It all started with the urge to attend a winter wedding at Delhi. And Su made that happen for us without trying too much. With some amount of winter wear packed and all 6 of us friends on the same flight, we hit the airport with sleepy eyes and a shot of espresso. The 3 hour long flight saw some of us snoring, others
gossiping and a few eating their way into winters. Top of all, we seem to have
forgotten that Su is getting married! Land at Delhi and step out of the airport
by noon to feel the nip in the air at 12 degrees. Our 30 min drive to the hotel
saw some dense fog and boy, this was the much awaited Delhi winter we were looking forward to.
As we checked in to the rooms and tried to make ourselves
comfortable, we realised the real reason why people love Bangalore. The chill
was getting to us and we quickly had to layer up before we headed out for lunch
at the Groom’s house. A short walk from our hotel and we were at the
lunch-for-family get together. The sight of hot and steaming food sent the
right messages in all our minds. We did the honours of meeting the bride and
groom. Su was looking fabulous and at the same time it was difficult for us to
see her like this cute and cuddly person (quite the opposite in office). Gautam
(the groom) was looking dashing and carried a very calm demeanour. He seemed
like a very courteous person with a humble outlook and was all over the place
trying to make everyone feel comfortable.
After the formalities and group
photos, we headed for some hot Daal makhani and mutton curry. We ate like
hungry dogs. Period!
All we could do was walk back to our room and catch up with
some sleep before the evening out for Cocktail and Dinner. During lunch earlier today, I got to know that I will have to raise a toast for the bride and that
kept me worried for a bit. Tried to sleep for some time and at around 1800hrs
stepped out to feel the evening air. It was freezing to the bone out there.
There is only one thing that can beat this kind of a cold, Old Monk! The
weather felt pleasant after 1 large and the words for the toast also started to
flow with ease. Next step was to get ready and hit the Hotel for the cocktail.
The entry was grand and well lit up, which gave a sense of
warmth for sure. We could see the bar, but had to wait for the customary list
to be done with. Su was looking smashing in her peach gown. She had really
spent time on her gown and it was almost as though a fairy had come down to
earth to bless us. No girl could have looked better than this on her wedding
day… Perfect!
The couple looked gorgeous, they seemed more than just being in love with each other. They were happy to be among family and friends, holding each others hands and dancing away to Anish's vocals and Vigesh's strumming. Is this what dreams are made of!
After my toast and a customary song and dance with the
bride, Su gave one of her most important and beautiful thank you note I have
heard in a long time. She is such a gem and almost everyone were left with a
tear. Her speech left every one breathless, including Gautam (her husband now).
It is so surreal that he had nothing to say when it came to his turn for a
thank you note. That’s the Su we all know, hard from the outside, yet soft and
caring from the inside. Good on you girl, you truly deserve this day, this life and the very best of every girl's dreams. Gautam is surely blessed to have got a gorgeous girl like Su to be his better half.
The evening after cocktail was the usual, cold by the
weather and hot by the Monk. Had another elaborate meal and stood most of the
time next to the “Sigree”. Finished late and left almost along with the bride
and groom. It truly was a special evening for most of us and we were surely dressed for the kill. Slept like a log that night.
Woke up the next day with
the intent of hitting Old Delhi and that’s exactly what we did. Post a heavy
breakfast, found the nearest way to the Metro to experience our first Delhi
Metro ride.
Had heard so much of it and we just had to
experience it. It was truly spectacular and the ride from the outskirts of
Gurgaon to CP took us about 45 minutes. Which truly is a breeze considering the
traffic on Delhi roads. As we stepped out to the inner circle of CP, the true
colors of Delhi came out hard.
So many beautiful people walking about so well
dressed, the humongous Indian Flag fluttering at its best, loads of vendors selling street food and hawkers selling winter wear… Boy was this fun. Due to the polls in Delhi, all parties were trying to spread the message of awareness and we to joined them and started supporting for the broom... since we are the Mango people right! After eating chat and picking up some cheap winter wear from the streets of CP, we decided to head to a popular eating joint nearby. After a lot of asking and haggling, we were told to take the metro to Chandni Chowk and then a cycle rickshaw ride to the century old eating place. The metro was easy and fun and took us to the heart of old Delhi, Chandani Chowk. Noisy streets, people all over, small food stalls lined up the walk from the metro till the gurudwara. Some how people have made peace with Chaos and and the way of life at Old Delhi. We did take the Cycle Rickshaw to near Jama Masjid.
The ride to this place was unreal for me. Narrow streets with more people than one can imagine to be at a flea market. Roads called "Nai Sarak" (New road) but are centuries old and have generations of business men starring at unsuspecting tourists like me. A huge book market followed by Old sewing machine sales points which further followed up around the Jama masjid where auto spares were all around.... this truly was breathtaking. Like I said, people have found their way, around this chaos.
After a 20 min ride from the metro among crowded streets, we came across an even narrow lane and the rickshaw stopped. I was still trying to find this place of immense culinary wealth and repute and then my eyes fell upon this bright LED studded board that read "Karim's".
Thats it, my hunger pangs just got kicked and I had to gorge on every thing that speaks about the success of this place. Luckily for me, I had a good eater with me in the form of Imtiaz and the two of us let go on everything on the menu. While the girls watched us eat like cavemen, we really had no clue of anyone's existence around us. Started lunch with Mutton Burra, Chicken Burra and some Mutton Sheek Kababs. Second course was mutton cashew nut curry with traditional butter naan followed by Chicken and mutton biriyani. Wiped the plates clean with another juicy skewer of mutton sheekh kababs. After an hour of eating, the thought of going back in the metro and attending another function was very difficult. But I think by now we were living for the minute and the last 60 minutes were something to die for!
It was almost 5 in the evening and we had not even started our journey back to our hotel to change, when someone came with a brain wave to attend the wedding in the same shabby clothes we wore all day. Well at least someone had the courtesy to shamelessly call and ask the bride is she was ok and Su (in her usual form) dawned the avatar of Kaali and blasted the crap out of us. After that, our arduous journey back to the hotel began. Long sleepy ride back... time check... 1830hrs... reached the hotel...time check... 1900 hrs... the cab to take us till Delhi was gone! Luckily Gautam arranged for his manager to pick us up while one of our ex managers picked up girls. Finally, all suited up and ready and another 2 hours later, we were at the reception all decked up looking fine and dandy.
The evening (well for us but for the world it was 2200hrs) was cozy in the comfort of the heated auditorium. But the brave ones still ventured into the outdoors for dinner and conversations.
Su and Gautam were looking out of the world. Su does it again, her dress was brilliant and the pastel shades were truly warming up the evening. It was also good to meet a few colleagues from the past and the conversations of the glory days continued into the night. A good dinner (yup, even after the belting at Karim's) followed up with some finger slurping cake and a photo with the couple had to complete the evening. Thanked all and wished them well. The fact that Su may not be coming back to Bangalore for good had just started to sink in for me. I will miss her company for sure... The drive back from the venue to the hotel, almost an hour, was long and silent. Though every one was tired, I was surely missing Su already. She has been a bundle of joy and cheer for me. Slept well with no plans for the next day.
Woke up to a good tea and breakfast and then a plan to visit Kingdom of dreams for a show called "Zangoora - The gypsy prince".
This is one place every one told me to visit when in Gurgaon. Probably I never found time to and was not keen on the idea of a bollywood styled show that everyone is crazy about. This group some how got me to the show and boy was a floored by what I saw. The ambiance, sound system, stage, props, actors and the sheer volume of non stop action that takes place for the 2 hour show is simply breathtaking. There is probably no amount of glitter in words that can describe the visual experience one must go through to truly appreciate this show. The colors clubbed with the 4 levels of depth on the stage add to an almost lifelike experience that is rarely seen any where in the world. While there is the much abused story that keeps the event together, it is really a musical and one cannot take away that from the spectacle. The choice of songs too cut across generations and have been hand picked from the top of the charts from the respective decade. If you have even thought of a Hindi song in your life, you must experience this dream.
The post show inclusion is a walk through the facade of various states of our country and is aptly called the "Culture Gully". There is not only the presentation of each state, but also the delicacies from these states to taste and all this under an artificial sky. While it is priced a bit on the higher side, it is easy to get the authentic taste anywhere outside as well and at a much lesser price. However, you must try some of the things that you have been craving for and are short of time to travel to the roots of the cuisine. I personally, gorged on everything from Mutton keema with pav to chaats and my favorite, Gaajar ka Halwa. Just to walk through the corridors and carefully crafted street makes you feel like you are taking a journey through time. Be it Kerala which is designed like a boat ride in the backwaters or Goa which makes you feel lively among the color coordinated walls. The grandeur of West Bengal or the calmness of Assam, it is all there.
Even the hustle and bustle of Mumbai's metro left Anu and I with our moment of DDLJ. Quite a reminder from 15 years back!
As we stepped out of the kingdom of dreams, we saw this tiny pan show in the corner near the exit. It surely would have been a disaster if we had not gone here. There was a pan for every palate. I tried the chocolate crunch, while others tried the chocolate rum and other flavors. The day was surely well spent and we ended it with a much deserved drink at the lounge of our hotel. We also had the honor to meet an old and very important friend for the evening till dinner. Overall, a brilliant trip with Su getting married and sharing her joy with us and to Delhi for making it one of my most memorable trips in India.
Thinking to myself, "I probably get a better kick and enjoy my holidays exploring India than to travel to any other destination across the word. There is so much to explore in this beautiful country and so less time."
