Delhi Tourism: Shopping in Delhi

The national capital of India, New Delhi,is also the country’s shopping capital as well. There are numerous shopping destinations within the city making every shopper’s dream come true. From bohemian un-branded traveller clothes, to export rejects, designer-wear and the biggest international brands, you’ll find them all sharing the same space, catering to different tastes and budgets.

Delhi-Bazaar!!!

Here are our five favourite shopping hubs of the city. Be prepared to buy an extra bag to carry all your new purchases home!

1. Connought Place

The centre of the city is marked by the famous Connought Place, which is also the metro hub to all lines. Apart from glitzy showrooms and plenty of restaurants, explore the state Emporiums, Khaadi Bhandaar and a unique pick called People Tree. People Tree has been showcasing clothes, earrings and bric-a-brac made by NGO, ‘Jugaad’ for a long time. Everything is delightfully tasteful but pricey! Palika Bazaar, the basement electronics hot spot, is also a favourite with travellers for fakes and grey market goods.

The market is partially closed on Sundays.

Connought-palace-Delhi

2. Hauz Khas Village

Little designer-wear boutiques in the backdrop of run down houses and a lake makes for a great window shopping area even if you don’t plan on any actual shopping. Browse the creations of upcoming Indian designers. While you are here, stop-over at the renown Kunzum travel cafe (pictured below) for a quick round of tea and cookies, here you choose to pay what your pocket allows. Meet other travellers or just chat with the owners for some tips. You can also hop into some art galleries or pick up some antiques.

Hauz Khas opening times are 11.00 a.m to 7.00 p.m, closed on Sundays.

Kunzum travel cafe

3. Sarojini Nagar

You are sure to run into over energetic haggling college girls in this market for sure. The products on sale are seconds or factory rejects of coveted western brands at dirt cheap prices. You need to rummage through heaps of clothes to find what you want, but the exercise is worth it as you won’t have to shell out even a third of the original brand price. Hone your haggling skills here!

Sarojini Nagar Market is closed on Mondays.

Sarojini-nagar

4. Select City Walk

A glitzy sprawling mall in the heart of south Delhi, the Select City Mall is nothing like any other Indian market. With all the trappings of international brands, food courts, large space for concerts and speedy escalators, you would imagine you are perhaps in Singapore. If you are looking for a multiple big name brands and an air conditioned shopping area, this is the place to visit.

Select City Walk is open on all days.

Select-City-walk-Delhi

5. Janpath Market

Janpath is one of the best know market spots in Delhi, where shoppers converge to pick up curios, handicrafts and clothing and to sample the numerous Indian-style fast-food places. This is a great place to get a bargain on fashionable clothes; export rejects or seconds in great condition. As a particular fashion hits India, you can see the shops here teeming with the very same clothes! Work on your bargaining powers in this chaotic lovely jungle of shops. Clothes, shoes, accessories, scarves and books are the highlight of this street.

Janpath is closed on Sundays.

Janpath-market-Delhi


Swaad with Sharmaji

Delhi Tourism: International Mango Festival

CITY: NEW DELHI

DATES: Saturday, July 13, 2013 - Sunday, July 14, 2013(to be confirmed)

VENUE: DILLI HAAT PITAMPURA

ENTRY FEE: Rs. 20 for adults; Rs. 10 for children

TIME: 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

There are few things going in favour of Delhi when it comes to summers. After a pleasant yet testing winter and a blink-and-miss spring, the city goes on to experience four to five months of intense summers. The mercury hovers around 42 degrees Centigrade and the sun beats down on the capital. And yet summer is when Delhi is a riot of colours, fragrances and moods. It brings with it the heady aromas of khus and motiya; a deluge of shades of yellow when the amaltas blooms in the leafy neighbourhoods of South Delhi; the sight of happy youngsters diving into the shallow pools of India Gate, the city’s iconic monument, and, last but certainly not the least, the taste of the king of fruits, mangoes!

Delhi-mango-festival

The relish with which the city savours mangoes is a sight to behold. Braving the scorching sun, the young and the old flock to the thousands of markets peppered across Delhi’s length and breadth, haggling with vendors and going home happy with a supply of mangoes. Restaurants are quick to cash in on this mango mania: turn the pages of any newspaper supplement and you will find announcements of food festivals and promotions centred around the mango. The fruit becomes the baker’s favourite as most confectioneries dole out mango desserts; cafes churn out beverages with generous portions of the fruit, and even meals at home usually end with a platter of cut mangoes. The modest vanilla ice-cream is almost always sold out in summers, given its phenomenal compatibility with the succulent fruit.

Being in proximity with some of the country’s highest producers of mangoes, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, is a boon for the mango-loving populace of Delhi. This is not to say that mangoes from deep down South, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bengal don’t make it to Delhi. Just the variety of mangoes calls for a trip to Delhi this season. The culmination of Delhi’s love affair with the fruit comes in the form of an exclusive festival, organised every year in July by Delhi Tourism. Eagerly awaited, the International Mango Festival is now in its 24th year. The benchmark of its popularity is the footfall it gets from Delhi residents, not just tourists. Attractive billboards go up all over the city weeks before the start of the festival, luring everyone with the prospect of this calorie-laden indulgence.

Mango-Cut-Taste-it

Once inside the venue, the attractively laid out open-air Dilli Haat in Pitampura, a medley of sights and sounds greet you. It’s like walking into a mango market. Look in any direction and you will see piles and heaps of the fruit, in different hues, shapes and sizes. Decorated with mango motifs and colourful balloons, the atmosphere at the Festival is like that of a carnival. Walk ahead and you will hear rounds of thundering applause. The ovation is usually directed at a contestant with his/her face buried in the skin of a mango while trying to eat the pulp at lightning speed. Groups of enthusiasts are also found crowding stalls where you can learn a recipe or two with mango as the main ingredient. From the humble mango lassi to the more exotic mango salsa, there is a lot to learn about.

If you believe you know your fruit well, it’s time you test your ‘mango quotient’ at this year’s festival. The three-day mango bonanza also includes a spellbinding display of over 500 varieties of the fruit, as well as a slogan writing contest and a quiz.

Sampling the fruit as you wend your way through the maze of stalls and eager visitors is an experience that only this exclusive festival can offer you. This, however, may come for a small price but there are also many vendors who put out platters of freshly cut fruit for free sampling. And if you think you can grow your own mango, then there are saplings on sale for your kitchen garden. Until the first fruit appears, you can always feast on the delicious pickles, jams, chutneys and spreads on sale at the Festival.

Mango-tokri

Apart from the popular commercial varieties of dussehri, fazli, langda, sindhuri, kesar, chausa, banganpalli, totapuri, Neelam, safeda, Amrapali, Husnara and so on, there are several unheard of types on display. Some to make it to the last festival include sadabahaar, dakwala, elaichidana, angoori tapka and even Sheila, a fruit dedicated to Sheila Dikshit, the chief minister of Delhi.

If you still have room for more mango-related stories (this, after doing the rounds of the mind-boggling display), strike a conversation with veterans like Padmashri Haji Kaleemullah Khan of Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh. He is the man who is credited with growing more than 300 varieties on a single tree! Hailing from a family that is almost synonymous with growing the dussehri, Kaleemullah’s experimentations in grafting began in his early teens. Needless to say, it’s not just the fruit that is the essence of the Festival. Tales, trivia and legends go a long way in adding flavour to the overall picture.

Mango-man

So if you want to earn your stripes as a mango lover, the International Mango Festival of Delhi is where you should be headed. If you are staying in a homestay in Delhi as your hosts to arrange transport to the venue. Your host may be able to accompany you to the Festival, helping you choose the best variety of fruits on sale and even striking a good bargain. Back at the homestay, you can also request for a cooking demonstration of recipes using mangoes or even a meal with only mango delicacies.

Swaad with Sharmaji

Tamil Nadu Tourism: Things to do in Yercaud

Weekend destinations provide that timely respite from hectic schedules at work! Yercaud is one such destination which serves this purpose both from cities like Bangalore and Chennai. It is a small hill station in the state of Tamil Nadu and one of the few top spots for a summer break.

Located in the Shevaroys range of hills of the Eastern Ghats, Yercaud boasts of an altitude of almost 5000 ft above sea level! It is known as the jewel of the South. Yercaud provides plenty of relaxing and adventure activities given its vast forest cover and abundance of flora and fauna.

Things to do and see in Yercaud:

1. Boating in the Yercaud Lake – The centre of the lake is adorned by a lake which is a fascinating spot for children. One can do boating in the evenings or just take a walk around it. The pleasant weather adds to the charm.

Yercaud-Lake

2. The National Orchidarium and Botanical Garden – Both a learning and tourist experience, the Orchidarium was established in 1963 and is home to more than 4000 species of plants.

3. Lady’s Seat – A wonderful viewing point, the Lady’s seat provides wonderful sights of the plains below and is great for sun rise and sun sets.

Yercaud-Sunset

4. Silk Farm – Not too far from the Lady’s Seat, a silk worm unit is open to visitors to see the entire process of silk making. Worms are bred on mulberry bushes and then taken through the process of spinning and weaving.

5. The Servaroyan Temple – This is the highest point on the Shevaroy hills and is dedicated to Lord Servaroyan. There is an annual festival held in the month of May here.

6. Hiking Trails – Given the proximity of nature and meandering trails in the region, one can go for short hikes with a local guide.

7. Fairholme Cottage – An old colonial bungalow which has been converted into a heritage hotel is also popular with the tourists to make a short stop.

8. Heaven’s Ledge – Aptly named Heaven’s Ledge, a scenic cliff stands atop the Gowri Estate and provides ethereal views of the valley below. The place also has camping options and is pleasantly out of the main town, almost 15 kms from the outskirts.

9. The Grange - Presumably the oldest building in Yercaud, this was built in 1820 as a summer resort for Robert Clive, a general in the East India Company.

10. Killiyur Falls - An impressive 90-foot (27 m)-high waterfall, Killiyur, makes for a fun picnic spot near Yercaud. One can pack a snack and some board games to spend a day near the falls.

Yercaud-Kiliyur-Falls

Kerala Tourism: Things to do in Mahe

The unassuming coastal destination, Mahe, was once known for its colonial lineage and economical liquor alone. The small town, which part of Pondicherry but sits on the West Coast locked between Kerala and the western Arabian Sea is now slowly gaining popularity with travellers.

Its proximity from destinations in Kerala and also larger cities like Bangalore is making people come here to discover its rich heritage, relaxing beach scene and cuisine which still reflects its French lineage.

Mahe-beach-boats-in-Kerala

Mahe is largely a walking town. It is small enough to meander leisurely and take in the relaxing atmosphere. There are plenty of things to do in Mahe to fill your days. Here are some of our ideas.

1.The Puthalam Temple 

Believed to have been built 1000s of years ago, this temple has had many esteemed visitors, including Gandhi, whose visit is marked by a marble stone at the entrance. A simplistic temple built for 3 gods it houses a holy grove behind it. This feature, specific and prevalent to all Malabar temples, signifies the respect for nature. The legend goes that during the French and Indian army conflict, the French got an advantageous position behind the temple on top of a hill. The Indians who were attacking from below ran out of water and dug some wells for the soldiers. These open wells are still present and you can peep through the thick foliage to see Mangosteins growing in this area. An annual temple festival is held here in March every year.

2.Sri Krishna Temple 

An interesting temple which was built only 50 years ago is famous for hosting low cost marriages. Drop in for a wedding if you are sauntering around.

3.The Mansion of the Administrative Officer of Mahe

Even though this is an administrative building, it lies in a picturesque spot at the confluence of the Mahe River with the Arabian Sea. Though you need permission to go inside, it is worth your while to get to the back of the building to see the fishermen’s boats coming into the bay and making a beautiful backdrop to the small town.

Administrative Officer of Mahe

4.Tagore Park

Well manicured, the park stands at the edge of the sea and has a tombstone in memory of soldiers, a statue of Marianne and several other statues.

5.Malaya Kalagramam

Even though this is not a part of Mahe and technically falls under Kerala, you can walk across the bridge to this art school, inspired by the eminent painter K.C Panicker. Funded by the AVK trust from Chennai, the building is a serene haven for students of art, sculpturing, music and dance. This is a residential school, so you can see students at work if you go on a week day.

6.Mahe Beach

One of the most serene and truly untouched destinations on the west coast Mahe beach is a good place to relax and watch the local fishermen bring in their catch. Read more about Mahe beach.

Mahe-beach

7.Admire the French architecture

With its French lineage the town of Mahe features plenty of buildings with distinct French architectural features. There is also a French school which remains in the town.

8.St. Theresa’s church

The Saint Theresa Roman Catholic Church is a simple church but is well known in the region and popular with visitors during its annual festival between the 5th and 22 October every year.

Getting to Mahe: 

The nearest airport is Calicut International Airport 85 km from Mahe.There is a railway station in Mahe where a few local and express trains stop and nearest major railway stations, where several long distance trains stop, are Thalassery, Kannur and Badagara.