Rediscovering Delhi

by Sheetal Martine Joseph (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

Making a local connection India

I had been to Delhi only once before and that was with my family when I was in junior high school. I was dragged along with the plans set by a tourism agency and I wasn’t given even a moment to slow down and just breathe. With that memory in mind, I arrived in Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station with my two friends to do an internship in the Capital City of India. While we all settled in, I realized I had a week all to myself before my internship in Times of India started. Both my friends were set to start working a day after we arrived in Delhi. At night, before I let myself drift into a deep slumber, I did thorough research on all the places I could see there, both significant attractions and small but meaningful getaways. The next morning before my friend got up to get ready for work, I was up and ready. I set off on the metro to the nearest metro station on the same line to the first place I had in mind to visit, the Jama Masjid. Funny fact, if I had crossed over into another metro line, there was a station right in front of the Masjid, but I had other plans on how to explore the city. I planned to explore the city by walking. The station I got down on was 35 minutes away from Jama Masjid by walk according to Google map. At first, I was walking on a footpath beside the main road, and then the road got narrow and there was no way but to walk through a park and then under a bridge and through an empty street and the gates of an abandoned house. I realized by then that google was showing me the shortest route to Jama Masjid that probably no one uses but I didn’t feel like turning back. More than anything, I was enjoying it, the thrill and mini-adventure I was having while travelling through a path not travelled by many. When I got to Jama Masjid, it was like I was rewarded for a mission I accomplished in a video game. I had been to the Masjid when I was in junior high school, but after the walk and the sight of it at 9 am in the morning against the nascent sunlight, I felt like I was there for the first time. Walking around it in my own pace, exploring each corridor and the topmost tower and the view from it, it was enriching and made my soul feel whole. I realized the beauty of a solo trip and how it is a journey full of self-discovery. After Jama Masjid, I walked all the way to Chandni Chowk, a market space full of spices, dried fruit, silver jewellery and vivid saris in the heart of Old Delhi. It took me another 30 minutes to reach there and my goal for the place was to try out the local delicacies. I stood in a queue at Gali Paranthe Wali, known for their 32 different varieties of stuffed Indian bread. Once I got in after waiting in the queue, I ordered 3 different breads along with a local drink called Lassi. When the food arrived and the drink in a small mud pot, I felt like I was tasting the essence of what made Delhi, Delhi. From there, I walked along the market, gazing at all the ornaments and clothes on sale and proceeded to Red Fort which was visible to me in the horizon. After waiting in queue to attain the ticket, I entered the place that was filled with history. When I returned to my room after that trip, I realized I had covered 22 kms on foot and I wasn’t tired at all. I was rejuvenated. I made similar trips around Delhi on the consecutive days and covered 54 kms in 3 days. Even after my internship started, I didn’t stop exploring on my own. I visited almost 20 historical places, 5 famous markets and 3 gardens all on my own and I discovered for myself what it feels like to fall in love with a city.