Delhi Photo Diary

Theme Day: Waiting: India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2009

2009-12-01T13:18:00.005+05:30

I went to India International Trade Fair 2009 last week. There was too much to see and shop but very less time. While, I was waiting for a friend to join me, the battery of my mobile phone went kaput. So I managed to click just 2 photographs.

A robot was waiting to greet us at the Nippo stall.
And here are some coasters made from newspapers at the Sri Lankan stall.

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My Sparkling Wet Delhi

2009-11-30T18:40:00.003+05:30

www.SpeakBindas.com took my interview for one of their posts. Do let me know, what you think of my answers. :-)

I took these photos a few days ago. I simply love the way the lights of cars, buses etc twinkle when it rains. My sparkling wet Delhi in my rearview mirror.

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Special Treat

2009-11-27T22:44:00.008+05:30

I have a special treat for Delhi Photo Diary visitors today. The slogan calling on people to light a lamp and fight the darkness in the world greeted the audience, who had come to see the opening play 'Friends' by the Breathing Space group at the International Children's Theater Festival. Below are videos of some portions of the play. The play was special as my younger brother, Akshat was also performing.

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Animal Sightings

2009-11-27T15:12:00.004+05:30

I LOVE driving on the roads of Delhi. The fellow passengers keep me amused. :-)

A langoor riding a two-wheeler above and horses being carried in a mini-truck. Beautiful animals.

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Delhi Photo Diary In Race for the 2008 Indibloggies Award

2009-11-24T23:23:00.005+05:30

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My mother calls me every afternoon at around 2:30 pm. It is a daily ritual, which even my colleagues have come to let go unnoticed. The conversation is standard.

Mom: Hello!
Me Hi!
Mom: Hows the day been so far?
Me: Ok!
Mom: Had your lunch?
Me: Yup It was very tasty.
Mom: Anything else?
Me: Nope. See you in the evening.

Today, however, she called and without the customary hello, went on to say, you have been nominated for an award. I always dreamed of winning the Noble Peace Prize but with US President Barack Obama winning this year's honours I had given up hope. My mom's excited tone brought me back to reality and I made a serious attempt to comprehend what she was saying.
Mom: I am sending you the link. Delhi Photo Diary has been nominated to win the Best Indi Photo blog at the 2008 Indibloggies. Go and see.

Me: Ok! Are you sure?
Mom: GO!
Me: YIPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Colleagues: WHAT???!!!

To cut the long story short: Delhi Photo Diary has been nominated and the final phase is public poll. This means that all of you, who have over the past year and a half visited the blog, returned and passed it on to others, have the option of voting for it.

Delhi Photo Diary is my attempt to capture my city through my mobile phone camera. :-)

Roses, Ritual, Happy Face

2009-11-24T12:56:00.005+05:30

I was back at one of my all time favourite Delhi market, the Phool Mandi (flower market) in Connaught Place. This time I knew exactly what I wanted to buy: 108 red roses for a religious ritual. But with so many beautiful flowers all around, keeping focus is difficult. So here are some of my favourite photos from the trip.

This time I found these beautiful decorative items along with colored glass vases in the market as well. These sell at the early morning market for extremely cheap prices. The same vases at malls cost around INR 500 to 600 and here a good bargainer (I am proud to say I am one) can manage to buy one for just INR 50.

I came happy with my purchase. The 108 red roses were offered to the Shivling, in a temple located near my home.And a dozen I gave to one of my very good friends, who also happens to be my colleague. Aditi was happy with the flowers and the gesture increased my points. So everyone was happy.

P.S: Notice the Kinley bottle holding her flowers. Nice idea for a temporary vase, I'd say.

Dastakar Mela

2009-11-13T11:06:00.005+05:30

Monkeys eating bananas greeted us at Dastakar Mela held in Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, India Gate. My friend and me realized that monkeys and banana were the theme of the fete when we reached this stall.
But, we were not just 'monkeying' around and had gone to feast our eyes and loosen our purse strings on handicraft goodies on display at this annual handicrafts bazaar.

So we bought some bags and bangles:
Looked and praised some statues
Bought some nice earthen pots

Saw a few more monkeys on banana trees
And with hands full of shopping bags bid adieu to the Dastakar and its colours at dusk.

Khadi Gram Udyog

2009-11-03T14:50:00.008+05:30

This is the Khadi Gram Udyog, Connaught Place. The father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi had promoted Khadi, homespun cotton, during the Indian Independence struggle. Today we have Khadi Gram Udyogs in all the major cities and towns of the country. One can buy not only khadi fabric, ready- made clothes, but also shoes, handmade paper, herbs, jewelry etc.

A friend, who is a colleague and a fellow blogger, did a post on me. Do visit. Exposemaximum for see the photos and interview.

Sansad Bhawan: Parliament Of India

2009-10-30T12:22:00.004+05:30

This is the view of the Sansad Bhawan, or the Parliament of India from Vijay Chowk. The Parliament is a circular building and is one of the many British architectural gems that adorn the Raisina Hill.

Wrapped Around Your Finger

2009-10-27T11:56:00.003+05:30

I had decided to gift myself my first Diamonds, this Diwali. This took me to the jewelers, where I selected a ring and asked the jeweler to reduce the size of the ring according to my finger. He took out this whole bunch of rings to find my size. After trying several of them it was found that I am a size 13. :-)

Waiting for all of you to complement my ring! Hehehehe :D

Some Flowers And A Butterfly

2009-10-20T20:35:00.003+05:30

Delhi is flowering again! And butterflies are here too. Good days are here after the scorching heat.

Diwali In Delhi

2009-10-19T23:44:00.002+05:30

Happy Diwali to everyone across the globe. May the festival of lights brighten all our lives and bring prosperty to everyone.

There were no celebrations in our house this time, since my paternal grandfather passed away recently. No festivals will be celebrated in our house for the whole of this year.

The city however was as usual in its festive best.

Ansal Plaza decorated with festive lights for Diwali
Pooja (prayer) in office.

Champions League: Delhi Daredevils vs Wayamba

2009-10-14T12:46:00.005+05:30

These posters greeted us at Feroz Shah Kotla Grounds Sunday evening.

Here is Akshat, my younger brother, cheering for our city team, flag et al.
We were lucky enough to get the front row seats in a stadium which was jam-packed.

Here is a screen shot of the man, Dinesh Karthik, who made the match worthwhile, hitting 3 sixes in 3 balls.

Friends cheering and at the same time posing for the camera.

The fate of the match was decided in favour of the home team and most people left earlier than the presentation ceremony.
Fireworks over the floodlights.

What Fun!

October Theme Day: Contrast

2009-10-01T12:27:00.006+05:30

I chose this particular photograph for today's theme, keeping the following definition of contrast in mind.

Contrast: The use of opposing elements, such as colors, forms, or lines, in proximity to produce an intensified effect in a work of art. 2. The difference in brightness between the light and dark areas of a picture, such as a photograph or video image.

You can see the North Block in the backdrop and the Rashtrapati Bhawan in the rear-view mirror.
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Durga Pooja

2009-09-28T11:26:00.005+05:30

These are the drums or dhols, which Bengalis call dhaks. Playing the dhaks is considered auspicious.This is the main idol of the Godess Durga, flanked by her two daughters, Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth) and Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge).
On her extremes are her two sons, Ganesh and Kartikeya.
This is another form of rangoli, which Bengalis make with red liquid called alta and rice colours. You have seen other forms of rangoli on the blog earlier.

I finally managed to click some photos of the Durga Pooja panadal. Pandal is a huge area covered with tents where the statue of Goddess Durga is set up for the 4 days ending on Dussehra or Vijyadashmi, which is today. This particular pandal is from GK 2, just outside of my office.

Sorry Maya, the traffic woes kept me from going to CR Park this year as well. Hopefully next year.

I had last year shown the way north India celebrates the festival. Durga Pooja on the other hand is a predominantly eastern way of marking the festival. India is truly diverse and being in Delhi rocks as we celebrate all festivities in all forms.

"A time for celebration, A time for victory of good over bad, A time when world see the example of power of good. Let us continue the same “true” spirit.
Blessing of Dussehra to all"

Gurudwara Bala Sahib

2009-09-24T11:48:00.003+05:30

I was fortunate enough to visit this peaceful holy shrine before sunrise yesterday. Gurudwara Bala Sahib is a beautiful shrine, hidden in the lanes of south Delhi. You can read about the significance of the Gurudwara Bala Sahib here.

I really liked the white building of the Sikh temple with the dark sky for a backdrop.

Nehru Place

2009-09-21T11:56:00.002+05:30

This is a section of Nehru Place, in South Delhi. It is Delhi's own computer wholesale market. One can buy computers and accessories for comparatively cheaper prices. The difference from market price is significant and the products are of the best quality. So next time you are in Delhi, don;t forget to explore this IT hub.

Golden Ray Of Sun

2009-09-20T17:31:00.004+05:30

This is the last ray of sun captured beautifully by the glass surface of a building in Connaught Place. This is an office building, which houses the Life Insurance Corporation Of India, better known as LIC.

Oxford Bookstore Cha Bar

2009-09-13T11:32:00.003+05:30

I absolutely love this place, as I have often said on the blog. I clocked the photo after a long chat session in Oxford Bookstore Cha Bar over the weekend with a dear friend. We talked books, films and tried to solve a few love problems all over hot steaming cups of tea.

Colourful Hair Braiding

2009-09-10T09:51:00.003+05:30

The lady in the photo sits outside of Dilli Haat and offers to braid hair with colourful threads at a reasonable price. A lot of college going students and people in their 20s are seen getting their hair braided. I have gotten my hair braided once or twice and can tell you for sure that a little yellow, violet or red in one's hair always makes for great conversation!

Ghanta Ghar

2009-09-06T12:32:00.004+05:30

Ghanta Ghar is Hindi for clock tower. I saw this one, during the weekend exploration of the Delhi's north. This Ghanta Ghar is located on the way to Kamla Nagar. The numerous wires indicate the ingenious way of Delhiites to steal electricity.

Art: Two's Company

2009-09-04T10:31:00.003+05:30

Artists and their work. The man is a photographer, Agnimirh Basu, who recently displayed a series of nudes at an exhibition. The lady is his wife, Arundyuti Basu, who is a painter and also models for her husband. I have known Agnimirh since the last five years and it was a pleasure to meet him after a long time and see his work displayed on the walls. I wish both my friends the best of luck for their future. :-)

Theme Day: Big

2009-09-01T09:54:00.003+05:30

The theme for September 1 is 'Big'. This here is a BIG pop-corn pack which is displayed at the Satyam Cinemas in Patel Nagar.

Blushing Sky

2009-08-31T11:14:00.002+05:30

Wonder what the earth said that made the sky blush. :-)

Canadian Barfi

2009-08-28T11:39:00.003+05:30

Now here is a sweet dish, I had never imagined could exist. Barfi is a sweetmeat made of khoya, and is traditionally Indian. A sweet shop near my place has given this traditional sweet a Canadian twist. The only reason I can fathom for the creation of this new flavour is that lot of Indians have over the years settled in Canada.