The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
January 28 - Ah Delhi, We Hardly Knew Ya
It will be hard to say goodbye to the India Habitat Centre -- we really had it good here. This is a massive complex which apparently also houses a lot of association offices and other culturally-oriented organizations in addition to its theaters, art exhibitions, lecture series and the like. Oh, and then there is the lodging operation, five restaurants and who knows what else?
Our guardian angel at the Centre was Rajeev Puri, GM of the lodging operation. He worked for my friend Lalit for 14 years or so and considers him a mentor. So by extension, any friend of Lalit's is well-treated. Nothing like the upgrade to a suite to make your day! Thank you, my friend.
These are among the sights of Delhi that we never visited, in no particular order of importance:
Delhi's "Spiritual Disneyland" is Akshardam, a modern-era pilgrimage center. It looks old but was built fairly recently at a cost of $50 million. The project took five years and involved 11,000 artisans. People reportedly come here to pray but the attached IMAX theater and shopping center do raise some questions. There is not question about Humayun's Tomb, however. Built for the second Mughal emperor, its design inspired the Taj Mahal which was built by Humayun's great-grandson. The tomb, by the way, was paid for by Humayun's "senior" wife. (I'll have to drop a hint to Margene ...)
India Gate is the classic example of Delhi's imperial architecture, built to commemorate those who died in World War I. There is also an eternal flame to the memory of those who died in the 1971 war with Pakistan. Last on my "next time for sure" list is the Qutb Complex, parts of which date back to the 4th century.
© 2009 Restaurant Doctor
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