Delhi - Could it be an international tourist hotspot?

Delhi a city that conjures up images of power, political intrigue, the bygone eras of the magnificence of the Mughals and a city that has inspired many authors from Khushwant Singh to William Dalrymple. A city that most people in the corporate world visit during trade fairs (Pragati Maidan) or for meetings with the high & mighty babus of several ministries. My previous visits to Delhi used to be for the very same reasons, to our offices inside the IIT Delhi campus, to fly out of Delhi's international airport and to meet BSNL, Airtel, Spice officials for tie-ups for SMS messaging.

Love it or hate it, we just cant ignore Delhi. Known especially to people from Mumbai, as a place that carries its power & money on its sleeves (& every other visible part of the body and around it), Delhi has come a long way in being India's showcase of what could be done with its infrastructure. Seeing Delhi as a tourist, and soaking in its sights was quite different from "driving past" its many sights (& sounds)

India Gate & Rajpath

Intended to be the Gateway to India, this road in Lutyen's Delhi, from the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate, remains to be my favourite roads in the world along with the Champs Elysees in Paris & the roads around the seat of Power in the US at Washington DC. For sheer scale, size, its panoramic view and the remarkable buildings around it, this ranks high on my list of favourites. The number of domestic and foreign tourists that one can see in this area, suggests that this is indeed the case with many other people.

Gardens of Delhi

A couple of years ago, I had seen the Lodhi Gardens listed in Time magazine's list of 25 sites to see in Asia/Australia. I was curious to see it and it sure is an interesting garden laid out around the tombs of several members of the Lodhi Dynasty. The driver was a bit surprised that we wanted to see this garden, but quickly added that Delhi has more area under gardens than Mumbai's slums! He then listed quite a few. As we drove through Delhi we noticed many of these and including the huge gardens around many historical sites such as Qutub Minar, Humayun Tombs, Red Fort and Rajghat area, it sure is a city of gardens, a sobriquet that seems to be reserved by Bangalore with a couple of decent sized gardens and many much smaller ones.

Graveyard of the Mughal & Lodhi Empires

Delhi, seems to be one huge (impressive) graveyard of bygone eras. From the Lodhis to the Mughals (& the White Mughals), spread all around Delhi, are spectacular tomb-sites of the kith and kin of these two empires. Many of these including Humayun's Tomb, Lodhi Tombs, the Rajghat area are well maintained and there are many more forgotten tomb-sites in every side of Delhi. Humayun's tomb, now a world heritage site and restored and maintained with help from the Aga Khan Foundation, its locally called the "Red Taj Mahal". The Qutub Minar, though not just a tomb, is surely the signature monument of the city and it was interesting to see the remains of a half built tower that would have been double the height of the famous Minar that was never completed.

Museums & Art Galleries

Nowhere in the league of international museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the Smithsonian in Washington DC or even other smaller museums in other parts of the world, Delhi has its fair share of museums and art galleries. The National Museum is worth a visit to see the artifacts of our mother civilization (Mohenjo Daro & Harrapa), Ashoka's edicts and some other sections such as the the Miniature Paintings section. Other 25+ museums include the Dolls Museum, Rail Museum, Philately Museum, Natural History, Ghalib Museum, Crafts Museum and even a Police Museum! For the connoisseurs of art, check out the India Habitat Center, Lalit Kala Akademi, National Gallery of Modern Art & the Triveni Kala Sangam.

Gandhiji's legacy in Delhi

Gandhiji didn't spend too much time in Delhi, in his lifetime, preferring to stay away from the trappings of power. However his presence is seen in Delhi at Gandhi Smriti (Birla House) where he lived the last days of his life and was assassinated and Rajghat where his mortal remains were cremated. The freedom struggle is well documented at Gandhi Smriti and so is Gandhiji's life. Rajghat, that "must pay homage" site for every foreign dignitary visiting India is well laid out and thoughtfully designed to handle the large crowds that visit this site.

Temples of Delhi

Like most other cities and towns of India, Delhi has its share of excellent temples & mosques. The Birla Temple here is quite different from the marble edifices that other Birla temples in Hyderabad, Mumbai and other places are. Brown and ochre coloured temple with a simple elegance and a bunch of great paintings makes this a must see. The Bahai Lotus Temple and its famed, elegant architecture akin to the Sydney Opera House, is a major magnate for a number of foreign and domestic tourists as can be seen in the accompanying picture. The latest addition to Delhi's list of temples is the Akshardham Temple. Its huge complex, apparently the largest Hindu Temple in the world, is quite a garish complex of structures, albeit with a lot of very detailed and commendable work on its ceilings and pillars. Visit this temple to also witness capitalism at work in the Hindu temples, at its own Food Court!

Delhi Metro - what infrastructure can be?
The Delhi Metro, the showcase infrastructure project that has been executed by a mind-boggling corporation of just 30+ people, true to its reputation, was a symbol of efficiency, cleanliness and timeliness. Smart Cards/tokens to operate its entry and exit turnstiles, timetable, route map and other information booklets easily available and fast moving trains that help cover distances in 1/4 the time that it used to earlier. We took a ride from one of its underground stations in Connaught Place to Jhandewalan near Karol Baug. The ride took us less than 5 minutes and for the first time in India, we didn't have to ask anybody anything! The Delhi Metro is truly in the class of the Singapore MRT, including its cleanliness without having to restrict carrying Durians or Jackfruits on its trains!!

With Delhi's pace of high quality infrastructure development, its bold measures of CNG based transportation, BRTS, expressways to Noida & Gurgaon and showcase projects such as the Delhi Metro and its existing tourist sites and tourism services culture, Delhi could well be one of the tourist hotspots of the world quite soon. Just needs a few "modern", signature buildings to create a modern Qutub Minar and a distinctive skyline of its own to get there. (even the much maligned Delhi Transport Corporation, now has international street furniture and outdoor advertising company JCDecaux, managing 200+ international standard bus stops).

Hope the politicians, babus and the people at large let this happen!!