Delhi -A diary entry

"Koochey nahin dilli ke, auraaq-e-musawwir hain
Jo shakl nazar aayi, tasveer nazar aayi"
 
(These are not Delhi by-lanes, these are artist’s canvas
Every sight I see looks like a painting)

  
From being a muse to poets like Mir Taqi Mir, to a landmark witnessing the downfall and development between eons, Delhi has rightfully been considered the heart of India. 

If one dives back into the history of Delhi, it becomes impossible not to be inspired and awe-struck by how impeccably Delhi has grown from the ruins to a world class city. 

Having lived in Delhi all my life, I will always stay biased towards this city. Be it the pink winter days with mist all around or deserted lanes during the scorching summer heat. 

What sets Delhi apart is the interesting amalgamation of culture, heritage and a modern way of life.

Each day in Delhi, one gets to experience something unique and memorable. It's overwhelming that this city has so much to offer to every single inhabitant or visitor. 
The very thought of this makes me a proud Delhiite. 
Yesterday, while scribbling in my diary of my everyday musings (yes, I do believe in diary entry and other 'old-school' stuff), I happened to pen down about how Delhi has added value to my life. It seemed insignificant till now, but it was only when I divulged deep into my everyday schedule and happenings throughout the day, did I realize that even in its monotony, this city was offering me so much. 

A privileged life. A super life. 

Want to know how? 
Take a sneak peak into my diary's yesterday entry:

5:30AM: I stir from my slumber to the tune of my favourite melody - Sixth symphony
At about 6, I am ready for the morning walk. 
Talking about development, Delhi is one the greenest metros of the country with about 19% of green area cover.
DDA has been turning the waste lands into green areas, giving it the title of "city of gardens".

Clean Delhi, Green Delhi. Source here

It is truly a delight to see such lush green areas all around as I stroll through the well-known Lodi Garden located in the heart of the city. The serene surroundings and chirping of birds amidst the locales which reminds one of the historical background of Delhi, is a perfect way to start the eventful day.

I come back to my home at about 7:30 and after a shower and breakfast, I am ready to leave for my workplace.

Travelling in Delhi has become so much easier and cheaper since the arrival of Delhi Metro.
Delhi metro has a world class infrastructure. with about 164 stations, it spreads to not just within the city but also Noida and Ghaziabad and Gurugram.

As I am peacefully travelling in the air-conditioned Delhi metro, away from the traffic and pollution, I receive a call from one of my friend. Even in the underground metro, her voice is crystal clear, thanks to Vodafone's seamless connectivity. Vodafone is the choice of 1.2 crore customers in Delhi and NCR, which is almost half the population of Delhi. Vodafone receives 1 customer appreciation every 30 seconds and rightly so. 

Metro - Delhi's Lifeline. Source here

It's about 9:30 when I reach the hospital. I am a doctor by profession. This brings me to the excellent progress Delhi has been making in terms of healthcare.
We have a hospital like AIIMS , which is the apex hospital in the country both in terms of proving medical treatment and education. There are also increasing number of high-end private hospitals like Fortis, Apollo, Max which not only provide a good treatment and healthcare facilities but also promote medical tourism in the country.

With the recent advent of about 110 Mohalla clinics, Delhi's healthcare system seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. It claims to have treated about 8 lakh patients in just over 5 months. 

Mohalla Clinic in Delhi. Source here

Evening: At about 6PM, I am ready to leave the hospital and indulge in a little shopping. Delhi has a world-class infrastructure. With malls coming up in every corner of the city including Noida and Gurgaon. I decide to visit the DLF mall of India in Noida to keep an eye on latest trends and also because it's a hub to so many international brands. 
To my delight, I get access to free wi-fi there. Vodafone is digitally connecting Delhi & NCR with Free Wi-Fi Zones: There are more than 120 such hotspots across Delhi & NCR such as DLF Mall of India, Fortis Hospital, Delhi Haat, Khan Market, Airport, etc.

Free Wi-Fi by Vodaphone at DLF Mall of India, Noida and other places. Source here

After the shopping spree, I head towards my home. On my way, I see these green bus shelters. On enquiry, I come to know that Vodafone created the first Air-Purifying bus shelter in the city so that people could breathe non-polluted air while waiting for a bus. Last year air pollution in Delhi had reached a new height, that’s when this initiative was undertaken. Thereafter, Vodafone created the first Wi-Fi bus shelter in Gurgaon to take another step towards digitizing Delhi & NCR. The Free wi-fi can be used for 20 minutes irrespective of whether they are Vodafone customers or not.

Air Purifying bus shelter. Source here

That sounds like such a noble initiative, only in Delhi!

As I reach home, I remember it's Diwali time and my cousins are arriving today to spend the Diwali holidays with us. Time to head to the airport. 
Well, Delhi's Indra Gandhi International airport is the best in the country. It is the busiest airport in the country and also the 21st most busy in the world. 
Intricately designed and with a great service, my cousins reach all happy and amazed. 

Delhi Airport. Source here

On our way home, as we plan our Diwali holidays and celebrations, one of my cousin tells me about another great initiative by Vodafone. This year, Vodafone Delhi is urging people to celebrate a Green Diwali. These Super crackers are filled with eco-friendly plant seeds. All one needs to do is plant it and let the plant bloom.

We reach home and after a round of night snacks with coffee, it's time to head to bed. 
As I write this page in my diary, I am super excited about the super Delhi life with my cousins. 

We will be visiting the monuments and marvelling at the rich cultural heritage, some mall hopping and lots of shopping. There is no dearth of options and places to see when it comes to Delhi.

Tempted to join me in this super Delhi life? Come experience the city with all it's developments and initiatives.

 https://www.vodafone.in/home-delhi

5 Fantastico foods to try in Delhi!

It is a well known fact that Delhi, the capital of India is also a Food heaven. From Old Delhi to New Delhi, Delhi harbours not just a hundred different cultures, languages, expressions but also a wide variety of delicious delicacies. 

Walking on the roads of this culturally amalgamated city, it is not a surprise to encounter mouth watering delicacies in every nook and corner. 

Nothing unites Delhi the way its food does.  I may not be exaggerating and believe me when I say that whole of Delhi is complete foodie. 

We also have seasonal delicacies, be it the foggy winters or sweating summers, Delhi manages to keep temperatures under check with gluttony! 

I am so proud to be a Delhiite and almost a foodie too!

So, I decided to share my food adda's with you all. Although I admit they aren't new and I too found out about them from word of the mouth or newspapers etc. But once I did, I couldn't look back. Such is the power of food indeed! 

These foods are Fantastico! They are fabulously mouth watering! They will make your taste sour high up to the heaven! 

Do try:

1)Nataraj Dahi Bhalla corner, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi - Old Delhi is definitely famous for the kind of food you can get there but this is one amazing shop. 

They serve both dahi bhalla and aloo tikki and I loved both of them way too much to describe.

Dahi Bhalla's are spongy and soft, Dahi being just the right amount of sweet. 

Aloo tikki's are crunchy and so very hot. 

Green chutney added  to the yumminess. 

FANTASTICO meter - 4.5/5

2)Kachori Sabzi at Bhogal - Bhogal is another place every foodie must visit in Delhi. You can find so many delicacies all around that gluttony will catch the better of you. 

My favourite is the Kachori Sabzi. The guy serves 2 kachori's with a spicy aloo ki sabzi and chutney. I bet you can't have it just once! 

FANTASTICO meter - 4.7/5

3)Parathas at Moolchand - Another well know street food hub. The parathas at Moolchand are just delicious. 

They are crunchy and stuffed with a variety of items. 

You can choose egg parathas, mix veg parathas, cult favourite aloo-parathas and some more. 

FANTASTICO meter - 4.3/5

4)Chache Di Hatti at Delhi University -This place serve such delicious chole bhature and is completely crowded with the DU students all day. 

i found the aloo filled ones extremely tempting and the chutney just added to the taste.

The chole bhature are just the right amount of spicy and hot and served fresh. 

FANTASTICO meter - 4.5/5

5)Daulat Ki Chaat at Kinari Bazaar,Old Delhi - If street foods are mentioned anywhere all over India, Old Delhi cannot be overlooked. 

This place is just brimming with amazing delights all around and this chaat is no different. 

Just a small cart in which it is sold only 4 months a year i.e, November to February but is hugely popular and needless to say equally deliczious sweet dish whose history dates back to the time of Mughals.

FANTASTICO meter - 4.7/5

As mentioned earlier Delhi is brimming with delicacies all around. 

I can go on and on mentioning my favourites. Be it the street food or the traditional Mughlai dishes, the sweet dishes or refreshing drinks.

One can never fall short of foods in this capital city of India. 

What are your favourite food hubs? Do mention. 

Keep eating and stay healthy! 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Heritage, high spirits..Unbeatable Delhi

Delhi is a city of heritage. A city that proudly boasts of its rich culture, spirit and tradition. 

Through the rise and fall of times, Delhi has been a poet's muse and king's capital. 

History gives innumerable glimses of this beautiful city's culture and colourful past.

I have been living in the city since the day I was born and its amazing how this city never ceases to amaze me every single day! 

To describe in mere words, all that sands of time and ruins have embossed in the very spirit of Delhi is not possible yet I would make an attempt to unfold what 'drives, designs and connects' the capital city of India and its inhabitants. 

DRIVE

Delhi has always been famous for its broad roads and bump free drive. 

With over 90 flyovers, 7 national highways passing Delhi and around 1,400 cars being added to Delhi roads every single day, things do get chaotic to a certain extent but the capital city makes sure to keep the drive inside and out alive! 

DESIGN

I personally love how Delhi has been designed. At the heart of the city blossoms Lutyens architecture. It includes the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Raisina Hills, the Rajpath, India Gate, Janpath and Connaught place. 

Apart from the well planned and marvellous looking central administrative area, Delhi also has amazing shopping malls be it the Select city walk in Saket or the posh DLF promenade in Vasant Kunj.

The DDA makes sure to design its surroundings in a way that schools, parks, markets, the Delhi metro and community centre are within walking distance. 

CONNECT

Talk about connectivity and Delhi ranks amongst nothing but the best! 

The NCR (National capital region) is extensively connected to start with and makes it extremely easy to travel for people living in and around the city.

Apart from that, with a length of 213km serving 160 stations and 6 different colour coded lines, the Delhi metro is all set to become the seventh largest network in the world! 

Not only this, about 3000+ DTC buses ply on Delhi street each day. The connectivity is excellent and seems to get better each day. 

Talking about inter-state and countries connectivity. Trains ply to almost all small and distant towns of the country each day from the 2 major railway stations of Delhi. 

The world-class Indra Gandhi International airport harbours and runs flights to all major cities of the world almost every single day. 

I cannot deny the fact that Delhi lacks in certain areas but it is simply unbeatable when compared to any other city of India. 

The capital never lets the country down and keeps up the spirits soaring high. 

Delhi's lush green surroundings is a cherry on top of the enthusiastic drive, historic design and impeccable connectivity. 

No city in the whole of India can compare Delhi, judge it on a scale or not. Delhi is our capital and Delhi's diversity beats loud in our hearts!

http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/