are, turn into ice-boxes in the absence of heating. Icy water gushes out of the taps, especially at night and early in the mornings. People who cannot tolerate this, find winters to be a difficult time. But, for those who are fine with it, this is the right season to be in Delhi. Barring a few very cold and sunless days, the daytime is usually pleasant.

Travelling in and out of Delhi by train or air? Now that's a different story. Seasoned travellers avoid Delhi during winter months if they can. But those who must visit Delhi or transit through it, find themselves completely at the mercy of the fog that seems to have its own mind. There are indefinite delays, flight diversions, missed connections, chaos at the airport and railway stations resulting in a lot of discomfort and uncertainty. This is one instance where nature makes us realize that it is in command, and we just have to bow to its wishes.

I have filled this post with some wonderful images of blossoms captured by Prateek a few years ago at a chrysanthemum show at the Dilli Haat. Hope these bring alive the colours of a Delhi winter on your screens and touch your hearts with their awesome beauty.