Lamhon par baithi nazmein--Gulzar sa'ab

The story of this wonderful evening began around 15 days ago, when a friend--Bhaskar Bhatt, send these invites.

For someone who has been in love Gulzar's words ever since she can remember, I was on cloud nine and could not stop smiling at the mere thought of hearing the master recite his own work at one of my favourite places--India Habitat Centre.


The stage was set, and like me, several others had reached the venue way before time.


As usual, he was dressed in a sparkling white kurta pyjama and his footwear (a pair of Pujabi jootis) caught everybody's eye and fancy.


The programme of the evening was the promotion of the book of English translations of some of his poems by noted author Pavan K. Varma. The two presented an entertaining jugalbandi full of anecdotes of their friendship and read some of his most celebrated and favourite poems from the collection titled Neglected Poems.



I came home a rich woman with the copy of the book and his signature on the front page of the book was a bonus.




However, my most prized possession is his signature on my most favourite Triveni from the book Pukhraj.


I have made some videos which I'll post soon.

Happy 100th Birthday, Delhi!

Dear, Delhi,

You have essayed a lot of roles in my life.

You have been:

A parent—looking out for me when I was all alone

A dear friend—giving me company when everyone else was busy

An important teacher—providing lessons of history with your array of monuments

A companion—protecting me along your beautiful gray roads lined with lush trees

A sister—sharing your secrets with me and keeping my secrets safe

A brother—teasing me with your unpredictability and at the same time warding off dangers

My love for you transcends words. I hope you know that.

You are the sexiest 100 year old I know. May your beauty grow with each passing year and may you continue to welcome people from across the country and the world with open arms.

With loads of love,
A true Dilliwali :)

इश्क-ए-दिल्ली Loving Delhi

Earlier this year, the Delhi Government held many events celebrating 100 years of Delhi being named the capital city of India. Unfortunately, I was not in the city or in the mood for celebration then. But I think it is never too late to join the party so I decided to explore some treasures of the city I had heard a lot about but never explored myself. First on my list was the Light and Sound Show called, Ishq-e-Dilli (Love for Delhi) at Purana Qila or Old Fort.

The show beautifully captures the history of Delhi, how the city passed on from the hands of one ruler to the other and how several men and women have expressed their love for the city from time to time. I would recommend everyone living in Delhi or visiting it to see the show at least once.

The dimly lit Old Fort and the nip in the air created the perfect ambiance for a magical evening of history, sound, light and love for Delhi.

The number 4 instruction left me a little disappointed but with a huge smile the staff there told me that only commercial photography was not allowed. I could take my camera.

We were greeted with these curtains on the wall that was to function as our stage.

The curtains were raised and history unfolded.

A scene from the Mahabharata.

The Kohinoor Diamond

A Kathak dancer dancing to the song written by Khusro

India Gate

Jama Masjid

Purana Qila

Destruction of the city

Everything turning into ash

Wars with the British led to a lot of bloodshed.

British General

Mahatma Gandhi

The Indian Tri-Colour; The National Flag of India

Tryst with Destiny

Kite flying on Independence Day

Symbolic image of Hindu-Muslim Unity

Celebrations

Fireworks