TravelX_February_2010

VOL. I, ISSUE I, FEBRUARY 2010

Putting the zing back to exploring the world

Rs 50

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Welcome aboard

O

supervised by the authorities. This apparently laissez-faire diktat was a practical and sensible one. There were far too many structures from the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires than the government could manage. So why not let the people own it and manage it for profit under strict supervision?

I went to one last summer: the Cemberlitas Hamami that was built in 1584. There is a modern reception, waiting rooms and changing room, but inside the Hamam is just the same as the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan designed it. And mind you, you could well miss the tiny entrance that’s overshadowed by the touristy offerings of Sultanahmet. I wonder if there is something for us to learn in that?

As we ponder let’s celebrate and travel. It’s been a marvellous journey to this launch issue. Inbound, outbound, food, traditions, customs and what have you. We hope you like it just as much as we did in putting it together.

Enjoy!

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

NE IMAGE that’s come back again and again and again as one drives home each evening in the foggy Delhi maze is the serendipity of a Kanyakumari sunrise. Sitting, literally at the very edge of Incredible India, watching the waves of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean merge into each other... that’s magic. On the other hand you have the tiresome chore of wondering how you’ll pack your bags for a 33-degree Goa from a three-degree Delhi. That’s the contrast!

Frankly, you are spoilt for choices in this land, the sheer variety boggles the mind and excites the senses and when you add to it the legacy left by generations of invaders and rulers, you can only feel blessed. But there’s dejection too. Two years back on a trip to Hyderabad, I made my visit to the Golconda Fort. It was a marvellous afternoon of exploration of a slice of history. But the image that still lingers in my mind is the amount of garbage and junk all around the fort — enough for several truckloads. No one was irked, except a few of us who were huffing and puffing our way across the fort.

Contrast this with the Hamams in Istanbul, some of them over 500 years old. Beautifully preserved, privatised and scrupulously

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CONTENTS

COVER

STORY

AROUND THE WORLD BOLLYWOOD STYLE

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COMPASS

MAGIC OF BHOPAL A peek at the wonder that was — and is — Bhopal.

NEWS, LAUNCHES & DEALS

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SHORT TAKES We bring you the latest from the travel world: special packages, restaurant and hotel openings along with some attractive deals from across the globe.

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FEBRUARY 2009 TRAVELX

TWIN CITIES

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DOUBLE DELIGHT! Jude Fonseka misses Sydney harbour and the majestic Opera House but then he wouldn't for the world miss a meal at Bengaluru's Via Milano!

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COMFORT FOOD AAAH! CHOLE BHATURE! Chickpeas, aka Chole when coupled with Bhature is the 'staple' north Indian delight that many have grown up with and still fantasise about.

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36 FOCUS EYE TALK Never before seen shots from the camera of an airline pilot!

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WANDERLUST ISTANBUL At ease in Europe and equally comfortable being in Asia.

That's the historic and culturally vibrant city of Istanbul, fast emerging as a popular holiday destination.

ROAD TRIP TO RAJASTHAN 48

Editorial and Marketing Office: Newsline Publications Pvt Ltd., D-11(Basement) Nizamuddin (East), New Delhi 110 013. Phones: +91-11-41033381-82 Mumbai: Platina, 9th floor, C-Block, G-59, Next to Citibank, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (East), Mumbai 400051, Tel.: +91 22 3953 0528 All information in TravelX is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract or in interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher assumes no responsibility for material lost or damaged in transit. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.

Printed and Published by K Srinivasan for Rojus Media Pvt. Ltd. at Nutech Photolithographers, B-240, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi 110020

FEBRUARY 2009 TRAVELX

HYDERABADI DELIGHTS 64

LE MERIDIEN, REINVENTED 56

Volume I No 1

Editor-in-Chief: K SRINIVASAN Managing Editor: TIRTHANKAR GHOSH Co-ordinating Editor: PRIYANKA SAXENA Reporters: Punit Mishra, Jasleen Kaur, Sreya Shandilya Special Correspondent - Mumbai: Roohi Ahmad (Mob. 9820295648) Design: Ruchi Sinha, Pradeep Jha, Shivnath Director: Ravi Sharma (Mob. 9650433900) Gen Manager: Rajiv Singh (Mob. 9810030533) Senior Manager (Marketing): Varun Malhotra (Mob. 9650433099) Manager (Business Development): Pranav Khullar (Mob. 9650433088) Regional Sales Manager (South): Karthik K. V. (Mob. 9880209405) Asst. Manager (Corporate Affairs): Amit Sinha Subscription: Jaya Singh (Mob. 9650433044) Executive Director: Renu Mittal email: travelxletters@gmail.com, travelx@newsline.in

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SHORT TAKES

Jordan offers visa on arrival IF YOU are a fan of the world heritage site Petra, then you ought to rejoice. Jordan has decided to grant you a visa on arrival. No hassle, no jhanjat, just pack your bag, put your passport in your pocket and off you are to Amman. For starters, you’ll get a two week visa that should be good enough to soak in the magic of the capital city, drive along to the dead sea or go along to Aqaba. For the record you have a daily direct between Delhi and Amman (Royal Jordanian http://www.rj.com, tel: +91-113320635/7418).You also have plenty of options from Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air and Qatar. For details please visit website www.visitjordan.com, www.jordanembassyindia.org.

Earn while you stay at the Courtyard FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

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IF YOU are planning a visit to Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad or Ahmedabad, make sure you check in to the Courtyard

by Marriott, which has recently introduced an attractive “You stay, We pay” promotion across the country. Starting this month, a guest staying at any Courtyard by Marriott across India will be empowered to receive money based on

TRAILER

Maharaja’s advice: Buy one, fly two

IF YOU are planning to fly to the UK, Europe, US or Canada till March 31, 2010, rush to Air India and avail the Companion Free Scheme. Valid on a full fare in First, Executive and Economy classes on international as well as domestic routes, the scheme awards a free ticket for a companion.

Wait, there is the icing on the cake for regular AI flyers - Air India has entered into a Frequent Flyer Pro-

gramme agreement with Singapore Airlines. Incidentally, the airline also has an agreement with Star airline member, Lufthansa.

The Maharaja boasts of new aircraft that matches the best in the industry.

With the deployment of B777s to all its seven west-bound destinations — New York, Newark, Chicago, Toronto, London, Paris and Frankfurt and also to Tokyo - flying is a pleasure.

the nights that they spend at the property, to spend in any manner that they desire!

Guests staying for a night will earn Rs 1,000; for two nights will get Rs 2,000, and so on. The amount will increase with the number of days’ stay. With this gift, you can avail of any ONE service, such as, suite upgrade, dining at any restaurant, cocktails at the bar, airport transfers and more.

Go Thailand!

WE KNOW there are many who are looking for an opportunity to visit Thailand but have many questions unanswered. Well, all those unattended queries can now be cleared at the new service centre (an internet call centre) at the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) head office. Visitors can check out the latest information

and updates on Thailand and can even lodge a complaint! The information is available in both Thai and English language and can be obtained via internet inquiry or video live chat. Suraphon Svetasreni, the new Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand is doing all to insure that footfalls increase to the country and visitors take back an unforgettable experience.

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New York gets popular IT’S LIVELY, vibrant, busy, and beautiful. The New York, seen through the eyes of many Bollywood directors, is a dream destination for many of us. Well, last year,

more than 45 million people thronged the city of New York, exceeding all projections and expectations of the city. A 3.2 per cent increase in tourism, with an estimated 46.7 million visitors, is expected in 2010. The more than 45 million people who visited New York City last year spent approximately $28 billion.

FIRSTCUT

8 days in Zurich @ Rs 29,990 IN WHAT is being termed as ‘exclusive apartment packages’, Swiss Tours is offering a special 7 nights / 8 days stay in an apartment in

Switzerland for just Rs 29,990. The package includes Economy Class airfare Mumbai/Delhi – Zurich – Mumbai/Delhi on Swiss International Air Lines. Not just the pricing, there is another reason to celebrate for the Indian traveller. The apartment’s kitchenette is equipped with an Indian pressure cooker along with all the essential Indian spices! So all those people who have been looking forward to visit this land of mountains and lakes – your wait is finally over!

The package can be bought and paid for before March 31, 2010.

Visitors can also log on to www.swisstoursonline.com for more details.

Dine in style at the Sheraton Grande

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

Meet the whale in Sri Lanka SIGHTING DOLPHINS has become a popular tourist attraction in all places that have beaches, but the more adventurous lot can now even go for whale watching!! Now, thanks to 365tours, visitors can come face to face with some of the ocean’s most fascinating and admirable creatures — blue whales and dolphins, this winter season in Sri Lanka. Their whale watching trips take guests about 15 nautical miles into the Indian Ocean to observe whales that migrate over a thousand miles to its warm waters. These eco-tours operate in the whale’s natural habitat respecting the ecosystem and the wonders of the ocean.

THOSE LOOKING to enjoy fine dining in Bangkok will now have a lesser price to pay, thanks to Hotel Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok. From the traditional Thai curry to authentic Italian flavours, the hotel is offering all wrapped in a tantalising deal to its guests. Under the deal, upon booking a deluxe room, you can receive food credit worth Baht 2,000 to spend in any of the multi-cuisine restaurants in the hotel. The offer is valid till March 31, 2010 and in all the restaurants of the hotel.

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Go Green with Carlson properties IN A recent development, eight Carlson hotels across Asia Pacific have been recognised by premier worldwide certification label, Green Globe for undertaking environmental efforts. Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing, Radisson Hotel Pudong Century Park, Radisson Hotel Shanghai Hong Quan, Radisson Hotel Shanghai New World, Radisson Plaza Xing Guo Hotel Shanghai and The Regent Beijing have achieved bronze certification. So next time you visit China and want your stay to be an eco-friendly one — go the Carlson way!

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DIDYOU

KNOW?

Time to go ‘healthy’ WHILE MANY of us want to start our day with a healthy breakfast, the paucity of time often restricts our time schedules. But not any more! ITC Royal Gar-

Your favourite Q’BA now opens at Malcha Marg, New Delhi

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

FOR ALL of you who love the food and ambience of Q’BA, well, you can now enjoy the flavours of your favourite restaurant/bar at its newly opened outlet in Malcha Marg, South Delhi. Known as ‘nU.Delhi Q’BA’, the restaurant is the latest addition to the Q’BA bandwagon of restaurants in Delhi. With live band (flown all the way from Thailand) playing in the backdrop, you can choose and savour from a wide range of Grill comprising food items from India as well as around the world. Take your pick from Chicken Tikka, Sikandari Raan, Kakori Kabab...to the steaks, lamb chops, Chelo Kebabs, and grilled prawns…

The outlet also houses the best possible selection in Wines, Spirits, Malts, Cocktails and Beer… While at nU.Delhi Q’BA, try not to miss the mouth-watering New Zealand lamb chops, jumbo king prawns, which incidentally are the USP of the outlet and for those who have a sweet tooth, the Cinnamon Crème Brulee is a must try!!

denia’s 24-hour Coffee Shop - The Cubbon Pavilion is now offering an amazing range of healthy breakfast options in the form of two most popular food items.

The ‘multigrain dosa’ offers a perfect mix of linseed, oats, whole wheat, maize and many other “good for you” grains make the much loved dosa a fantastically healthy way to kick start the day. Next on the menu is Gardenia’s Signature Bircher muesli. This homemade Bircher muesli gives a healthy and delicious start to the day. So what are you waiting for? Go start your day the healthy way!

Ataste of grill delicacies ITC-WELCOMGROUP’S renowned brand of cuisine, designed around the concept of grills in various parts of the world, now comes to ITC Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru. Its new restaurant ‘West View’ offers a perfect mix of five distinct courses, including The Cold Buffet Carte, The Soup Tureen, The Grill, Fruit and Cheese and Desserts. The best seasonal cuts of meats and fish from India and abroad, as well as the freshest vegetables from various parts of the country, are all offered here for the

customer to choose. The recipes are crafted from traditional recipes gleaned from England, Europe and the Americas.

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I N F O R M A T I O N

R E P O R T )

EVER HEARD OF DESIGNER TOURS? IT’S THE era of specialised tourism and everyone in the business is trying hard to carve a niche for themselves. From shopping packages to gay trips, all is being organised by travel agents across the globe today. A part of the tourism clan, yet apart from the rest because of its specialised service, Daniel and Nathalie Dhombres, co-founders of Ultimate Travel, a French luxury travel company (www.theultimatetravel.eu), chalks out a two-day itinerary for an ultimate French travel experience.

LUNCH AT LA TABLE DU CHEF AT THE PARK HYATT Overlooking the spectacular open-plan kitchen in a sumptuous setting, the restaurant caters for four to eight privileged guests, all gourmets who are capable of appreciating the array of exceptional dishes and some wine to go with it.

DAY 1 Private presentation of ladies’ready to wear collection and accessories at Yves Saint Laurent’s flagship rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

MONTBLANC THE FINEST LIMITED EDITIONS Montblanc Limited Editions are tribute to the finest master craftsmanship.

Admire the exclusivity or even get a personal copy of the collectors’guide Montblanc Collectables.

ROGER VIVIER’S SHOW ROOM RUE DU FAUBOURG SAINT HONORÉ We offer you the discovery of Roger Vivier’s house and find out the latest luxury Haute.

Couture shoes, chic handbags, sunglasses, luxury leather goods, fashion jewellery…

CHAUMET FROM HISTORY TO MODERNITY IN PLACE VENDOME Guests will have the privilege to admire some exquisite and most contemporary pieces, worn on every red carpet in the world.

HOTEL COSTES — THE TRENDIEST PLACE FOR TEA TIME Napoleon III style revisited, splendid Italian style courtyards, an extravagant luxury hotel with the jet set. This place is a shrine to the latest lounge trend.

LEFRANC FERRANT TWO HEADS AND FOUR HANDS IN COUTURE! Mario Lefranc and Béatrice Ferrant launched Lefranc Ferrant in 2007 in order to re-invent “une maison de Haute Couture.” Spend a privileged moment with the in their Palais Royal intimist show room to create your own personal chic and modern wardrobe.

BACK AT THE HOTEL Back at the hotel enjoy a restful moment with a manicurist, a make-up artist or an energetic massage before going on to enjoy the Paris night.

DINNER AND SHOW AT THE LIDO The Lido has been a favourite venue for the finest shows with the most famous names since 1946. We propose our guests an exceptional evening with the famous blue bells girls.

DAY 2 ZILLI EXOTIC AND EXTRAORDINARY SKINS Jackets, coats, suits, knitwear, leather goods, cufflinks... At ZILLI our guests will discover unique and amazing pieces.

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Experience the Supertall!

CHRISTIAN DIOR: THE FASHION EMBLEMATIC PLACE Take a dip in Dior’s world and find your fragrance.

LA CIGALE RÉCAMIER Enjoy a wonderful culinary experience with Cigale’s best - soufflés Henri IV (a cheese soufflé served with a chicken and mustard sauce).

“STYLISTE PRIVÉ” FASHION SELECTION AT “LE BON MARCHÉ” Go for some elegant shopping at Le Bon Marché, the trendiest department store in Paris.

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN: THE COSIEST STORE FOR ONE-OFA-KIND SHOES This store displays shoes in an intimate, exhibit-like environment and if you still can’t find the perfect shoe, Christian Louboutin will custom-design one for you.

BONPOINT: CHILDREN’S SMART AND GLAMOROUS LOOK Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s favourite shop, Bonpoint, for more than 30 years, has been dressing the children with “savoir-faire”.

WONDERS IN Dubai do not only flow at the core of the Earth but also stand on the heights of 800 metres from the Earth surface. Dubai now also boast of having the tallest building of the world — The Burj Khalifa. It includes 57 elevators, 1,044 residential apartments, 49 floors of office space and an Ultra luxury Armani Hotel. Anticipated to be home to 135,000 people, Downtown Burj Dubai has two shopping malls, five hotels and an office complex — Emaar Square. This tallest building of the world gives the most panoramic view of the planet Earth from its top Burj Khalifa’s observation deck. For reaching there the journey starts with 65-metre-long travelator that transports through time, from the earliest days of Dubai to the present. After pausing briefly at a unique viewing point for the first close-up view of the soaring Burj Khalifa, here begins the vertical ascent to the observation deck in a high-speed elevator, travelling at 10 metres per second. Needless to mention, the observation desk offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, desert and ocean.

So for those who are travelling to Dubai and are planning a visit to this monolithic structure, please remember that from Sunday to Wednesday, observation hours are 10 am - 1 pm and from Thursday to Saturday 10 am - 12 am. Bookings are done online too and the last lot of tickets for entering are available 45 min before closing. Reserved admission costs AED 100 whereas immediate entry fee is AED 400 for adults and AED 75 for kids. There is no entry fee for children below three years.

CHRONOPASSION Chronopassion by its seriousness, its long experience and competence of its staff, became the place of unavoidable sales of watches in Paris.

BACK AT THE HOTEL At the hotel, indulge in some relaxation with a manicurist, a make-up artist or an energetic massage before enjoying Paris’gastronomy.

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

DINNER AT THE BACCARAT CRISTAL ROOM In the old dining room of MarieLaure de Noailles, Philippe Starck conceived a place that offers an amazing atmosphere and is a pleasure from the moment you step in at the red crystal carpet until the end of the dinner.

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Hotel stay for 20 cents a night THE RISE of no-frills airlines is set to continue in 2010, and this time they are planning to make a major impact in the hospitality industry. Air Arabia will open its hotel in Sharjah, while Air Asia boss Tony Fernandes is hot on the trend with a new Malaysian hotel that offers hotel rooms for 20 cents a night. Fernandes plans to open 150 hotels like this around the world by 2012.

Air tickets? Soon at a post office near you THE NEXT time you want a visa, traveller’s cheques, a hotel booking or even an air ticket; all that you need to do is take a walk to your post office. Thomas Cook, the country’s largest integrated travel-related services company, has tied up with India Post to provide a host of services ranging from domestic and international tickets, visa and passport facilitation, travel insurance, foreign currency, travellers cheques, etc. In the first phase of the joint move, Thomas Cook has set

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

SpecialPackageof @8500/-f or 2nights/3days MAPIpercouple

up counters in five important post offices in Delhi. Similar counters will be set up in post offices across the country in the near future.

Amari all set to land in India THERE’S GOOD news now for the travellers on the go who swear by the Amari group. The brand is now increasing its portfolio from the present 11 to 51 properties in Asia Pacific by 2018. A force in Thailand’s hospitality industry for over four decades, Amari colours and Rhythms, true to its name, assures a vibrant stay that makes a traveller always come back for more. Additionally, the group is also refurbishing its two prime properties - Amari Watergate, Bangkok and Amari Coral Beach Phuket along with introducing Amari Residences Bangkok in 2011. They are also aiming for higher brand visibility in India in 2010 and are looking at Delhi, Mumbai and Goa for launching its maiden property in India. Amari is targeting to have seven properties in India once its expansion drive gets over.

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COVER STORY Indian cinema’s staple pulp romances have found several pulp destinations... And still

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

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schilthorn, in switzerland, with lots of green and snow covered mountains has been featured in many bollywood movies

Photo courtesy: switzerland tourism

PREETI VERMA LAL

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

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HERE WAS a time when stars sashaying in foreign locales used to be a rare sight and would have people sit up straighter in their seats to get a better look, but today, it is perhaps the destination and the sheer beauty of its surroundings that catches the eye of the audience. So, did the stars made foreign locales look so dazzling or was it the other way round? Read on to know more…

Picture this — an unusual honeymoon in Europe. A demure woman in white saree metamorphoses into a sexy seductress within five-frames. The dapper husband is befuddled at the sensual twist, as he witnesses his wife’s net stockings and the lampshade for a hat transformation. The setting was oh!so Europe, the locales so breathtaking and the song so dulcet that even almost five decades later the mujhe budha mil gaya from the Raj KapoorVyjantimala starrer Sangam gets cineastes foot-tapping. But who would have thought

A still from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna showcasing the famous Brooklyn Bridge, New York in the backdrop

that the honeymoon shot across Europe would actually spawn a new trend in Hindi films - that of using exotic foreign destinations as backdrop for the plot or as a flitting milieu of a song sequence where the heroine in chiffon or spaghetti is

beamed from a dreary neighbourhood to the snowy slopes of the Alps and where the spruced don schemes heists while the superhero with invisible wings scurries across skyscrapers to lend an arm to the damsel in distress (and hopefully, sing a

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FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

Superhero Hritik Roshan showcasing his skills against the Singapore skyline in Krrish

song too!). The Hindi film’s staple pulp romances have found several pulp destinations. And still counting!

The trend revved up soon after when Yash Chopra took his chiffon-clad heroines to Switzerland to jive, roll and croon in the snowy climes. Even though the chiffon looked so anomalous in the sub-zero temperature, the audience lapped the sight of an exotic country, as the producers sang all the way to the bank and the Indian footfalls to the tiny European nation grew by 30 per cent. So grateful was the Swiss government for this boost to tourism that they even named a lake in the honour of Chopra. Thereafter, Chopra’s heroines could merrily dance around the Chopra Lake in Switzerland! However, much before the chiffon phantasmagorias became such a rave, Raj Kapoor had gone around the world in eight dollars in the film of the same name. The movie with a jumpy view

1964

SANGAM was, perhaps, the pioneer that introduced the concept of shooting in foreign locales in Bollywood. After all, who can forget the sensuous Vyjantimala serenade her shocked husband (Raj Kapoor) in the eternal number, Mujhe budha mil gaya.

of the world went all but unnoticed. But that did not stop the producers from airlifting the entire cast and crew to London, New York, Dubai, Australia, Bangkok, among others, for long stints and shoots for a film.

Initially, foreign locations were more of an appendage to the plot than full-length settings that gained ground with the slew of so-called NRI films. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ), the Shah Rukh-Kajol romantic caper where love blossoms on a train that chugs through Europe, almost slices the movie into London-Punjab halves — the first half with a typical London background and the second moving back to India with a dash of Punjabi essentials like sarson da saag and karva chauth. When the halves seemed too little, movies moved bag and baggage to other countries. A major chunk of Kaho Naa Pyar Hai was shot in New Zealand while the entire reel of Salaam Namaste was shot in Melbourne.

Movies like Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna showcased New York to the masses while Murder had Mallika Sherawat running on the streets of Bangkok. Joining the bandwagon, movies shot in foreign locales include Don in Malaysia, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham in London, Guru in Turkey, Heyy Babyy and parts of Bachna Ae Haseeno in Sydney and many many more.

Foreign locations have now also become the part of film titles, like Chandni Chowk to China and Bombay to Bangkok. The names are countless and the settings as varied as it can get.

Says Tania Chambers, Chief Executive, Screen, New South Wales (NSW), “Sydney is becomingly increasingly popular with Indian filmmakers, thanks to movies like Heyy Babyy, Victory, Shivam, Chak de India, Bachna Ae Haseeno and popular reality TV series, MTV Roadies, all of which have been shot in Sydney.” She went on to outline the most shot-locations in Sydney that includes Opera House, Harbour Bridge, the contemporary city skyline, places of natural beauty such as Nielsen Park, period houses including Vaucluse House and Elizabeth Bay House, the sand dunes or Kurnell. In Melbourne, the favourite locations are City waterfront area, Burke Street, Flinders Street station and the Great Ocean Road.

Every destination has something unique to offer. While in Thailand, it is the beaches of Pattaya, Phuket and Krabi that are the most sought-after, in addition to its huge airport, Thai temples, Sky Train and shopping markets. In London, most featured locations include the area around Big Ben and London Eye while New York, Manhattan and Switzerland have become

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Initially, all filmy roads led to Switzerland, but of late, it is Thailand that tops the list of favourite film locale with South Africa following as a close second. The other new locations on the block includes Italy, Austria, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Poland and Israel.

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Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone romancing in China in the movie Chandni Chowk to China

synonymous with a roll in snow.

In the beginning, all filmy roads led to Switzerland, but of late, it is Thailand that tops the list of favourite film locale with South Africa following as a close second.

Forget London and New York, the new locations on the block includes Italy, Austria, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Poland and Israel. It might sound unbelievable but soon after Bangkok hosted IIFA in 2008, around 123 film shoots from India, ranging from music videos to documentaries, feature films and advertising commercials took place in Thailand.

Krrish, however, took the pulp destination story to another level. In a first of its kind, producer Rakesh Roshan availed the Film in Singapore! Scheme (FSS), initiated by the Singapore Government, to lure film producers. In Krrish, Singapore did not look like a mere backdrop, but seemed so inherent to the plot. However, the story of the city and the film did not end with the last canned shot.

The Singapore Tourism Board launched a Krrish Tour Package in conjunction with the film’s worldwide release. Says Toh Sork Lee, Area Director, Western India, Singapore Tourism Board, “Marking a first of sorts for any International Tourism

Board and a Bollywood film that was shot abroad, the tour was aimed at acquainting visitors with the flavour, culture, sights and sounds of the island city, as they trace the steps of the Superhero in the cosmopolitan city. While Sentosa and the Singapore Zoo are indeed figures in any traveller’s itinerary in Singapore, the Krrish tours went a step ahead and also offered river boat rides on the Singapore River, Lau Pa Sat (the Old Market).”

Several countries have sniffed a revenue-churner in Bollywood and have thrown enticing baits to the producers and directors. Under the umbrella of Office of Tourism Development, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand has created a OneStopServiceCentre with the sole aim of assisting foreign production companies to shoot in the country. This centre facilitates the process of getting permits to shoot in Thailand. Not just this, the Thailand Tourism Board also organises familiarisation trips for film producers.

Not to be left behind, the New South Wales (Australia) government recently introduced a significant industry attraction package and a “film-friendly” protocol to encourage filming in NSW. The government has provided an additional $5

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COVER STORY

Must see/ Must do

LONDON: Must see the Oxford Street, Camden Market, Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral, London eye and Trafalgar Square

Pratunam, Pahurat and Chatuchak Weekend Market, to the more sophisticated night market at Suan Lum Night Bazaar.

Floating markets are Taling Chan Market, Bang Ku Wiang Market, Tha Kha and Damnoen Saduak

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

SYDNEY: Behind the scenes, enjoy a tour of Opera House, climb the Harbour Bridge, take a flight over Harbour on Sydney Seaplane, catch a ferry across Harbour to see Taronga Zoo, do a day trip to Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley, go to Bondi or Manly beach, shop in The Rocks and Paddington Market KUALA LUMPUR: Visit the Petronas Twin Towers, China Town, Suria Shopping Centre, Merdeka Square, Bukit Bintang, Batu Caves and Central Market BANGKOK: Take a tour of the Grand Palace, Temple of Dawn, Dream World, Safari World, Siam Ocean World; shop in

NEW YORK: Do not miss the Central Park, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Ground Zero Tour, Rockefeller Centre, Brooklyn Bridge, Museum of Modern Art

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Shah Rukh and Kajol serenading to Suraj Hua Madham in Egypt in the movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

SINGAPORE: Visit the newly revamped Marina Bay area, a haven for shopping, dining and entertainment; Singapore Botanical Garden for a culinary experience; CineBlast, Asia’s first and only experiential cinematic ride; Sentosa Luge and Skyride, Night Safari, Under Water World and Jungle Breakfasts at the Singapore Zoo; nightlife at 1927-built St. James Power Station, the largest one-stop nightlife destination in Singapore comprising nine outlets spread across 60,000 sq ft

MELBOURNE: Enjoy a tour of the Philip Island Penguin Parade; night out at Crowne Entertainment Complex; Melbourne Zoo, Queen Victoria Market, Rialto Towers for a bird’s eye view of the city

1967

A scintillating Sharmila Tagore set many pulses racing and made almost everybody wish for a visit to Paris through her movie An Evening in Paris.

Manoharan, Director, Malaysia Tourism, “Bollywood films have majorly contributed to the growth of tourism in Malaysia. After the release of Shah Rukh Khan starrer Don, the sleepy island of Langkawi suddenly became active on every Indian traveller’s itinerary, for nearly half the film was shot there, while in Kuala Lumpur everyone wanted a ride on the cable car. It is this inspirational value which is driving tourism. People want to be where the stars have been or where films have been shot.”

Agrees Beena Menon, Representative, Tourism Victoria, “After the success of Salaam Namaste, the number of Indian travellers to Melbourne has grown by nearly 20 per cent year on year — a growth, which to a great extent, can be attributed to the Indian films.”

So next time you mosey up to the multiplex with popcorn and cola in tow, don’t just cry the tissue to pulp over a mushy romance, but remember to keep your eye on the exotic backdrop as well.

Who knows, between the gyrating couple and the scowling don, you might just find your next holiday destination. A pulp destination, that is.

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MAURITIUS: Walk with the Lions ($69), Undersea Walk ($35), enjoy Submarine ride, one of the four submarine rides in the world ($125), Quad biking ($149 per couple), Blue Safari Subscooter, an underwater scooter - the only one of its kind in the world ($161 for a couple), visit Aveture de Sucre (sugarcane museum), Pamplemousses Garden

million to the Screen NSW budget to attract $70 million in film production. And by the time you read this, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal would be in Sydney to can the Bollywood version of Step Mom. Singapore, on the other hand, is actively promoting itself as an ideal destination under the Film in Singapore! Scheme (FSS) for which the Singapore Tourism Board has poured in $6.3 million. Through FSS, each film-maker or broadcaster may be granted financial support, on a case-by-case basis and/or project facilitation and information provision, with the cost subsidies totalling to a tempting 50 per cent. On its part, the Malaysian Government has set up Puspal, a one-stop clearance centre for permits, permissions, immigration and other necessary requirements for the film.

Mauritius too has developed Mauritius Film Development Corporation to promote film activities in the island nation. To beat them all is the offer of the Fiji Islands, where the government is promising producers a 35 per cent payback of the cost incurred.

Today, not just films, but even stars are being roped in as ambassadors by many countries. Keen to join the film bandwagon, South Korea Tourism Organisation recently signed Shah Rukh Khan as its cultural ambassador to promote tourism and to encourage filmmakers to shoot in Korea. King Khan garnered another honour in his kitty when the Malaysian Government awarded him Datukship for his contribution to entertainment. Though the award stirred a lot of controversy but no one debates Khan’s role in the increasing footfalls of tourists in Malacca. Khan is not the only one, though. Producer Rakesh Roshan too was honoured by the New Zealand Prime Minister for promoting tourism.

Huge investments, along with smart marketing tools have resulted in exponential growth in tourism. Says

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WANDERLUST

A whiff of history in

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Istanbul

A passion for fishing: Travel along the Kennedy Cadesi and you will find the landscape dotted with avid anglers hunched on the rocks waiting for that elusive catch from the Bhosporous

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I step into Istanbul, and find it as real as seen in the pictures, if possible, even more beautiful… with the Blue Mosque on one side and the sea gliding on the other, it’s a perfect amalgamation of the traditional and the contemporary — so what are you waiting for? it’s time for some Huzun, Sema and a touch of history at the gateway to Europe striking a bargain: Full of rugs and carpets, the Grand Bazar is the place where they'll tell you that Oprah Winfrey came visiting yesterday.

Swallow that and continue to bargain like hell!

K SRINIVASAN emal Attaturk! The man Turkey reveres and is acknowledged as the one who forged a decaying Ottoman legacy into a modern nation state stares at you from every street corner of Istanbul. And as at home, you won’t have enough fingers to count the number of things they have named after him. As one of the receptionists at the stately Armada Hotel (www.armadahotel.com.tr) said, “He is the face of modern Turkey, if we are Europe and Asia and still one, it is because of Kemal Mustafa Ataturk.”

But before you get to Sultanahmet — the heart of the tourist district of Istanbul as well as the soul of the old city — you have got to land at Kemal Ataturk airport — one of the world’s busiest junctions and literally the gateway to Europe (virtually every European carrier has multiple flights into Istanbul) — which is as bad as Mumbai and Delhi at peak hours. As the A320 swoops over the Sea of Marmara, it takes a good 40 minutes circling above the azure blue Mediterranean before touchdown (outbound, it took us 45 minutes to take off)!

Coming back to the hotel, one wouldn’t have thought of a better location for the Armada. It’s right behind Kennedy Caddesi (or Kennedy Road, if you please), the long winding boulevard that leads into the city and looks very much like Marine Drive — the Sea (of Marmara) on one side and skyscrapers cheek by jowl with monuments and ugly modern structures on the other. Actually, it is bang on the peninsula of Istanbul — that little strip of land that divides Turkey into Europe and Asia.

As you have breakfast on the terrace of the Armada, you realise why everyone is

K

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The entire strip of Kemedy Caddesi right up to the Galata Bridge is spotted with dozens of men with fishing rods.

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The best way to travel across the Bosphorous is to take the ferry. You have one every half-hour going in different directions and is the preferred way to spend an afternoon.

Chewy and original: What makes the Turkish ice cream such a delight is the almost exotic nature of the vendor.

His dress and his demeanour, well, as they say is "hatke"

so taken in by Istanbul. There is an ethereal picture postcard quality to the panorama: on one side you have the Sultanahmet and a glimpse of Topkapi Museum, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and on the other side the Bosphorous gently gliding into the sea: it’s a mélange of the ancient and the modern, round domes everywhere, ancient crumbling walls at every street corner and relics of the Byzantium and Ottoman Empire all around the area.

Also, one can see the first glimpse of Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul (read his masterpiece, Istanbul: Memories of a city, a semi-autobiographical tour de force) along the entire strip of Kennedy Caddesi right up to the Galata Bridge. Dozens of men with fishing rods spend an eternity waiting for that elusive catch. And what drives them is the camaraderie of being together with friends (it’s like a fourball in golf, it’s no fun if you aren’t playing together, said one of them).You can rent a

rod and every other fishing paraphernalia and join them or simply stand on the Galata Bridge and watch the steamers and the countless ferries go up and down the Golden Horn to their Asian destinations or eat to your heart’s fill in the deck below the bridge.

It’s a cacophony of voices, horns and angry yelps. The Yenikapi Feribot Terminali (ferryboat terminal) in Besiktas is right below the Galata and the bus and tram terminus across the street. It’s the city’s lifeline. The ferry connects the capital with countless towns in the Aegean region and along the Marmara and the nippy catamarans bounce along with dozens of cars in its belly. The trams and the bus take you deep into the belly of this magical city.

So what is it that makes Istanbul (population 15 million and growing every day) Istanbul? Pamuk believes it’s huzun (melancholy): “If I am to convey the intensity of the huzun that Istanbul

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A relaxed shine: If you think that getting your shoes polished was an exclusive south Asian preserve, think again. Rows of shoeshine-wallas at the Istanbul train and bus station.

caused me to feel as a child, I must describe the history of the city following the destruction of the Ottoman Empire and… the way this history is reflected in the city’s ‘beautiful’ landscapes and its people”. But Pamuk himself admits that it is no more the Istanbul that greets visitors today.

That was the Istanbul of the 70s-sepiatinted memories of the Ottomon empire, Constantinople and gateway to the east, as he said in a recent lecture, Istanbul today is “colourful, happier” and packed with tourists. “But the yearning to be a part of the ‘West’, to be in the common market and to be accepted as one by the continent does produce a tinge of melancholia or huzun if you may please.

The morning newspapers are full of EU stories or the NATO alliance and there is little to suggest that the yearning for Europe has lessened in any way.

That’s evident in the almost majestic manner in which residents in the European section flaunt their geographical superiority. “This is Europe, can you feel the difference between the

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A visit to the Cemberlitas Hamam, built by Mimar Sinan, the greatest of all Turkish architects in 1584 is a must.

liberal and accommodating: Young couple inside the Blue Mosque. Now, can you think of any mosque anywhere in the world that would throw two lungis at you and give you the space to have your own experience?

two sides?” is often asked of you.

The question is actually surprising for the Asian side is hip, full of action and a compelling and refreshing change from the antiquity of the European section.

Across the Bosphorous Kadikoy is completely bindaas. Ferries leave every 10-30 minutes and till as late as 11 pm.

Vibrant, irreverent with interesting cafes and great discounts, the Tuesday Market is worth a trip to this section of Istanbul.

Moda is equally enchanting, again great cafes and the tea garden on the hills reminds you of Darjeeling except that the sunset and the sea are something else.

Best of all, there is the old fashioned tram that runs through in a loop from Moda to Kardikoy, like the one in Istiklal Caddesi in Taksim.

One can go on and on, but to feel the magic of enchanting Istanbul, you need to experience it first hand.

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YMCA

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MUST SEE/MUST DO Why is this Medusa upside down? No one knows. You can find this inside the Basilica Cistern

down to the cistern. This underground aqueduct was the city’s water storage.

Water still drips from the ceiling and as you walk through the cistern on the raised platform, you wonder at this marvel created close to 15 centuries ago.

Supported by giant Doric and Corinthian columns, you will see two giant Medusa one upside down! Completely renovated with a cafeteria!

SPICE BAZAAR

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WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT NEVIZADE SOKAK? The food isn’t special, but the sheer experience of making your way across the Istiklal Caddesi to the narrow alley around the flower passage (Cicek Pasaji) and savouring the atmosphere is exceptional.

This is Beyoglu, the modern part of Istanbul. Order a chilled beer, dip into the mezes (cold starters) and ask for the day’s catch and watch the action as the city’s hiphop crowd and tourists like us descend for an evening of action. There is nothing better than a few hours in one of the meyhanes (taverns) here. There is an oldfashioned tram that runs in a loop from one end of Istiklal Caddesi to Taksim square — chugging bang in the middle of this High Street full of fashion and food.

THE BASILICA CISTERN IN SULTANAHMET This Basilica tells you a thing or two about the engineering marvel in Byzantine times.

Bang in the middle of Sultanahmet square, you will miss it if you fail to spot the building next to the tram line, stairs lead

If you want to be touristy then a must see/must do has to be the Spice Baazar and the Grand Bazaar. Just wander around the winding alleys of either market, have a thick skin for the shopkeepers are impossible to restrain and don’t get taken in by the unbeatable offers. The Egyptian Spice Bazaar (Misir Carisisi) is near Pamuk's beloved Galata Bridge right below the New Mosque which is actually 400 years old!

Wander around the spice bazaar and sample the Lokum, baklava, teas and Turkish coffee and dried fruits. A favourite is the apple tea.

Now how the apple tea came to be associated with Istanbul is anybody’s guess.

But they are heaped in packet after packet, processed powder or the original dried fruit.

Take your pick. And don’t forget the dried meat-neatly packed and hanging in bunches from every second shop. They’ll tell you it will last over a year. Want to buy that?

Spices and more: You have saffron.

You have dried meat and different types of spices. Make your choice.

Class act: Just soak in the spirit and the energy of Nevizade Sokak

THE GRAND BAZAAR This is grander and bigger than the Spice Bazaar. If they harass you for the apple teas and the baklava at the Spice Bazaar, be prepared to be enticed by the finest Persian, Syrian, Arabic and Turkish carpets in this magnificent shopping arcade full of carpet shops whose owner will tell you proudly that Clint Eastwood had come visiting recently. That’s the magic of morphing on Photoshop. And then pointing at you, they yell ‘Indian’ and when you nod your head they breakdance: Mere sapano ki rani. You can’t escape Bollywood!

WHIRLING DERVISHES Watching the sema ceremony of the Mevlevi sect isn’t entertainment. Many are disappointed at the performance. What they forget is that this is a Sufi tradition of dhikr (worship). It’s somber, ritualistic and deeply moving particularly if you manage to get the tickets to the one at the Mevlevi Monastry. Unfortunately, we couldn’t catch the ceremony at the Monastery, it was under renovation and the show had been moved to a nearby auditorium. It wasn’t the same, but it was something to see the Whirling Dervishes. There are plenty of Dervish shows in the Sultanahmet area. But that’s not a patch on the real thing.

HAMAM: A visit to the Cemberlitas Hamam, built by Mimar Sinan, the greatest of all Turkish architects in1584. Beautifully preserved, the hamam is an experience that you must savour. There are several in the Sultanahmet area.

TURKISH ICE CREAM: Again uniquely Turkish and called “dondurma”— a chewy ice cream that is hugely popular.

The best part is the stall owners’ flamboyance in doling out the stuff. It’s paisa vasool as we would say.

(PICTURES BY K SRINIVASAN)

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FOOTFALLS

Shahjehanabad (Old Delhi) still has many old mansions with beautiful stone carved doors. This door in black wood stands in a haveli in Kasmiri Mohalla in Bazar Sitaram.

A walk in history From popular chat wallahs, Jalebiwala to paan wallahs, the age old charisma of the bylanes of good old Purani Dilli and Chandini Chowk has only increased with time…

SATISH JACOB

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routes. Sometimes I go via Bazar Sitaram and Gali Prem Narain or via Mohalla Kabristan and Chitli Qabar — all places with a fascinating history.

The history that permeates every corner of Old Delhi is important to me. This fact hit me with great force when recently, during an idle afternoon, I started walking from India International Centre (IIC) on Max Mueller Marg towards Connaught Place. During this long walk, I went past Jinnah’s house, (close to the old Nehru home), the National Museum and the Gallery of Modern Art. That was it.

In Old Delhi, however, you can walk in any direction and every few feet there are places and buildings measuring just four

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ARIM’S SERVES one of my favourite dishes during the cold season — a breakfast of ‘paye’ (trotters) with hot tandoori rotis — which I make a point of having every time I am near the Jama Masjid in winter. This month, three other things, apart from sheer appetite, prompted me to visit Karim’s.

First, it was even colder and bleaker than usual, which made me crave the heart-warming properties of ‘paye’. Second, my childhood friend Asad, who now lives in England and comes to India occasionally to visit his mother, was returning to Lon-

don the following day and I had to see him before he left. We agreed to meet at Jama Masjid along with two other friends with whom I had spent some of my happiest days in the Walled City. Third, I also had to fulfil my promise to Masroor, the grandson of Hakim Ajmal Khan, to visit his excellent library in Ballimaran, where he still lives in the ancestral home called ‘Sharif Manzil’, to pick up a copy of a rare English-Hindustani dictionary compiled by Duncan Forbes, a Scottish linguist in 1867, a year before his death.

As usual whenever I visit Shahjehanabad, as Old Delhi used to be called, I park my car near Turkman Gate and walk to Jama Masjid. I like to choose different

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32 square miles that are seeped in the history of 400 years.

Turkman Gate, for instance, became famous during the Emergency in 1975 when several unauthorised homes were demolished and scores of families were dumped without shelter in various places across the River Jamuna.

But its greater claim to fame is the fact that a great Sufi saint, Shah Bayabani, used to live in this area during the reign of Razia Sultan, in the 12th century. Razia Sultan’s grave is situated half-a-kilometre away, north of Turkman Gate.

The Gate was constructed much later when Shah Jehan built Old Delhi as his capital in 1638 AD. During Razia Sultan’s time, this area was a thick jungle and favourite hunting ground of the royal families because of the leopards and tigers that could be found here.

The Tughlaks also continued to hunt in this jungle and erected a mosque known as Kalan Masjid which is close to Bazar Sitaram, the haveli where Kamla Nehru lived and where Pandit Jawarlal Nehru came, at the head of his ‘baraat’, to marry her. The haveli has survived but only just; it is run down, dilapidated, and a shell of its former self.

Bazar Sitaram is named after an enterprising Kashmiri Brahmin who rose to a high position in the Mughal durbar during the reign of Shah Alam. Over the years, it became known as a neighbourhood where influential Kashmiri families who had found gainful employment during the later Mughuls, liked to live.

One street in particular, Gali Prem Narain, was famous for the grand and elegantly furnished havelis belonging to the Kashmiri nobility. The ancestors of T.N Kaul, the former principal secretary to Indira Gandhi, lived here and while his house has vanished, a few of the havelis still stand.

The River Jamuna once flowed through Ballimaran and the Turkman Gate areas long before the Mughuls settled on Old Delhi as their capital. By the time Shah Jehan came to live in the Red Fort, the Jamuna had changed its course and was on the eastern side of the royal palace. Now it has receded even further to the east.

As Asad and I enjoyed our ‘paya’ at Karim’s, we also talked of how it is not only the river which has changed course — but the destinies of all the families we knew as children have also been transformed. He asks me where these families, many of whom were descendants of the ruling Mughal elite, have gone and I relate how nearly all of them have, over the years,

The entrance to the house in Bazar Sitaram where Kamla Nehru lived is now painted in gaudy red. It was a grand and sprawling building but now broken up into several dwellings.

Old Delhi is known for famous eating shops. The Chaatwala in Chandni Chowk attracts huge crowds every day.

moved out to South Delhi, leaving their havelis to become derelict or to be taken over and used as warehouses.

As we get up to continue our walk, I am struck by how I feel a surge of pleasure, mixed with nostalgia, every time I walk down these noisy, crowded and often dirty lanes. I’m very fond of the other historical monuments in Delhi and I yield to no one in my admiration for the grand, leafy avenues and bungalows of Lutyens Delhi.

But nothing can beat the unique charm and

character of this ancient quarter.

Once you have walked around the Gurudwara Mata Sundari which the sixth Sikh Guru, Harkrishan Singh, and his mother, Mata Sundari founded, you are not far from the Mehndiyan graveyard where Maulana Waliullah, an Islamic reformer, is buried. The area around the graveyard is known as the Mehndiyan because of the mehndi (henna) plants that abound here.

The graveyard came up at this spot because a dreaded prison used to be here

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Another popular eating joint in Old Delhi is the Bhalla Corner, which is everyday thronged by people in large numbers.

Chandni Chowk today is a bustling wholesale market popular for spices, jewellery, textiles and electrical goods.

The fawwara or the fountain in Chandni Chowk has witnessed some gory incidents in its 400 years of existence. It was here Aurangzeb beheaded his elder brother Dara Shikoh. also seen in the background is the gurudwara sis ganj sahib.

and a huge ‘talao’ or a water body. During the independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi used to hold prayer meetings here attended by thousands of people.

From Turkman Gate to Jama Masjid, you can see the ruins of a great many mansions, formerly inhabited by the Muslim nobility.

The area surrounding Jama Masjid was home to the great Urdu poet Ghalib who lived in Ballimaran. Other poets such as Ustad Dagh, Mir Taqi Mir, Zauq and Momin, also lived in the lanes of Chandni Chowk and Chaori Bazar — the street where courtesans used to entertain the Mughul elite with their exquisite elegance and arts.

Chandni Chowk today is a bustling wholesale market for spices, jewellery, textiles and electrical goods but it used to be a great bazaar, known far and wide, and patronised by merchants and traders from all over Central Asia who came to buy and sell priceless stones and spices.

In his book, “Travels through the

Moghul Empire”, Francois Bernier describes Chandni Chowk as an elegant avenue full of beautiful coffee houses and sarais (inns). A canal used to run through the middle of the wide avenue. Nobles wearing white muslin robes and turbans used to arrive in horse carriages or elephants for coffee and conversation.

Merchants would sit regally in their low ceiling, thatched roof shops, leaning against bolsters as they waited for customers. A few homes belonging to these merchant families have survived the most prominent of which are the Chhuna Mal ki Haveli and the haveli of Lala Jugal Kishore.

Chandni Chowk is also famous for traditional cuisine and sweet shops — Dariba’s Jalebiwala, Ghantewala, Chaina Ram, Kanwarjee and Haldiram are more than a hundred years old. On the hot summer afternoons of our childhood, when Asad and I lazed indoors, we used to hear the pounding of the artisans making the silver leaf that would be used by the sweet shops

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and the prisoners who were executed in the jail were buried in the Mehndiyan graveyard.

The jail — India’s first modern jail — was set up here before the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857. A number of prominent Muslim leaders who participated in the rebellion were executed here and later several freedom fighters were incarcerated and hanged here by the British. Two famous freedom fighters, Avadh Behari and Amar Chand (both students of St. Stephen’s College) were hanged in this jail for staging a bomb attack against Lord Hardinge in Chandni Chowk. After independence, the jail was moved to Tihar in west Delhi.

The common area in front of Turkman Gate is known for political rallies but it has also been the site of the Ram Lila festival for more a century. In the 19th century, it used to be famous for wrestling matches

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34 and paanwallahs.

The Chat Corner near Central Bank is now a great local landmark. This bank, in fact, used to be the Imperial Bank, set up by the British and it is here that Avadh Behari and Amar Chand threw a bomb at Lord Hardinge. Rumour has it that the man who owns the hugely popular Chat Corner boasts half a dozen Mercedes and lives in a mansion in Model Town.

Every corner of Chandni Chowk tells a story. Every few foot, you stumble across a building or site of great historical significance. It was here, at Kotwali, that Aurangzeb had the third Sikh guru, Tegh Bahadur, executed. A gurudwara stands on the site of the kotwali where Guru Tegh Bahadur was kept in a lock up before being beheaded. Thousands of Sikh pilgrims visit the gurudwara every day.

Next door is a mosque called the “Sunehri Masjid” or the Golden Mosque where the Iranian king, Nadir Shah, ordered the massacre of citizens in 1739 because some people had attacked and killed his soldiers in the bazaar. Thousands, including women and children, died in the bloodbath. Nadir Shah later left Delhi, carrying the famous Peacock Throne with him.

Chandni Chowk was the scene of another bloodbath when Aurangzeb staged a coup against his father Shah Jehan and had his three brothers — Dara Shikoh, Murad and Shuja — publicly executed. Dara Shikoh, who was the heir apparent and a favourite of Shah Jehan, was brought in chains to Chandni Chowk and publicly beheaded in a crime that shocked the citizens of Delhi who were very fond of the erudite young prince. What used to be Dara Shikoh’s library now houses a polytechnic.

After the Mutiny, the library had become the home of the British Resident, William Fraser, who later moved to Bara Hindu Rao where he was assassinated. The Nawab of Loharu was charged with his murder and hanged following a trial just outside Kashmere Gate.

Thousands of prominent Delhi citizens were publicly hanged like common criminals by the British following the Mutiny.

Among them were the Nawab of Jhajjar and the Raja of Ballabhgarh.

A more fitting name for Chandni Chowk might be ‘Lal Chowk’ given how much blood has flowed through it. In the 100 years between the death of Aurangzeb and the outbreak of the Mutiny, Shajehanabad had been ransacked and looted by a succession of raiders. Mughul Emperor Shah Alam suffered the indignity of having his

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Kabutarbazi is a favourite past time of Dilliwalas. It is a hangover from the times of the Moghuls.

Five steps to prepare yourself for the walk Try and avoid going by car. Take the Metro instead, either from Patel Chowk or Rajiv Gandhi Chowk. Get down at Chandni Chowk and begin your walk from Sis Ganj Gurudwara.

First, explore Chandni Chowk between the Red Fort at one end and Fatehpuri Masjid at the other. The best places to see are Kaori Baoli (the spice market), Kinari Bazaar, Jama Masjid, and the Red Fort.

Carry a bottle of mineral water. Since there are no decent public toilets, make sure that you can hold on for a few hours.

Be careful about your wallet and belongings. The crowded streets are perfect terrain for pickpockets.

Take a break and enjoy some chaat either at Central Bank Chaat Corner, Parathe-wale Gali or at Haldiram, near the gurudwara. Ä If you are not happy doing a solo visit, you can get in touch with Shahjehanabad Redevelopment Corporation and ask for a guide to take you around.

Tel: 011-23392254.

eyes gouged out inside the Red Fort by a knife-wielding Pathan chieftain who not only blinded the emperor but tortured his children and the women in the harem.

Chandni Chowk is about a mile long, with the Red Fort at one end and the spice market in Khari Baoli at the other. This market is still very busy and popular for its spices, dried fruits, pickles, the best Basmati rice and silver leaf. Kinari Bazar, also known as “The Wedding Street”, is a riot of colour which dazzles the senses. Families planning a wedding come here, as they have for centuries, to buy beautiful

The age old sports still played in Old Delhi There are two sports which have continued in Old Delhi from the time of the Mughals — kite flying and pigeon flying. For kite-flying, people living in the quarter use their roof terraces on special occasions such as Republic Day, Independence Day, Raksha bandhan and all Muslim festivals. On these occasions, you can watch the spectacle of the sky being filled with brightly coloured kites being flown and watched enthusiastically by entire families who settle down on the rooftop for the entire day, sustained by tea and snacks.

Pigeons are a more expensive hobby. A pair of good flying pigeons can put you back by a couple of thousand rupees. There are thousands of pigeon enthusiasts who stock hundreds of pigeons in their lofts on their rooftops. Many of these pigeons fall prey to the sharp threads on the kites but every afternoon during winter, it is still a delight to hear the shouts of ‘Come’ or ‘Go’ by the pigeon owners resounding across the rooftops.

embroidered saris and all the other paraphernalia they will need for the rituals of the big day.

Right now, hectic preparations are underway for a facelift to the capital in time for the October Commonwealth Games.

The city should become more beautiful and I welcome that. What saddens me is that so little is being done to improve Old Delhi which, given its history, heritage and architecture, possesses all the qualities of a World Heritage City, if only it were given the gigantic renovation it so badly needs.

(PICTURES BY ACHAL KUMAR)

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EYE TALK

Nivedita Bhasin, an airline pilot with Air India, flies the A330, and is passionate about photography.

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When did you decide to take up photography as a serious hobby?

The thought process started in mid 2005, but it was not until early 2006 that I found a photographer to teach me the basics of photography!

What prompted you to take up this diversion in the first places?

It was in the summer of 2005, when my father-in-law underwent simultaneous knee transplant operations. He too, was an airline pilot, having flown for more than three decades, and all his life he had spent either flying or playing tennis. Basically, he was very sporty and loved the outdoors. His operation was a definite hindrance to his much loved outdoor activities and it certainly had a deep impact on me. I think I went through a period of quiet introspection. I feared, I too may go through this phase of inactivity some day and I would not be well equipped to keep myself busy enough, to keep my body and soul healthy.

Flying had kept me busy for many years.

Fulfilling the needs of two teen-aged children, my husband and home, besides an erratic flying schedule had left me with very little time/choice to try my hand at any activity unrelated to flying.

So, what started as a result of a last ditch option in a way, has become a new found passion for me.

Your favourite photography story?

It is definitely the time I went all the way to Taregna, near Patna to shoot the Solar Eclipse in July this year.

It was as though I was preparing an assault on Mt Everest. The frenzy, the excitement and the preparation (solar filters

Ladakhi Hospitality: Enroute to Pangong Tso

being fabricated, being gifted with a 2X Extender on the eve of my departure) before the journey and the actual moments of the Eclipse are really difficult to describe.

And, just as I had read and heard, the actual moments of totality... 2mins and 56 secs, just flew by. It seemed that day turned to night and back to day in the batting of an eyelid!

Your favourite photographers are?

I don’t have any favourite, but, yes, the one photographer whose images always float around in my mind, is Raghu Rai. Any favourite travel destination for taking pictures?

Without a doubt, has to be Japan. For the

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37 Innocent Faith: Praying for Kosen Rufu at Thiksey Gompa, Ladakh

Is he real? At the Guwahati Zoo

Flaming Flamingos: Birds feeding at Lake Nakuru, a rift valley soda lake, Nairobi, Kenya

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Adrenaline Pumping: Dubai Desert Safari

simple fact, that you see a new Japan every four months... nature changes her colours with each season... in winter, the snow capped Mt Fuji, Cherry blossoms in Spring, listening to the Furin or wind chimes in Summer and the fiery Koyo or Maple leaves in Autumn...all add to the beauty and grandeur of the country.

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Your camera and preferred lenses?

I shoot with a DSLR Canon EOS 50D. On most of my flights, along with my flight bag, my Camera bag has become a constant fixture!

Mid range 17mm-85mm, wide 10mm22mm (which I adore), the Tele Photo EF70mm-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (my most prized possession) along with the 2x Extender are the Canon lenses that I shoot with.

Your favourite travel story?

I was returning from Agra. I was in Class X and we were travelling by train. Although I had always aspired to fly and becoming an Airline Pilot was my childhood dream, I had never explored the possibilities of learning to fly till that time.

On the journey by Taj Express, I got to sit next to a couple of boys who were members of the Delhi Gliding Club. By the time the train had chugged into Delhi Station, each molecule of my body was so enthused and charged up, that I went to the Delhi Gliding Club the very next day... only to be told that I was too young to start Gliding... so, was it an aborted start to a FLYING Career, no, not at all. I started with aeromodelling, then went back to the Gliding club when I turned 16, and, this was the beginning of a new life for me...!

On way to salvation: Pilgrims on board the special Haj Charter Flight to Mecca

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39 An Evening in Paris: Every hour, on the hour, 20,000 bulbs light up the Grand Iron Lady

Awe inspiring: A view from the sky of the Mount Fuji (Fujisan)

Dress them up: Fashionable dogs at Tokyo, Japan

The other way round: Flock of people admiring the smiling Mona Lisa, who is surrounded by security and lens men

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TWIN CITIES

Away from the harbour… in Bengaluru!!

ANITA RAO KASHI

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I

S THERE a description that can match the profile of this CEO? Well, let’s see…

A person born in Sri Lanka, who’s lived most of his life in the Middle East, is a citizen of Australia, works in India and calls both Bangaluru and Sydney his home. That in a line describes Jude E Fonseka, CEO, Deccan 360, the cargo and Logistics Company launched this year by Capt G R Gopinath. A citizen of the world would probably be a better fit.

But even after spending his life in so

many different parts of the world, it’s Bengaluru and Sydney that’s closest to his heart.

So how did he get here? “I believe its destiny,” said Jude, and considering the way his life has moved, so do we. He set foot for the first time on Indian shores

Taking the positives into consideration, Jude believes that each city has its own specialities.

In this era of globalisation, work often takes people places — literally, and makes new cities a part of their life…

Jude E Fonseka, shares his experiences in Sydney and bengaluru way back in 1979 when he was posted to Mumbai during his stint with SriLankan Airlines. “That’s when my love affair with India began,” he recalls fondly. He worked in India for a couple of years, then moved on to the Middle East and then to Australia, and had no inkling what was round the corner. “Out of the blue, I was approached when Capt Gopinath was ready to launch Deccan 360. My initial answer was no, but perhaps destiny was at work again, and I ended up taking the job and moved to Bengaluru,” he says.

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JUDE’S JUDGEMENT Favourite restaurant in Bengaluru Via Milano. I think it is at Koramangala Favourite restaurant in Sydney Basils sea food restaurant, close to my home. It has the best sea food I have ever tasted!

India in your words India is a country of mystical believes that fascinates many visitors.

It is filled with vibrant energy that makes people want to come back again and again to either find inner peace or to gain greater understanding of those mystical believes!

Share one incredible experience It was the opportunity we had to work with the street children of Mumbai!! in Bengaluru is simply great and I love the local fare, though I am yet to get a good steak. So each have their specialities,” he said.

But what about other things? Are there things he misses, things he would like to transplant from one city to the other? The questions animate him and he responds passionately. “I don’t miss the regimentation of Sydney: if you forget to put out your garbage, you are stuck with it for a week, and longer if it is garden stuff.

Here, it is collected from your doorstep everyday and you don’t even have to think about it. Same with the support system: there’s somebody to clean up the house, drive you around and you don’t have to bother about finding parking

Jude’s comfort level from India can be drawn from the fact that he is, after all, from the region and this played a large part in his decision to take the job in the country.

space, so those are certainly good here.

On the other hand, it’s a bit of a dampener that pubs and bars shut so early, and one has to take the party home, which is not always practical. In Sydney, especially during the weekends, parties go on till late in the night and also into the next morning, which is fun,” he says.

And yet, despite all the drawbacks, Jude is certain that his comfort level with India, drawn from the fact that he is, after all, from the region, played a large part in his decision to take up the job and settle temporarily in the country. “I am not sure if I would have decided so quickly if it was any other country,” he says in a contemplative mood. In the background, the sound of ringing phones and shuffling feet had audibly increased; colleagues were waiting for him for the next meeting. But I couldn’t resist one last question: would he consider settling down in India permanently? “That’s difficult to answer. Once children grow up, our lives revolve around them. I don’t know where my kids would want to settle, but I would want to be close to them. If, by any chance, they want to settle here, then so be it.”

(PICTURES BY JUDE E FONSEKA)

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And though it has been some time now, the recent turn of events in his life still seemed to flummox him. The rest of the family is in Sydney, making them a ‘long distance family’ with either side travelling frequently to be with the other.

He is eternally grateful to technology for trying to bridge the gap, in the metaphorical sense, at least. “Thank God for Skype. I am constantly in touch with my family and even read my son a bedtime story. It keeps me connected and is the next best thing to being around physically,” he says. On a more reflective note, he adds, “I am curious to know how this (VOIP) was invented. Was the inventor away from home, missing family and friends and ended up doing it?

It’s interesting.”

His reflective mood evaporates and his eyes begin to twinkle when asked about his likes and dislikes about the two cities.

Rather than focussing on the negatives and indulging in hand-wringing, Jude seems to have taken the positives from each city and proceeded to enjoy them.

“Sydney has a great lifestyle and the food is great where meat is concerned, but even the best Indian food is quite ordinary. On the other hand, the Indian food

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COMPASS

Return to Glory Stately aura all around of resplendent lakes, enchanting venerated mosques and temples, endowing monuments showing glamorous lives of nawabs and begums — Bhopal — never fails to impress even the most discriminating tourists

A lovely view of the sunset at the popular Bhopal Lake

PROBIR SEN

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T

ILL I visited the city, the mental image I had of it was of one of the many railway stations passed by in a long train journey, or of one of the country’s dusty crowded provincial towns, with architecture entirely functional, bordering on the ugly.

Today’s less prosaic and more tragic association is that of the gas disaster of 1984, when 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate leaked out killing 3,000 people in the first instance, and another 17,000, over the years.

Therefore, my first encounter with Bhopal was a very pleasant surprise and subsequent visits coupled with later

working and staying there, led to the growing affection and love for the city and its people.

To begin with, Mother Nature has gifted the city with boundless beauty. True to its title of ‘City of Lakes’, these are lakes indeed that greet us on our arrival in Bhopal. If one comes by train, then the road from the railway station to the city crosses the Chhota Talab, (the Small Lake), while those entering the city via air gets to see the Bada Talab, (the Great Lake) on their drive into the town skirts. This great spread of water, spanning 31km; is more like an expanse of sea than a lake, which, while enveloping the city, reflects on it as well. The saying goes tal mein tal Bhopal, baki sab talaiya. However dominant the Great Lake is, it is only one of many that

softens the city in so many parts.

Next only in beauty to, and complementing the lakes, is the undulating body of the city spread over three hills — Idgah, Shamla and Arera. The city never tires, because it clothes itself differently — a soft carpet of lights from the ‘Birla Mandir’ along with a medieval skyline reflected in the lake when viewed from the Idgah Hills. Bhopal is a neat, well spaced out city, interspersed with gardens. While driving through the broad streets of New Bhopal, or walking through the crowded winding alleys of the Chowk, one is compelled to acknowledge that this town has all the flavours of an old Indian bazaar.

What remains consistent and unchanged, in all parts of the city, is the charm of its people — gentle, unhurried and innately

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The magnificent Taj-UL-MASJID. This is the second largest mosque in Asia.

The famous Birla Mandir, a must visit in Bhopal

Photo courtesy: Nandu Manjeshwar

he exploited internal dissensions to find a kingdom.

When in Bhopal, its first capital — ‘Islamnagar’, lying 11km from Bhopal, is worth a visit. The story says that while posing as a rich visiting nobleman; he set up camp, and invited the local ruler of Jagdishpur to a meal. After the guests settled, on an agreed signal, the ropes of the tent were cut, after which they were swiftly slaughtered and their bodies thrown into a river, which appropriately came to be known as Halali. The gardens, fountains and palaces that you see at

Islamnagar, have an air of placidity, giving no clue about these bloody beginnings.

New Bhopal was created in the mid fifties, as the capital of the newly formed state of Madhya Pradesh. It therefore had a resemblance of town planning with geometrically laid out wide roads, government offices and residences, but was in danger of having a profile of excessive functionalism, had it not been for the efforts of some imaginative officers who worked hard to prevent this. Stark structures of brick and mortar were mellowed by gardens and flowers, and

When in Bhopal, an evening drive on the lakeside road is recommended. It commences with ‘Bharat Bhavan’, passes through the National Museum of Man and ends at the ‘Van Vihar’, the 445 hectares finest open air zoo in India.

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

civilised, a soothing contrast to those used to the rough lingo in the metropolitan cities.

Adding to what nature has endowed Bhopal with, the city also boasts of a rich history, dating back to over a thousand years, if we link it with the 11th century city built by the legendary Raja Bhoj. The modern city however, was developed by the Afghan soldier of fortune, Dost Mohammad (1708-40). Straying from the imperial Mughal armies, using military strategy and treachery with equal skill, always backed by enormous courage,

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44 open spaces created into parks, planned with great care, using contours for beds and streams, and rocks as contrasts to the pastel shades of plants and flowers. Bhopal became a city of gardens where its citizens-of-all-ages flock pleasantly.

In Bhopal, what is also unusual is the use of the banks of the Great Lake to house, not government offices or residences of the powerful or affluent, but unique public institutions.

When in Bhopal, an evening drive on the lakeside road is recommended. It commences with ‘Bharat Bhavan’, a unique complex designed by Charles Correa, housing an art gallery with fine exhibits of contemporary, folk and tribal paintings, a workshop for the fine arts, a repertory theatre, indoor and outdoor auditoria, libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk music and the largest collection of tribal artefacts in the world.

This unique institution highlights love of all art forms by the people of Bhopal, and the creative efforts of the Government of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. Such rich is its creative and cultural aspect that it even led Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to describe Bhopal as the ‘Cultural Capital of India’, a city to which many eminent painters, poets and playwrights came to settle, including J Swaminathan, Habib Tanvir and B V Karanth.

Next, bordering the lake, spread over 200 acres, is the National Museum of Man, which has replicas of dwelling units of tribal, coastal, and mountain people from all over the country, with an informative closed door gallery.

Finally, there is ‘Van Vihar’, the finest open air zoo in India, where a very large variety of animals live in luxuriant natural surroundings. It is spread over 445 hectares.

Bhopalis love to flock to this lakeside drive early mornings and evenings in either two wheelers, open First World War refurbished jeeps or cars. The boating, restaurants, young couples, bright costumes and children create an air of mini carnival that makes the entire city come alive.

Despite these efforts, New Bhopal, like New Delhi, being an artificially created planned city, suffers from the absence of character that comes only from organic growth, for which, like Old Delhi, we have to go to Old Bhopal. The heart of the old city is the Chowk, its winding lanes lined with shops selling beadwork bags, bell metal objects and silver jewellery by shopkeepers, many of whom seem straight out of the old testament. The old city also derives its charm from the palaces and

nawabon ki nagri — bhopal The Tongas and architecture says it all Photo courtesy: Nandu Manjeshwar

mosques built by the Begums of Bhopal, rulers who displayed a range of very unusual talents.

Qudsia Begum, succeeding her husband at the age of 18, ruled from 1819 to 1837.

Though illiterate, she refused to permit the purdah system, and had the strength to declare her two-year old daughter Sikandar her successor. She constructed the Jama Masjid and Gohar Mahal, a delightful little palace overlooking the Bada Talab.

Sikandar Begum, not only followed her mother in not observing purdah, but went a step further and took to martial arts! Her enthusiasm was however not confined to gender issues; she was proactive in education, opening schools and madrasas, and also constructed the Moti Masjid and

A white Tiger relaxing at Van Vihar, the open air zoo in Bhopal

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45 A picturesque view of the Bhopal Lake which runs along the length of the city

Getting there

BY AIR: Catching a flight to Bhopal is the convenient way to reach there. Regular flights from Bhopal to Delhi, Indore and Mumbai are being served by Jet Airways and Indian Airlines, while international flights to Gulf cities like Sharjah and Dubai are operated by Air India. The fares of Jet Airways start from Rs 2,080, Rs 3,679 and Rs 5,079 for Delhi, Mumbai and Indore respectively, while Delhi-Bhopal flight of Indian Airlines costs Rs 2,345. These fares, however, are subject to availability and are likely to fluctuate.

BY RAIL: When not in a hurry, the ideal way to reach Bhopal is through the Shatabdi Express, which shuttles daily between Delhi and Bhopal. In addition, various express trains ply between Bhopal and cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Gwalior, Indore, Gujarat, Jhansi and Ujjain and facilitate railway travel to the place. For timings and fares, please see www.indianrail.gov.in.

BY ROAD: Bhopal is well connected to all major cities through a network of State and National Highways. One can reach Bhopal from Sanchi, which is just 46km away, Indore - 186km, Ujjain 188km, Pachmarhi - 195km and Jabalpur - 295km. Overnight deluxe buses from Delhi, Gwalior and Jabalpur are also available.

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Moti Mahal.

The only surviving child of Sikandar Begum, Shah Jahan, (1844-60 and 18681901), was perhaps the most remarkable of all the Begums. Following the fine traditions of her predecessors she showed keen interest in schemes related to the welfare of her subjects. Like her namesake at Delhi, she was also a great builder, constructing a mini city, named ‘Shahjahanabad’ after her, initiating the construction of the magnificent ‘Taj-ulMasjid’ (‘Crown of Mosques’), the second largest in Asia, and a score of other buildings. Both learned and religious, she authored several books in Urdu, donated to a mosque at Woking, Surrey in England, and to the Muhammad Anglo-Oriental College, which later led to the founding of the Aligarh Muslim University.

Apart from atmosphere of a medieval Islamic city with its palaces, mosques and winding lanes, the Begums of Bhopal also bequeathed to Bhopal a

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shan-e-bhopal: world’s first broad gauge rail coach restaurant

Where to stay There is huge selection of tourist accommodation in Bhopal, which can provide you a comfortable stay according to your budget. For the high-end travellers, Bhopal houses some good luxurious hotels, such as HOTEL JEHAN NUMA: Here the price ranges from Rs 3,562 to Rs 16, 192, depending on the room type. For more details, contact at 0755-2661100-05, 4235100-07.

RESIDENCY HOTEL: The price here varies from Rs 3,256 to Rs 8,266. For more details, contact at 0755-255600104, 4272706-08; 4252192-93.

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For those looking for budget accommodation, Bhopal has lots in store in form of three and five star hotels, such as NOOR-US-SABAH PALACE HOTEL: Here a standard room costs Rs 4,185 while Royal Club is priced at Rs 5,050. One can reach 07554223333, 4239996 for further information.

HOTEL PALASH RESIDENCY: Here standard room is priced at Rs 2,490 while deluxe room at Rs 2,990. Suite costs Rs 4,990. For more details, contact at 0755-2553076 HOTEL LAKE VIEW ASHOKA: Here standard room costs Rs 4,200 for single while Rs 4,500 for double and suite is priced at Rs 7,000 for both single and double. For more details contact at 0755 - 2660090-95, 2661976, 2661964.

For more details on hotels in Bhopal, log on to the official Madhya Pradesh tourism website, i.e. www.mptourism.com, apart from www.yatra.com.

Where to eat and drink ■ Those looking for wine-n-dine

experience can savour delectable cuisine at Hotel Jehan Numa Palace.

■ For a typical central India flavour, visit Hotel Kwality or the famous ‘Wind and Waves’ restaurant at the Boat Club.

■ For a unique dinning experience, visit

the newly opened Shaan-E-Bhopal.

Designed after arailway coach, the restaurant offers Continental and Mughlai cuisines. http://www.raahi.com/travelguides/bhopal/where-to-eat.html is an exhaustive site providing information on what to eat and where in Bhopal.

When in Bhopal, one must see BHARAT BHAVAN: Mecca for the art lovers.

UPPER AND LOWER LAKES: That have rightfully given Bhopal its epithet ‘the City of Lakes’.

The towering edifice of TAJ-UL-MASJID. MAHAVIRGIRI: the highest point in Bhopal.

CHOWK BAZAAR to take souvenirs back home. Here one can shop for itra or traditional Indian perfume, exquisite silver jewellery, beautifully-fashioned beadwork, sequined and embroidered velvet purses and cushions. www.bhopal.nic.in provides a 360 degrees view of the multiple sightseeing choices in Bhopal.

tradition that endowed its ladies with pride and freedom.

History and beauty apart, what adds greatly to the appeal of Bhopal are the places surrounding it. Sanchi and Pachmarhi are great destinations, but what are less than an hour’s drive from Bhopal are Bhojpur and Bhimbetka, both of which are unique in their own ways.

The paintings, ranging from prehistoric times to the early historic, often superimposed on each other, depict the myriad aspects of man’s life-hunting, riding, fighting, drinking, dancing, praying — and a range of animals, such as, elephants, sambar, bison, deer, peacocks and snakes, as well as hunting scenes with bows, arrows, swords and shields.

Most striking are the vibrant colours which have survived all these years, which blaze into life when water is sprayed.

Even for those who may not find these paintings interesting, the massive bizarreshaped black rocks, amidst forests, are a visual treat.

Returning from Bhimbetka, and taking a short diversion, one reaches Bhojpur, the great Saivite temple, constructed by the legendary Raja Bhoj (1010-1053), warrior, scholar and patron of the arts, from whom, as mentioned earlier, Bhopal derives its name. The approach to the monument has remains of the embankments of the enormous lake, said to be 250 sq km in area, built by Bhoj, which was later destroyed by Hoshang Shah. Gond legends state that it took three months to destroy, and three years to empty, altering permanently the climate of the region.

The incomplete temple can be sighted from a distance, but what you see on entering can never be anticipated — the gigantic ‘lingam’, 7.5 ft in height, with a circumference of 17.8 ft, on a massive platform 21.5 ft sq, a great symbol of lifeforce, a sight compelling reverence.

Due to Raja Bhoj’s involvements in wars, the temple remained incomplete; but still remains one of the best examples of temple architecture of its times. Outside are half-finished sculptures, the earthen ramp used to lift stones to the sikhara (spire) of the temple, and architectural designs of the temple engraved in the rocks. It appears as if the workers have just broken off — and the scene remained frozen for over 900 years.

All these — the lakes, the hills, the warm and gentle people and the extraordinary sites surrounding it — make Bhopal a sanctuary which beckons most to return to it, again and again, and it is not surprising, that some do so forever.

(PICTURES BY MP TOURISM)

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MILES N MORE/RAJASTHAN

On the Highway to Nostalgia

Featuring monolithic medieval forts, vibrant shopping avenues, national parks, and delectable cuisine — A road trip, done like never before, showcases a new Rajasthan to us…

PANKAJ BUTALIA

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

A

S I move from one incredible medieval fort in Rajasthan to another, I cannot but be struck by the nostalgia that is my constant companion. It is almost as if this were the most enduring emotion that defines this gigantic state.

Jaipur’s imperial vistas take us back a hundred years to the Raj while its monuments remind us of its three century old origins. Chittaurgarh and Jaisalmer beckon from a millennium ago while other remains of the past five hundred years litter the open countryside. Mirroring this is the vast desert with hawks circling ominously above — a nostalgic lure of its own — drawing me into its primeval barrenness.

The tourist industry has obviously recognised the potential of this lure as everything in the state competes to try and

Hundreds of pelican flock to bharatpur during the winter sea-

take the visitor back into an imagined land — where valour was the prized virtue and handlebar moustaches its physical manifestation — and where the Maharajas and their vassals grew from strength to strength even as their subjects struggled to eke out an impossible living from the dry earth. Today, most fortresses are luxury

hotels — testimonial to the fall of the mighty.

For me, this trip to Rajasthan had some personal nostalgia associated as well.

Twelve years ago we had taken our first long road trip by car around Rajasthan — starting in Bharatpur and ending in Jaisalmer and even till date, memories of

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the 900 year old Jaisalmer Fort is one of the most magical forts in india

that trip refuse to go away. Rajasthan today is said to have the best roads in India. The temptation was to see if our nine year old was ready to enjoy Rajasthan as much as we had and also to see how the journey would shape up with a newly arrived car in the shape of a Tata Manza.

Since the decision to do this trip was taken rather late in the day and winter is the peak season for the desert, we decided to do our bookings through a travel agent located in Jodhpur. In retrospect this was a mistake — but more of that later.

Bharatpur lies on one end of Rajasthan while Jaisalmer is on the other. But Bharatpur is where the birds come every winter and the memory of hundreds of pelicans taking off in noisy unison and cormorants perched patiently on branches overlooking the marshes, waiting to dive for the next eel or fish that swam past, was enough to ensure that this be our first stop.

The drive from Delhi to Bharatpur was not a long one as the highway is made for smooth driving, so we made it in a very comfortable four hours. Bharatpur has two luxury hotels and a few small budget ones — mainly concentrated around the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. We’ve never managed to stay at the ITDC maintained Bharatpur Forest Lodge which is inside the sanctuary and the Udai Vilas Palace on the Agra Highway was a good substitute. It was a well spread out place and it allowed us to the luxury of lounging around in its open courtyard and soaking in the winter sun.

But a huge disappointment was in store when we went into the sanctuary for our first visit. For almost two kilometres from

newly constructed highways of Rajasthan were a delight to drive on. We drove past Balaji where buses full of pilgrims waited in line to exorcise their ghosts! Near Dausa I was reminded of Rajesh Pilot’s accident.

If only the roads had been like these ten years ago, he would have been alive today.

The short stretch of 150 km between Bharatpur and Jaipur had three toll collection points and five barriers because of some system of double checking which one doesn’t see on other highways.

Bypassing Jaipur still remains an unresolved problem. There needs to be a smoother transition from the east of Jaipur to its west. The worst stretch, exceedingly dangerous too, is the one between Ajmer and Beawar. It’s a single carriage road with very heavy truck and bus traffic and countless railway crossings. Heavily laden trucks compete with state transport buses to overtake at high speeds. The death toll on this stretch must be the highest in Rajasthan. But once we forked off from Pali, the drive became blissful.

It was in Jodhpur that we were confronted by the con our travel agent had pulled on us. We had asked for homestays at comfortable hotels or old Havelis, but instead landed up in what was an over constructed house in a relatively new colony. Pictures of Maharajas of different vintages were put up in the rooms to create

the entrance there was neither water nor marsh. The draught last summer had hit the sanctuary hard. No water meant no water birds. A large municipality water pump sluggishly chugged away — drawing out underground water in an attempt to create water bodies — but it was too little — too late. This was the end of December and most migratory birds had already decided to seek other pastures. After three visits to the park and the small ‘marsh’ that had been created, where we had sighted over two hundred species of birds on our earlier visit, we managed to spot but one spoonbill, one Ibis and a pair of Indian Sarus Cranes. There was a random jackal here or there — and a crested eagle somewhere in the distance, maybe a few blue jays as well, but all this didn’t really add up to what the sanctuary is all about.

We left Bharatpur with heavy hearts two days later. It was bitterly cold and there was a light mist outside.

Jodhpur was almost 500 km away but the roads were deserted and the journey incredible. The desert offers miles of from leather juttis, bags to hats, Rajasthan has lots in store for you in terms of shopping straight roads and the

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a false grandeur. It was our first indicator about the fake nostalgia that Rajasthan’s tourism industry thrives on. But Jodhpur has so much else to offer that this was soon forgotten as we set out to do the tourist things. The much hyped Umaid Palace was yet another disappointment. This grand palace at which tourists pay to get in only to find that the crafty royalty allows them with just four rooms crammed with innocuous bric-a-brac were not impressive, to say the least. Apparently, the erstwhile Maharaja sold off 75 per cent of the Palace for a hotel, kept 20 per cent for himself and threw open the leftovers for a gullible public. Architecturally too the Palace seemed indifferent and confused. Did it have an old Rajput design or were we seeing a pathetic neo Edwardian aspiration, one couldn’t say.

However, the rather spectacular Mehrangarh Fort brought joy back to our lives. Located high above the city, it offers great views of the town below. Inside is its incredible Sheesh Mahal, with large mirror pieces embedded in its walls and with intricate figures painted on plaster. There is a special section on the armory as well as the entertainment rooms for the Maharajas — the Phool Mahal. The collection inside is also quite varied — with a wide range of palanquins, shields, carpets. It is here that one gets the feel of being in a world

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Set at the edge of Thar Desert,the city palace, jodhpur echoes with the tales of bravery

Located high above the city, the Mehrangarh Fort offers great views of the town below. Inside is its incredible Sheesh Mahal, with large mirror pieces embedded in its walls. inhabited at another time by another class.

A visit to the fort alone would be enough reason to travel from Delhi to Jodhpur.

In addition to some good eye candy, Jodhpur offers superior shopping opportunities too. For those who wish to buy old wooden furniture, camel leather juttis, textiles and carpets, this is the place to be. Strangely enough, the Fort offers good shopping options for juttis and carpets too — maybe a bit more expensive than the street but with greater choice and certainly better quality.

On exit from Jodhpur towards Jaisalmer, we stopped by Kalyana Lake - a vast, sprawling lake spread over 84 sq km. It was here that we saw the Cormorant we had missed in Bharatpur. We spent more time here than we’d planned and had to tear ourselves away to get back onto the undulating highway that lay ahead of us.

Finally Rajasthan was beginning to give us what we’d sought from it. No travel agents or poor hotels could take this away. Or so we thought!

When we reached Jaisalmer there seemed to be no sign of Hotel Shanti Residency, where we’d been booked by the same travel agent. It took half an hour of being shuttled around before we managed to locate an obscure, shoddily constructed hotel surrounded by dust and hardware shops about two km from the fort. The three pots were the only mocking tribute to greenery and incidentally were coated by dust and cement. The rooms were small and finished excessively with locally available brown marble! Once again we had been taken in by the travel agent and the photographs online. This was certainly not where we expected to stay when we planned our trip. Luckily by now we had also decided that the holiday was in our hands and we had to disregard the environment we’d expected and make the most of what the place had to offer.

Jaisalmer remains “Sonar Kella”. It has perhaps one of the most magical forts in the world. A 900 year old fort which stands high on Trikuta Hill, and which is made of unique yellow sandstone. The fort, even today houses a substantial living population. Innumerable shops, restaurants, temples and old havelis inside

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SOME TIPS FOR THE BEGINNERS Try and book places yourself. Online searches are the best option. Read reviews of hotels at different travel websites. Phone the hotel directly.

Bargain and pull down “Rack rates” by 15-25 per cent even during peak season.

Travel agents will charge you Rack Rates as well as a commission.

Those unfamiliar with roads must carry a road map. Go to Google, MapsofIndia or Yahoo Maps, enter your start and destination - print out the route given. This is the best and saves you having to buy volumes of maps.

There are enough petrol pumps along the way - but rates differ. Diesel was about Rs 32 in Haryana and Rs 37 on the highway near Jaisalmer. Figure them out before you embark on a journey.

MECHANIC? If you’re stuck you have no choice, but most cities today do have helplines for cars. Carry along your carmaker’s helpline number ands see if you can be bailed out.

FOOD? I’m a fussy eater. I hate oily food - so have to be disappointed when I travel in Rajasthan - but sometimes dhabas allow you to dictate what you want to eat and how it should be cooked. We also came across the first five star dhaba of our lives on the Ajmer-Jodhpur route.

WHAT TO CARRY? Water is a must. Some food if you start early. Even if you plan to eat along the way, you’ll feel very hungry after an

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the fort make it one of the most alive forts in the world. It is also perhaps the only tourist destination in Rajasthan which offers a wide range of cuisine — from Tibetan to Chinese to Italian and of course, local. Primarily vegetarian, though.

For the next three days we ate, drank and breathed Jaisalmer Fort. The nine year old’s search for Pizzas took us to Restorante Italian at the entrance of Gate No 1 from where we were able to get perhaps the best panoramic view of the inside of the fort.

We also took a long drive to the sand dunes at Sam, where we had one of our memorable afternoons and a camel ride on Shahrukh Khan!

Jaisalmer made up for any disappointment we may have had earlier — even though the authorities had decided to impose a ‘dry’ period from December 20 to January 1. Talk about official killjoys!

early start. Sandwiches, parathas, take your pick. But do go for healthy snacks preferably. No point adding calories as you drive.

Make sure you have a spare tyre ready at ALL times. If you have a flat tyre, get it fixed at the next possible stop.

First aid kit.

Carry lots of music. Nothing can compare with the accompaniment music provides on a long journey.

If possible, change drivers every three to four hours. When this is not possible, stop at the first sign of drowsiness. Do not take chances!

NO liquor on the road. But do carry it along to Jaisalmer, where the restaurants inside the fort are mostly unlicensed.

Don’t park on sand if the sand seems excessive. Our car had to be hauled by several men at the dunes, who charged a hefty amount for doing it Except for three or four meals during this period, food had been by and large disappointing. By the time we hit Bikaner on our way back, we were famished and starved for good food. The prospect of eating heavily oiled food at some makeshift place in town was not particularly appetising. But then lady luck smiled on us! Just short of Bikaner the railway crossing was closed and there was a huge pile up of traffic and that was where we

In addition to some good eye candy, Jodhpur offers superior shopping opportunities to buy products, such as leather juttis, textiles, carpets, etc.

noticed a sign saying “chicken corner”. We parked the car, rushed in and bullied the two young boys serving there to allow us to dictate what we wanted and how to make it. Under our hawk-like supervision, the two turned out the best Chicken Curry we’d eaten in a long time — made with very little oil but tonnes of taste. You could not imagine how two and a half people could make so much of a few pieces of Chicken and Tandoori Roti!

At Bikaner we stayed at a farmhouse far out of town! Again, this was something we had not bargained for. We were the only occupants — which meant it didn’t command the price our travel agent had charged us for.

It was in Nawalgarh in the Jhunjhunu area that we finally had our ‘haveli’ experience. The Roop Niwas Kothi is the poorer cousin of Roop Niwas Palace in that the split between the brothers left the smaller property with the more enterprising brother and the larger one with the brother who clearly had no desire to run it as a hotel. Thus, this large though rather picturesque ‘kothi’ has a run down look to it - with rickety chairs and torn matting. The walls badly needed a coat of paint and the staff, when we managed to find any, was out rightly rude. The rather indifferent food was overpriced, taking advantage of the fact that there are no places to eat nearby. The little town however has lovely old havelis and neglected baolis. The place has a distinctly Shekhawati feel to it with rich and colourful frescoes all over. Here is no distinction between art and life, but an uneasy overflow of one into the other.

We walked around the small town, saw the havelis and the Poddar museum and headed back for Delhi - happy with what we’d seen and the knowledge that drives around Rajasthan are possible and can be fun. Our experience with the new Tata Manza was also a memorable one. Tata hasn’t had much success in the passenger car division. But the Manza will change this. It was a smooth drive all the way through - even though the gear change and indicator lever reminded us of the trucks Tata used to make! But the car has great pick-up and incredible consumption. We covered just under 2,100 km on our journey and used 101 litres of diesel. This meant an average of 20.4 km / ltr, which was even higher than the highway average Tata promised. However, next time we’d do the booking ourselves and look for places where food options would be less limited — and where liquor policy was not arbitrary and unnecessarily moral!

(PHOTOS BY PANKAJ BUTALIA)

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RENDEZVOUS

Makeover Maharaja RACHANA RANA BHATTACHARYA

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The warm and charismatic Tarun Thakral, Chief Operating Officer, Le Meridien Hotel, New Delhi, is not only a futurist with a mission, but also a core commissioner who ensures your penny's worth as you step into his kingdom…

HE VISITING card is precise: N 28º 37’ E 77 º 13’ and Le Meridien is easy to find. After all, it is one of the most sought after business hotels in the most happening part of town: just off Janpath in the posh Lutyen’s part of New Delhi.

I await a meeting with Tarun Thakral, whose reputation precedes him. A graduate in Hotel Management from IHM Chennai, Tarun Thakral joined Le Meridien New Delhi as a young management trainee in 1986. To hone his skills further, he decided to pursue an MBA in International Hospitality Management from Cornell University and ESSEC Paris and in the process, received training at the Le Meridien Etoile - Paris and Le Meridien - New Port Beach in California. On returning to India in 1992, he took over as the Accommodation Manager of the Le Meridien — New Delhi and by 1997, he was one of the youngest General Managers in the hospitality industry who then went on to become the Chief Operating Officer of the company by 2005.

As one walks into the lobby, it is easy to see why. The hotel is nothing like what it once was. The thick carpets, black interiors, and heavy chandeliers are gone.

Instead, there are buoyancy and lights

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The lavish banquet hall with exquisite interiors in the Le Meridien has catered to many events

“Technology had changed the industry so we installed high-tech computers which facilitated smooth check-ins and checkouts, and trained the staff so that all departments could access guest histories and assist them more ably.” property: all-glass frontage, black granite floors, an atrium lobby with a glass curtain wall, and French furniture — it was the most modern looking hotel of its time. But Manmohan Singh’s economic policies in the ‘90’s changed all that. Those policies ushered in very rapid changes in our lives — new cars, new lifestyles, more exposure to the world. Till the year 2000, we were a new hotel, still recuperating our investments. But by then the hotel, despite its very contemporary exterior, had begun to look a bit dated within. So 6-7 years back we tied up with the international brand: Starwood Hotels and Resorts which meant we had to meet certain worldwide standards if we wanted access to their clients. To achieve this, we began renovating the hotel about five years ago.”

Having overseen two massive refurbishings at Le Meridien, Tarun is clear that one must see the big picture and make every penny count. “The rooms are

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now. To my right, was a spectacular red and beige coffee shop. In front, against the backdrop of the glass-backed reception area, a massive stacked-glass sculpture soars upwards into the atrium and spills mellow, muted sunshine onto the white floors with circular mosaic inlay in shades of grey. The effect is spectacular. The hotel seems to glow from within... drawing your eye to small eclectic touches: two chairs upholstered in a black and white ‘cowhide’ design, hushed black curtains that flow down right from the top of the atrium to the floors below, creating an immense sense of space... dwarfing the bellboy who emerges from behind it and leads me to the lift.

Tarun Thakral turns out to be warm, affable and charismatic, and puts one instantly at ease. “When Le Meridien first opened its doors on March 14, 1988” he recalls, “it had all the latest features in hotel interiors incorporated into the

our core business. So we ensured that every single inch of space was utilised functionally. And everything that interfaces the guest, met global standards. We wanted a chic contemporary look with absolutely top-quality features, so we got Mumbai-based Bobby Mukherjee & Associates to re-vamp the interiors. We had to import most of our stuff, but guest comfort is where we don’t cut any corners.

We started with mock-ups, bringing the interiors up-to-date: not just in the way it looked but by modernising our functional features as well. Today, each guestroom and suite has Wi-Fi + high speed internet access, a 42” plasma TV, DVD, VCD and CD Player. The 1st phase of renovation began in April 2004 and by September 91 rooms were done. In the 2nd phase we renovated 104 rooms and another 104 in the third. Post renovation, we now offer a wide range of choices: soundproof rooms done up in lighter and darker hues, bathtub and shower cubicle options, even ‘Pillow Menus’ with a wide choice of size, shape and material. We innovated on rates and tried to cater to all sections of our clientele.”

“Technology had changed the industry so we installed high-tech computers which facilitated smooth check-ins and checkouts, and trained the staff so that all departments could access guest histories and assist them more ably, by being aware of their needs and preferences: Does he

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The refurbished luxury suite bedroom at the hotel

prefer a room on the non-smoking floor, a larger bed, is she allergic to a certain ingredient? It’s all there at the click of a button. Computerisation has led to big leaps in the quality of service. Post 26/11 and the bomb blasts at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Oberoi Trident Towers in Mumbai, ensuring guest security has become a major concern. We have installed cctv cameras and more guards, better skilled at scanning and frisking protocol.”

Having recently attended a few dos at the Conference Halls (that seat upto 1500 people and offer state-of-the-art amenities like AMX remote control units and cordless conferencing etc.), I tell him of how almost everyone had commented with delight on the outstanding cuisine.

Hearing the compliment, Tarun beams contentedly, “We conducted a survey of what Delhi-ites like to eat and hired an excellent F&B Consultant - Chef team from Australia.” As you walk through the hotel, it all falls into place. Nero, the Lounge Bar with its gothic overtones is the perfect space for private tête-à-têtes, or simply walk across to the Henri’s Bar and ask the celebrity bartender for one of his famous cocktails. There’s all day dining featuring a mix of Asian and Western dishes at The One. You can shake a leg at Le Belvedere the rooftop nightclub with a live band, where you can enjoy grand views of Lutyen’s Delhi and feast on Chinese Cuisine. Or taking a unique departure from traditional fare, savour fresh pairings at Monsoon their exciting new Indian Restaurant. Stop by at Caffee e Chocol’art to sample the time-tested weapons of seduction: freshly brewed coffee and a rich selection of melt-in-themouth chocolates.

You may not realise at first, why the whole experience of swishing through the doors of Le Meredien feels so uplifting.

Understated scent machines with different kinds of subtle fragrances delicately refresh

the air you breathe in, as you walk in through each area of the hotel - the double doors into the lobby, the lift and then your room. The soft background music changes too, making for an exceedingly pleasing sensory experience and immensely subliminal high. What isn’t there? A swimming pool, steam baths, a gym and modern spa with private treatment rooms to relax you completely — you name it, they have it.

Post revnovation, Le Meridien offers something called 'Pillow Menus' with a wide choice of size, shape and material.

When asked how they achieved this, Thakral ponders amused, “You know, if you make it a great experience for him, the traveller returns. In the early days, hospitality was very PR-oriented.

Managers went out of their way to build social contacts, remain popular and media savvy. But I believe you must draw a line

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The new Indian restaurant 'Monsoon' with the bar lounge area

somewhere. To me, profits are the bottom line,” he states squarely. “Simple things we had learnt through experience were incorporated - we made huge energy savings. The massive chandelier in the lobby consumed massive amounts of electricity - you can see we’ve changed that. Double-doors in the lobby area helped cut down air-conditioned air loss.

Rainwater harvesting, recycling in the kitchens…eco-features are just basic common sense” says Tarun humbly, playing down his achievements.

“We’ve moved with the times. The stability in our management has helped build teams that can relate to and trust each other. Many of our employees have been with us for over a decade. When there’s a sense of involvement, ownership, of being allowed to use your creativity to its fullest, you feel immensely empowered and complete delegation becomes possible” says Meena Bhatia (Vice President - Operations & Marketing).”

Rajesh Sikka who has been with the company for 15 years, seconds her. “Mr. Thakral does not tolerate nonsense, but he puts his full confidence in you. He never discourages anyone and appreciates and rewards hard work. He actually listens to people and personally helped with my daughter’s school admissions…how can I possibly leave? Where will I get such an atmosphere again in any industry?” Good question. Unlike a lot of managers, Tarun Thakral is not a single-minded man with blinkers on - but a hands-on multidimensional one with his balance sheet in front of him and his heart in the right place. To whom every aspect of life matters equally - work and relaxation, cuisine and leisure, comfort and contentment. One reason why perhaps, he is able to so easily, put both his employees and guests at ease.

(PICTURES BY LE MERIDIEN NEW DELHI)

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EXOTIC EXCESS

LEELA’S LUXURY LIVING When a Hollywood star chooses a six month old property to stay in, there must definitely be something special about it.

To discover the secret, we took a trip to THE LEELA KEMPINSKI GURGAON — DELHI NCR and its hospitality, which is unique to the Leela brand, gave us all the answers…

Live kitchens inside the restaurant 'Spectra' at the Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon

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hat can you say about a hotel that within just six months of being into business already boasts of a guest list comprising Hollywood actress Julia Roberts and her three kids along with Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and more? It can simply be termed as ‘the Leela effect’.

That effect rippled through the warm smiling faces and folded hands that welcomed us into the lobby of The Leela, Gurgaon. White chrysanthemums and rippling waterfalls created nothing less than a magical ambience.

If the lobby area upped our expectations, the Upper Lobby area matched it. The Upper Lobby area alone caters to some five banquet areas, offering a total of 27,000 sq ft of function space, the largest in the region. Supplementing the banquet area is a full service business centre, well equipped with all the needs of a businessman. From marriage ceremonies, to popular dance and music programs to international conferences, almost everything can be organised in

The Upper Lobby area caters to some five banquet areas, offering a total of 27,000 sq ft of function space, the largest in the region.

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the main lobby area at the Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon

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Guestroom Information

The guestrooms at The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon offer luxury at its best

Guestrooms 294 Presidential suite 01 Deluxe Suites 06 Executive Suite 21 Service Apartments 90

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The spa ‘Lavanya’ promises and offers relaxation in luxurious settings

these banquet areas. The artistic wall graphics, done along the corridors of the upper lobby, needs a special mention here as you cannot just walk past it without admiring the beauty of its modern art.

Next on our list was to take a dip in luxury, well virtually at least. Spa Lavanya, located again on the upper lobby is a reflection of Leela’s principle philosophy that purports graciousness and warmth. Spanning over 10,000 sq ft, Lavanya features a relaxation area, consultation rooms, treatments rooms, spa suites and personal steam rooms. You have to stay a couple of nights here just to do justice to the spa’s various treatments.

The adjoining salon too is well furnished bathrooms with wooden shades to more with all latest techno gadgets, promising plush interiors, the Leela effect was there value for money service. to experience.

The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon can “Having opened in July this year, we surely be called a culinary delight. Its have already become the No. 1 in the Italian speciality restaurant, Zanotta, city. In November 2009, for a period of located on the top floor, scores high for its about 20 days, we experienced 100 per spectacular view and perfect ambience. cent occupancy,” said Vella Ramaswamy, An Italian wine cellar coupled with General Manager, The Leela Kempinski soothing Italian music offers an Gurgaon, Delhi (NCR). Talking about unforgettable experience. Meanwhile, its being the only property in India Indian speciality restaurant - Diya, standing attached to a mall he said, located in the main lobby, is a “Hotels being attached to the mall is DID culinary mosaic of Indian a concept that is quite popular YOU KNOW? flavours. With a capacity to abroad. We are happy to be Its multi-cuisine accommodate 112 guests, restaurant — Spectra, alone the pioneers in introducing Diya is a delightful venue boasts of an investment of $9 this concept in India. It is million. Spectra features an for people who enjoy the the latest trend and has interesting setting of culinary traditional Indian fare many advantages. Our outside of their kitchens. islands with live kitchens serving guests can check-in in global cuisine spanning several Last but surely not the continents. The restaurant has the morning, get fresh, least, its multi-cuisine have breakfast and walk an adjoining private lounge restaurant - Spectra alone their way into watching the and a sophisticated bar called Rubicon. boasts of an investment of $9 latest movie. We are very million. Spectra features an proud to be showcasing the interesting setting of culinary islands with modern living of the Indian people.” live kitchens serving global cuisine Inside the Leela, the ambience, spanning several continents. The service, beauty and extravaganza made restaurant has an adjoining private lounge me temporarily forget where I was. It and a sophisticated bar called Rubicon. was only when I stepped on the porch The rooms with their understated that the flying Indian national flag made luxury presented a balanced synthesis of me realise that I had just experienced space, beauty and advanced technology: luxury at its paramount best in nowhere from LCD screens to glass walled else but India.

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WANDERING GOURMAND PUSHPESH PANT

Deliciously

Photo courtesy: The Park, New Delhi

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Photo courtesy: The Metropolitan, New Delhi

Hyderabad

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Famous primarily for the beautiful Char Minar and the delicious biryani, Hyderabad, in addition to these, has many more delicacies in store for a gourmand…

PUSHPESH PANT introduces them to us…

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repository of architectural styles.

However, the charms of the city apart, for us, the greatest seduction has always been the food. Where else can you breakfast on Kicchadhi-Kheema (rice with lentils with mince) or snack day long on dainty savouries like Luqmi (mince dilled thin packets of puff pastry)? If one city in India can vie with Lucknow as the prime gourmet destination it is Hyderabad for sure.

Biryani, Dum Ki and Kacchi, paired with Mirchi Ka Saalan (large green chillies in mild yogurt gravy) are the signature dishes of this city. Daalcha Gosht is an unusual attractive blend of lentils and meat. Of the kebab that shows a distinct imprint of Deccan are Patthar Kebab (fillets grilled according to food lore on volcanic stone), Tatti Kabab (with prominent grill marks of wire mesh) and the chapli (shaped like sandals).

For those who wish to get more adventurous with the cuisine, on offer are temptations like paaye and zuban — trotters and tongue, which can be best savoured at ‘Parvez’ near Secundarabad railway sta-

Hyderabad is a place where not only the North meets the South but East too flirts deliciously with the West.

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YDERABAD, founded more than four hundred years ago to commemorate the idyllic romance of prince Quli Qutab Shah and the talented danseuse Bhagmati aka Hyderibai has many claims to fame. The beautiful Char Minar and Medina Masjid are well known landmarks as is the towering statue of the Buddha in Hussein Sagar.

This city was the capital of the Nizam who was once reckoned to be the richest man in the world and who led a life of amazing contradictions — using a large diamond as a paper weight and saving cigarette butts for later use.

There is much to see and do in Hyderabad and its environs including the Salar Jung Museum, which is testimony to a noble’s whimsy that has resulted in a mind boggling collection of art objects from all over the world. Laad Bazzar, nestling under the shadow of the famous quartet of minarets, panders to ladies’ weaknesses bangles, costume jewellery and pearl sets.

This is the place to collect exquisitely crafted pieces of Bidari metal ware.

The historic city Golconda, now in ruins, promises an exciting daylong excursion back in time. The fort as well as the cluster of Qutubshahi tombs is a rich

tion. This joint has an enviable reputation for this local delicacy. Visitors in a hurry, who are unable to fit in a lunch or dinner in their hectic schedule, often manage to get the famous Hyderabadi Biryani packed from ‘Paradise’ along their way to the airport. Paradise — originally an Irani but now a multi cuisine restaurant, is a famous landmark in the city. Residents are divided amongst partisans of Hyderabad House and Bawarchi. For sheer ‘taste-plus’ atmospherics nothing can beat Medina and the many’ holes in the wall’ in Pattharghatti.

‘Shadab’, next door, is the place to sample traditional Hyderabadi fare in semblance of a restaurant. If you are fortunate to have friends in the city, work hard to cadge an invitation to sample the fare at the Nizam’s Club. The cooks there are proud of their kitchen’s reputation and seldom disappoint with Hyderabadi repertoire be it Biryani, Dum Ka Murg or Dubble Ka Meetha.

Vegetarians can take delight in sweet and sour Baghar Ke Baigan prepared with ground nuts, jaggery, tamarind and tempered with curry leaves, Chooran Ke Karele (bitter gourd with piquant spices) and Tamatar Ka Kut (tangy tomatoes thickly pureed and tempered served with hard boiled eggs).

The desserts are no less exotic. Khubani Ka Meetha (dried apricots stewed and served with sinfully large dollops of clotted cream), Baadam Ki Jaali (almond marzipan replicating fine latticework) and Gil-e-Firdaus (literally ‘Clay of Paradise’- a blend of cardamom laced mildly sweet thickened milk, yogurt, clotted cream and milk solids enriched with slivers of almonds and pistachio), can hold their own against any contender on the sub-continent.

The city houses a wonderful blend of flavours and cooking styles, ranging from Persian and Turks to Andhra and traces of Tamil, Kannadiga and Maharashtrian.

This is the place where not only the North meets the South but East too flirts deliciously with the West.

For those who like it hot, there is the Amaravati — chain of ethnic restaurants with its scorchers both vegetarian and non vegetarian. Here you can gorge on Pesarattu (a green lentils pancake, Dosai look alike but very different in taste and texture) and ‘gunpowder’ Podi (chilly hot spice-lentils mix) and myriad hued Chutneys.

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COMFORT FOOD

They rise, you shine Yes, we mean those balloon-sized puris puffed up with pride.

Call it what you like — the combo has as many variations as its name. We take on a lip-smacking journey in search of the Holy Grail... or simply the ubiquitous and deliciously satisfying northern India staple, Chole Bhature K SRINIVASAN

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F YOU WANT to get to the juice of Chole in Chole Bhatura read Pamela Timm’s engaging blog ‘Eat and Dust’ on her gastronomic journey across India. Says Timm, “When conniving Mughal upstart Aurangzeb imprisoned his father, Emperor Shah Jehan, in Agra Fort in 1657, he told him he could choose just one thing to eat every day for the rest of his life. The old man chose chick peas because the prison cook told him he would be able to make something different of it every day of the year.

Until recently, I would have snorted in disbelief at this – chick peas?

Synonymous with hairy hippies in bedsits and tubs of slimy supermarket hummous?

“Then came Chana Bhatura and I discovered I could actively crave something involving chick peas.

There are very few deep-fried foods I can resist and I admit what first attracted me to this dish, in places like Evergreen in Green Park and Nathus in Bengali Market, both in New Delhi were the magnificent balloon-sized puffed-up bhatura.

In the early days the accompanying chana was just a sloppy, sludge-coloured distraction. I used to dip the bread but I’m ashamed to admit the chick peas often went back to the kitchen barely touched. It was Sitaram Diwan Chand’s Chand’s Bhatura that did the trick.”

And she is so right! Sitaram Diwan

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The two cities that dish out the best Chole Bhature are Delhi and Amritsar.

JUST A THOUGHT Is it Channa Bhatura or Chole Bhatura? Guess it’s the same except the Punjabis prefer the chole to the Channa.

And if it’s drenched in desi ghee then grab it and gulp it with a tall cool glass of lassi.

The aachar can vary from pickled mango to carrot to mirchi to the delicious kachlu that Kallu dishes out.

But what makes the Chole is the garnish—strips of ginger, plenty of onions, shavings of mirchi and that touch of radish and carrot in season.

The Bhatura can be oval or round.

Some prefer the slightly thicker oval ones to the round thin fluffy ones.

That’s a matter of taste. It makes no difference to the cholesterol count.

Now you can’t eat the Bhaturas with vegetables. It's best with Chole. But the Chole can be had with tikkis, puris or kulchas. Even the aloo subzi with Bhatura doesn’t produce that magic.

There is a Facebook Chole Bhature fan club. Missing it most are our brethren overseas. Oh, for a bite of that delicious delight, they reminisce.

(PICTURES BY H C TIWARI)

Chole Bhature are savoured best when eaten straight out of the kitchen. The taste is never the same when microwaved.

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You can have a Bhatura filed with aloo or panner. The favourite is paneer, the aloo scores in the Kulchas.

Somehow the aloo doesn’t have the same zing in a Bhatura.

Chand’s Chana Bhatura (or Chole Bhature, if you want to use the Punjabi preference) is a class act. From their tiny outlet at Chuna Mandi near the Imperial Cinema, Sitaram Diwan Chand dish it out in the classic mould – bhatura, chole, onion and pickled carrots.

Not everyone though follows this tradition, although their own following is as legendary as Sitaram’s magic. For example, Bhogal Chat Bhandar (behind Scindia House) has a wonderfully golden fluffy, oval Bhaturas, but his Chole isin’t the chole from the pind — the traditional recipe that you get at places like Kwality (a bit overrated in my view), although Dilliwallas like Arun Jaitley swear by the quality of their chole and view it as good as from the Pind (now Punjab, earlier West Pakistan).

Getting back to Bhogal Chat Bhandar, well, his Chole are a mélange of masalas whose aroma will engulf you like a Christian Dior perfume and linger on long

after the meal is over. His chole are nothing like the classical channa that you get with a Bhatura — it’s a little watery, with plenty of kachalu (the best I have ever tasted) and chopped onions garnished on the top. Be warned, it is different, it’s spicy, it’s hot and it’s the best, provided you go with a packet of tissues to take care of the perspiration.

Interestingly there is another four by four outlet in Sadar Bazar that has perhaps the second best (or is it neck on neck) masterpiece that you get at Sitaram. I discovered it by chance on a quarterly trip to Sadar Bazar. Fried in pure desi ghee, the Chole is just the right mix of chic peas and gravy, coupled with several slices of potato and achaar, which is more than just carrots. Get it packed or stand there and savour it. Most prefer both—eat one plate and get one packed as well!

Compared to this, Chole Bhature at the Kwality restaurant is bland, run of the mill stuff. There is hardly any gravy to the Chole and the only distinguishing feature of their chick pea is the generous helping of Desi Ghee in which it is made and the large slice of aaloo that comes with it — a single slice mind you (like a potato wedge), nothing more nothing less. So why it is that plenty of Dilliwallas go gaga over Kwality and the food guides of the city rate it as a hot spot.

I guess it’s because Dilli’s cognoscenti never steps out of Lutyen’s Delhi and getting to Chunna Mandi or Sadar Bazar isn’t really part of the menu. The netas do travel a bit which is why I am surprised at Jaitley’s choice of Kwality as his chart buster for Chole Bhature.

Finally, there are many places where you get great Chole Bhature. North India is full of good eateries of this classic Punjabi dish. But if you take my word, the two best cities would be Delhi and Amritsar. The locals say that the best Chole Bhature can be savoured at Kanhaiya Sweets at Lawrence Road, Amritsar. That’s where the people from the Pind really settled and its here that the aroma really wafts through your nostrils.

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LIQUIDICTION

Aqua @ The Park, New Delhi

Savour the best @ AQUA

Nothing quite beats the romance of pool side lounging with a tantalising menu to match. Aqua, at The Park Hotel in New Delhi is a must visit for people who enjoy finer things in life…

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HIS CHIC den is a magnet for celebrities and well-connected locals. Once inside, the classy ambience makes quite an impression. We were escorted by the manager Sahil Sharma to our table which was a circular rattan bed with a screen of bamboo. The ambience couldn’t be better — Al fresco dining, candles and azure blue water. Options are aplenty — one can either melt into a chair and soak in the atmosphere, hang out at the bar with your favourite cocktail, or settle down to a languid snacky meal with world music playing in the background. The bar is decorated in a riotous mixture of plain and hand crafted patterned tiles by artist Lubna Chowdhary. I could see that the romantic swing seats at two of the pavilions were quite a favourite

and remained occupied till the time we were list showcasing stellar fruits and spirits from there. The giant revolving mirror ball at the the four corners of the globe which include open deck projected over the pool created a daiquiris, fruit Mojitos, vallah, seasonal glamorous effect. The décor with its clean margaritas, champagne and wine cocktails lines and soothing natural hues made me along with other interesting poolside feel every bit the globe-trotting high roller, beverages. Grilled fruits and exotic spices even if it was for one night. Emphasis are mixed and muddled with top shelf here seemed to be on lingering spirits to create inspired cocktails.

DID YOU KNOW? and lounging albeit elegantly Luckily we were at the bar so we felt free to recline quite a bit perusing the This nightspot, which is the season's hottest destination, is while taking in the killer cocktail list — its odd designer Manish Arora's favourite concoctions include view-true some things place for all his parties and getnever change. everything from ‘cheeky togethers. Aqua has hosted some Well, the sparkle does chocolate monkey’ with famous fashion shows by designers not end here, which I Vodka, crème de banana, Manish Arora, Deepika Geehani, soon realised after crème de cacao and Mandira Wirk, Rajvi Mohan, the sister duo Gauri & Nainika and the Vanilla ice-cream to ‘Sealooking at the menu. The Colour Trends in association bar menu alone had some Breeze’, which is a good with Swarovski and Fashion mix of white rum, cranberry 163 varieties of wines, which Design Council of includes both new and the old and grapefruit juice. And of India. world wines along with the cocktail course on offer are also the premium

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69 single malts and branded beers. “Some of the popular shots served are Brain haemorrhage, B-52, Kamikaze and Cocoon.

We play Lounge music, funky house and progressive house generally but on Fridays DJ Richard Godinho plays retro and it is also called as Retro Nights @ Aqua,” shared our friendly bar tender Shiv. On offer is an interesting international menu of easy, poolside Mediterranean and barbecue cuisine as well.

To start our evening we ordered some Champagne and I would like to add here that it is a must have for any fan of sparkling wines or nice dry whites, and remember to have it with some food as champagnes are not just for celebration after all. However, because Champagne is naturally acidic, it makes a really good food match - and not just for oysters and caviar as you might predict, but also for a variety of different foods. There are innumerous foods on Aqua’s menu that pair beautifully with it, making for yummy finger foods and an elegant looking soirée.

Our Dom was served in a well lit torch and the warm service by smartly dressed (uniforms designed by none other than A yummy grilled chicken starter

Recipe of fruit Mojito

By Sahil Sharma, Manager, Aqua INGREDIENTS X Sugar- 1 tea spoon X Lemon chunks- 4 pieces X Mint- few leaves X Fresh cut fruits (for ex-pineapple, apple, orange, grapes) X Red wine- 20 ml X White rum- 60 ml X Mixed Juices (Cranberry, apple, pineapple) X Crushed Ice METHOD 1. Take a Tom Collins, muddle lemon chunks and mint together with sugar 2. Add all fruits to it. Muddle the fruits slowly (don’t mash it) 3. Put some crushed ice in it. Add red wine and Bacardi.

4. Put all the juices together slowly (preferably in layers).

5. Garnish it with fruit (if available red Californian grape).

Rohit Bal) stewards made their showmanship even more enjoyable. The “mushroom cigars with a cheese dip” gelled extremely well with the Dom. It certainly seems a place to spend away evenings, sipping on elegant wines in a cosy setting. The manager Sahil was brilliant with his suggestions on wine and my husband and I especially loved the “gran sangre de

toro” by Torres.

Coming to food, if you are hungry, the menu’s one to return for. Everything from the “Mezze Platter”, “chicken Yakitori with a Wasabi dip” to the “Creole spiced fish with cilantro aioli” and “Grilled bratwurst sausages, mustard onion layonnaise” has its place. I had an altogether new epicurean experience! Fresh flavours and herbs unite with ingredients sourced and skillfully prepared from gastronomic styles of the Mediterranean coastline. Cooking styles range from grilled and poached to braised and slow roasted, to extract the goodness and flavours of the ingredients. To start with, I discovered the distinct Chef’s touch when I ordered the ‘Grilled Lamb’ comprising two generous chops of rare Australian ‘Murray Bridge’ free range lamb, slow roasted to extract the goodness.

Sea food lovers can rejoice for there is plenty for them however the ‘Prawn skewers marinated in Indonesian dalat spice’, the ‘Porcha Year’, fried prawns with red chilli and garlic marinade and the ‘wok tossed calamari with black beans and capsicum’ is highly recommended. Pasta lovers could go for the homemade pastas in different preparations to suit one’s preference.

No trip to Aqua is complete without a pizza; ‘Three cheese and Pesto’ being Chef Hirak Goswami’s personal recommendation. Another must try is the ‘Polenta crushed cottage cheese, barbeque sauce’, decadent to the core.

To end on a sweet note my vote goes all out for the stunning ‘Hot Fudge Sundae’. If you are in the mood for something truly sinful, order a ‘Chocolate Mousse cake’ — one of Aqua’s signature dishes. While the essence of Aqua remains, its translation in this new menu is indeed exceptional. Careful attention to detail, from the palate awakening cocktails right down to the coasters, puts Aqua in a class of its own. From the classic cocktails to the sensational menu, quality and service is paramount. Water glasses are magically filled and drinks are presented in sexy stemware. All in all, the food, the drinks, the place — everything is superb.

(PICTURES BY AQUA, THE PARK, NEW DELHI)

FEBRUARY 2010 TRAVELX

The much popular Bar @ Aqua, The Park, New Delhi

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TAKE IT FROM ME Follow Christine Mukharji to the land of The Sound of Music and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and you could land up with 10 more reasons to visit Austria

AUSTRIA FOR ALL SEASONS & 10 REASONS

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Austria is: A wonderfully uncomplicated place. It’s an Englishspeaking nation in the heart of Europe and has a spectacular combination of cultural and natural attractions.

Call of the Alps: Come Summer and Austria’s glorious mountain resorts serve as a perfect ski and board destination. But is it also a live music venue and a party hotspot? Most definitely!!!

No other city like Vienna: The city can boast of a higher ratio of green space to the total area than Vienna.

Forests, grasslands, parks and gardens cover some 20,000 hectares and there is also plenty of action in Vienna during festival time.

For those who love walking: The Vienna Woods are not only the green lungs of the city but also provide footpaths and mountain-bike trails to all distances. Springtime in the city is perfect to enjoy its offerings to the fullest.

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The city of Salzburg: The city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and The Sound of Music is a beautiful mix of the past and the present. Even when the Salzburg festival, the biggest in the city, is not on, it certainly has something equally interesting running.

Leads you to the Alps: The Alps embrace the country end-to-end and Tyrol, "the Mountain Land" is the perfect place to start. Going through the huge mountain ranges, toe-wetting in the crystal clear rivers and enjoying at the ski resorts, all begins from here.

We all desire for one: Wattens near Innsbruck houses Swarovski Crystal Worlds, the place where the astonishing crystal beauties are created.

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The works are nothing less than magic. A shuttle bus between the Swarovski centre and Innsbruck makes the connection quick and easy.

Go shopping: Mariahilfer Strasse in Vienna offers over a hundred shops to satisfy the Indian shopper’s every need! The elegant pathways of Kohlmarkt and Graben in Vienna, Getreidegasse in Salzburg and the center of Innsbruck offer an array of international designers ranging from Hèrmes, Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, to famous brands like Diesel, Dolce & Gabbana. The deals here offer a perfect value for money.

Largest ice cave in the world: The caves in Werfen were first discovered in 1879. Since1920, tourists have been thronging to see the ice caves in all their splendour! The caves and most of the glaciers in Austria can be easily reached by taking cable cars.

Casinos: Soak up the mood and experience the thrill — choose from American or French roulette, Blackjack, Poker, Punto Banco or the slot machines.

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