This heritage walk weaves its trail through the neighbourhood of Kashmiri Gate. Our first stop is Nicholson’s Cemetery, where the British hero John Nicholson is buried. He was an important figure in the British success in putting down the rebellion. At Kashmiri gate, our next stop, the destruction by cannon balls could clearly be seen. Some of the battlements too are missing from the top of the gate. The breach of Kashmiri Gate by the British forces was the turning point in their favour. It was exciting for everybody to climb atop the roof and look as far as St. James Church while the modern metro rail line works like city wall demarcating the city controlled by the rebels and the ridge where the British were camped. Moving ahead, we passed the Bengali Club (estb.1925) walked towards a market setup by Lala Sultan Singh. In the same complex, there stands an 18th century mosque called the Lal Masjid or Fakhrul Masajid. It was built by Khaniz i Fatima in the memory of her husband. Next spot was my personal favorite as I am an alumnus of Hindu College, it was fascinating to see and explain history of the same. Continue Reading This Post

A heritage walk in old Delhi evokes all kinds of response one can think of: nostalgia for lost glory; hunger for authentic food; and wonder at the systematic chaos that is the old city, sometimes combined with a feeling of impending doom! Our heritage trail this Sunday morning walk was a mixture of all of this. We start our walking tour at Digamber Jain Lal Mandir, the one famous for its bird hospital. With Red Fort forming the backdrop, we follow the main street of Chandni Chowk right up to the Sisganj gurudwara. On the way is Gauri Shankar temple, SBI buiding, Dariba Kalan and its famous jalebi shop, Central Baptish Church. The fountain chowk where Sisganj stands has much more to it: it marks the spot where Guru Teg Bahadur’s followers were tortured and killed and there is a museum dedicated to their memory. The chowk also has the Sunehri Masjid where the notorious raider Nadir Shah stood to watch the massacre of citizens of Delhi. The Ghantewala Shahi halwai was originally located at the chowk. We leave the main street at Parathewali Gali and entre the lane famous for its shops selling stuffed fried bread (parathas). Continue Reading This Post

One of our most popular trails is the food walk in old Delhi. We decided to give everyone a refreshing start with old Delhi’s special-Kulfi! The fruit flavoured kuflis and later the stuffed one’s- matka, malai, pomegranate, apple, mango- there wasn’t a dearth of choice and we tasted all one by one. From a sweet beginning to something spicy – we turned our heads from Sitaram Bazaar to Kulle wala in Chawri Bazaar. It took us 15 mins. to cover a small distance of 300 meters, due to the usual market chaos! But all of it was worth it once everyone savored the stuffed kulle of tomato, potato, pineapple and apple filled with pomegranate, peas and a spicy filling! From mirchi to something cooler we moved a few galis ahead to find a secret passage leading to Jain Coffee House. There was unending variety of sandwiches coupled with shakes. We tried mango, paneer, chikoo, apple, pomegranate layered with butter and home-made jam. Continue Reading This Post