Sign for the All-India Anglo Indian Association (Delhi Branch) in Connaught Place, New Delhi, India. The Anglo-Indians are a fascinating community. The descendants of marriages between Indians and Britishers, the community kept to itself, marrying amongst themselves, and developed a unique hybrid culture. Many stayed after Independence. Today, the community is dying off either through emigration, old age, or intermarriage with the wider population.
Auliya Masjid on the outer circle of Connaught Place in New Delhi, India. You can't quite see it behind the auto but there is a small food stand / cafe right in the side of the mosque.
A few days after arriving, we took a trip to Khan Market. Khan Market in Central Delhi is a tiny area of boutique shops, restaurants, and bars. It is one of a handful of places that you'll see a lot of expats in Delhi. It is considered India's most expensive retail market (in terms of real estate cost). We sometimes feel a little silly but we have many, many fond memories of Khan and we had to go. A few highlights from the visit:
Our first stop was Sodabottleopenerwalla - a loving, playful homage to the Parsi cafes of Mumbai. The Parsis are a Zoroastrian community that came to India in the 16th century. Centered mainly in Mumbai, this small community has punched well above its weight. One business that many of them started were cafes the feature unique Indian and Iranian dishes.
As you can see from the sign, the restaurant has a unique sense of humor.
We had a strong Irani chai, a Bombay Sandwich (in @seanbala's opinion, one of the greatest culinary gifts to mankind) and a raspberry soda.
An Irani Chai is like a normal Indian chai but made much stronger.
The Bombay Sandwich is a thick grilled vegetable sandwich with very thinly sliced beets, potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes, all sprinkled with a big helping of cheese. Difficult to make, impossible not to eat!
Our next stop is one of of the best places in Delhi - Fakir Chand Bookstore. This is a very, very special place and we could probably do a dozen posts on it. The store was started originally in Peshawar and moved to Delhi after partition. It is small, crowded with no discernable organization system. The owner of the shop is the third-generation of the family to own it. You could get lost here!
Hanuman to the Rescue! Taken near the Hanuman Temple just off Monestary Market near Civil Lines, New Delhi. You often see these little guys hanging in shops and from car mirrors.
This area is right under a flyover and it is amazingly quiet considering is is right up against a highway. More photos of an unexpected surprise to follow soon!
We went to AMA Cafe in Majnuka Tila on Monday to celebrate @seanbala's birthday. We actually went the day before with @dohappybelove's mother and liked it so much, we decided to go back. When we first visited, we thought it was very small. Turned out that what we saw was only about about 20% of the whole cafe on three floors! Good food and a quick game of "The Fox in the Forest"
We have been to the Tibetan Refugee Colony many times but only on this trip we realized that there is a quiet back end of the neighbourhood on the Yamuna River.
Taken at the Tibetan Refugee Colony at Majnuka Tila (New Aruna Colony), New Delhi.
After spending time at a mall in South Delhi, we went to Hauz Khas for a drink. It is is NOT our typical place - a slightly desperate cluster of dive bars, cafes, and restaurants but nestled within a beautiful forest with a lake and ruins. All of seats with good views inside were full, so we took a chance on the roof. We watched the sunset with sangria and veg pakora - one of the best evenings we've had in a long time!
Shop door in the Tibetan Refugee Colony at Majnuka Tila (New Aruna Colony) in New Delhi, India. The eight objects on the door covering are the Ashtamangala. These eight sacred objects are sacred to both Buddhism and Hinduism, and are a big motif in Tibetan Buddhist art.
🎵"Look, look
Look to the rainbow.
Follow it over the hill
And the stream.
Look, look
Look to the rainbow.
Follow the fellow
Who follows a dream.
Follow the fellow,
Follow the fellow,
Follow the fellow
Who follows a dream."🎵
(From the musical "Finian's Rainbow" (1947) by Burton Lang and Yip Harberg)
Photo taken on 9 September 2023 at the Japanese Park (AKA Swarn Jayanti Park) in Rohini, New Delhi