Six years of life

I did not have a car when I started this blog. I also did not have a DSLR. In fact I was not even sure I had an interest in photography. I would just click photographs from the camera in my mobile phone. The objective was to capture Delhi and its changing face and the moments.

It has been six years since the first post. I, now, drive my car to different parts of the city. Mount my DSLR and click photographs. I do not post on this blog as often as I would like to. My love for the city is still all-consuming but my expression of that love has altered. I now have a keen interest in photography and travel to other places in the country with the gusto which was early reserved for just Delhi.

I think Delhi Photo Diary (with a spelling mistake in the url) played a big role in adding little traits to my personality over the last six years. It ensured I met lot of new people, invested in exploring the city a little more and most importantly learnt a little more about myself during the journey.

I might blog more this year. Or I just might become a fleeting presence in the World Wide Web. I don't know what the future holds and no longer try to find the unknown. But if anyone visits the blog and sees this post, I'd like to tell them that the journey so far has been one of the most important ones of my life. And just by visiting the blog and staying here for a few minutes they too have become a part of my life. And for that I would like to thank them.

Here is a photo of the Tree of Life I spotted a few moons ago at the Design Fair at Dastakar Haat in Meharauli.

 

I dedicate this photo to all those who have altered my life in the last six years. You have made it a lot more fun and exciting. Thanks!

Also, Happy Birthday, Delhi Photo Diary (DPD)!

P.S: I have decided to go back to the roots of this blog. I will be posting photographs taken from my camera phone for some time. Minus the minutes spent on Photoshop. Because I feel the need to unlearn and relearn.

Dastakar Spring Mela

Some more colours as Delhi goes all out to welcome and celebrate the Spring season. Over the weekend, I went to Spring edition of the Dastakar Mela. Dastakar is Hindi for handicrafts. The event held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts is a celebration of the handicrafts from all over India.

As we entered the lush green lawns, we saw this man sitting outside his stall and making lac bangles.



This was his final work.

Further into the mela, I spotted these wood carvings and cane furniture pieces.

There were a lot of terracotta plant holders for gardening enthusiasts.I loved these butterfly shaped garden steps.
There was a lot to eat but the best find in the food court was Daulat ki Chat. Traditionally chat is full of salt and spices. But Daulat ki Chat is a sweet preparation. It is made of the milk foam and has just a little bit of sugar and is garnished with pista (pistachio), kesar (saffron) and powdered brown sugar. In short, it is DELICIOUS!

Dastakar Mela

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.