May 31, 2012

Paranthe Wali gali...

 
If you are a foodie and you love paranthas , then this IS the place. The Paranthe Wali galli  (literally "the Lane of fried bread ") is a narrow crowded lane in the Chandni Chowk area of  old Delhi. The lane is a popular culinary destination with a series of traditional shops that sell about 35 varieties of paranthas served with an array of chutneys and  currys.
I simply loved the place!
'Well built' people might find it a little tough to squeeze into the tables though!

The story goes that "in the year 1872 - Pt. Gaya Prasad, a yong man in early twenties, left his home in Tehsil Bah in Agra and came to Delhi in search of greener pastures. He put up a shop in a lane entering the Kinari Bazaar in Chandni Chowk and started making hot and sizzling paranthas. Soon the popularity of his paranthas grew so much that he had to call his brothers and cousins to help him in the business. Gradually, there came up almost a score shops - all belonging to the extended families of Gaya Prasad. Little they would have imagined that the lane itself would become popular after their paranthas! Of the 20 parantha shops in the late 1960s, three from the original family have survived: Pt Kanhaiyalal Durgaprasad Dixit(estd 1875), Pt Dayanand Shivcharan (estd 1882). Pt Baburam Devidayal Paranthewale (estd 1886)."

Lassi served in the traditional "Kulhad" 



the crowded lane...

the owners proudly display the photographs of their VIP customers...

 "Unlike the usual way of frying the parathas on a 'tawa', the parathas here are fried in a 'kadai'. The parathas, fried in the 'desi ghee' are then served in a 'thali' accompanied by 'kaddu (pumpkin) ki sabzi', 'aaloo mattar' (potatoes and green peas), 'aaloo mattar paneer' (potatoes, green peas and cottage cheese in gravy) 'kele ki saunth' (slices of bananas in thick jaggery and dried ginger chutney) and pudina (mint) chutney."
dusk at old delhi...

May 29, 2012

The India Habitat Centre

I greatly admire American Architect Joseph Allen Stein for his spatial planning , building proportions and his interesting use of materials. I chanced to visit  Stein’s famous building – the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, which was constructed in the late 80’s. Stein has used several design techniques to enhance the micro climate of the building to mitigate the extremities of the Delhi climate.

I enjoyed strolling thro' the huge courtyards and plazas at the peak of Delhi summer. This is a must visit place for architecture students, not because the Council of Architecture is located in this premises, but to witness Architecture of a very high order!

the large courtyards
the sun reflectors...

an architect admiring the amphitheater...

the refreshing atrium space...



Stein's favorite ribbon windows

the open stage & plaza...
wind chimes...
http://www.indiahabitat.org/

May 24, 2012

May 14, 2012

Locked Horns...

art by ashok
I saw this in an article on the net. I loved the brutness and power of these beasts locking horns in a duel....It took about 20 minutes to finish this quick painting using just 3 poster colors on paper.

May 11, 2012

The Masks...

Abstract Art by ashok  : Which one do I wear today?

May 9, 2012

a milestone!

a milestone crossed today! 10 years of married life...Congrats to my wife!

Nothing more exciting than getting a greeting card from my daughter...Showing her mom & dad with wings and watched by her favorite Doraemon :)

May 4, 2012

May 1, 2012

Straight from the Heart - Arti Honrao

 
Last month I received a pleasant surprise-a gift from Arti Honrao. As a longtime blog friend and fan of her writings, I was entitled for a free copy of her second book – “Is this Love & Autumn-the last leaf”.

(Thanks Arti but I am still waiting for a signed copy of your first book! :) )


Arti Honrao is a poet and a writer and her works are a treatise of human emotions. She has the gift to pen different layers of human feelings into her words with ease. Arti is a queen of poignant poetry and a hopeless romantic and that is very much evident in her recent book with two short stories.

The first story (Is this love) in the book deals with the love triangle- a very common theme in Indian cinema... But what is uncommon here is the way Arti has handled the subtlety of the emotions involved in a graceful and in a somewhat “cute” manner. The second story (Autumn-The last leaf) is again a play of human emotions but then the twists and turns in the plot grips the reader till the last page. Arti’s strength is her mastery in entangling the complex emotions of life and putting them into simple next door characters of her stories.

Well done Arti. GBU!

For a copy of the book pls check pothi.com