Common way

A view of the readymade garments market at Janpath

Place:  DELHI 


Janpath is one of the most well known roads in Delhi. Once a busy commercial area, Janpath in central Delhi is one of the radial roads emerging from Connaught Place.

Janpath is still home to a lot of offices, though as the focus of the city has moved out of Connaught Place, Janpath too has suffered in the sense of no longer being seen as 'trendy'. It has lost out as new malls and a spread of the city have opened new hangouts for the city's young.

This north south heavily tree lined road was once called Queensway, and lets start our journey from the north end of this road.

The readymade clothes market to the west of the road is easily the most popular part of the road, which opened in 1931 as a new capital of India was inaugurated by the British. It has come up rather haphazardly, as a result is dependent on the shape of the major buildings - LIC Building, then Indian Oil Bhavan and Scindhia House on the other side.

The market offers great opportunity for the budget shopper, so it no surprise that college students are amongst its biggest patrons. Trendy knock offs of the latest fashion are readily available, though again the market's heydeys were in the years before mid range retail came into India. Jeans, trousers, capris, shirts, skirts, ethnic dresses, shorts, minis, scarves, fake pashmina shawls .... Just remember, bargain. Prices are usually 50 to 80% higher than the actual price! Add to this junk jewellery - lots of it, glass vases, curios, lamps, pens, mirrors, colour painitings, crafts, even an odd second hand book store, and this is a great place for visitors who have to take curios. Interesting stores include Handpaper and Tantra.

An extension is the Tibetan market, immediately after the crossing also the west, which has more curios, from tangkhas to block print stubs to brass lamps. The tone of the stores is far more momento-ish, and are more closed. Don't expect too much Tibetan stuff though.

But Janpath does not end at the flea market. The road also has fancier retail including Tribhuvandas Bhimji Zaveri (jewellery), Ferrari etc. Possibly the best retail destination is Central Cottage Industries Emporium, better known as Cottage, which is close to the main market, across the first crossing on the east. Check it out for ceramics, silver and brass ware, textiles, crafts, folk art, etc. A must for summers, when temperatures outside at midday can touch 45C.

This is followed by a few office blocks. There are many important offices on this road, including headquarters for telecom companies MTNL and BSNL, Western Court, State Trading Corporation (STC).

Across the road, hidden from view by the Tibetan Market, is the Imperial, the oldest five star hotel in the city and one of its best. Do check it out even if you do not stay here - at over $200 a night, it can be out of reach for many. Soon after it is the state run and much less venerable Janpath hotel.

The first roundabout is ringed by two major hotels. The Meridien, part of Starwood, is known for chic design and Panju shaadis. The Shangri-la, not a patch on the other hotels the brand has globally, nevertheless has a few bright spots including its oriental restaurant.

Continuing down the road to the west is the National Archives, not easily accessible. Across the road is the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), which has some great exhibitions. Janpath here crosses Rajpath, once Kingsway and still amongst Delhi's showcase roads. Take a moment to look towards India Gate on way and the Rashtrapati Bhawan the other way. Cameras to the duty, please.

Delhi's top museum, National Museum is further this road to the east. While it cannot compare with its famed counterparts from around the world, it still offers an introduction to Indian history. It also has a museum shop, but is of stock of almost whatever you ask for. If the Gandhara Buddha bust or replicas of Indus Valley seals are available, get extras. The new office of the external affairs ministry has opened across the road.

The south end of the road is home to some politicians, all behind high fences. There are many eateries and coffee shops along the way, along with every hotel having its F&B outlets. Try Fresc Co for Italian, Saravana Bhavan for south Indian, or if in the mood to spend the Spice Route or 1911 at Imperial.

In winter, a walk down the road is good idea to get an idea of Delhi of yore. 

Apple blossom

Place: DHANAULTI

Apple blossoms in full bloom. At the Apple Orchard Resort at Dhanaulti in Uttarakhand.

We had gone over for lunch soon after checking into our hotel. The walk, through acres of forest land and in the midst of a light drizzle had been enchanting - crisp, cool weather, lush forest, birds chirping even in midday, the aroma of wild flowers and pines. A long, leisurely lunch later, we bid farewell with great reluctance. 

Criminal waste

Film spools at NFAI, Pune

Place: PUNE

Original spools of Ritwik Ghatak's Meghe Dhaka Tara lying on the floor along with many others at the National Film Archives of India in Pune.

As you can see, the condition of these irreplaceable parts of India's cinematic history, indeed contemporary India's history, are in such a pathetic condition. This visit had brought tears to my eyes, and I wanted to shout at the head of the institute, who happened to be there at the time. But I guess the government of India has appropriated numerous national assets that they did not create, and therefore know not its real value. And only half hearted efforts at preserving them. 

Some private initiatives are doing film restoration of Indian films, but considerable parts of our cinematic history are gone already :(  

Heritage haveli

Place: UNCHAGAON

A leisure resort in Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, Fort Unchagaon is a largish old haveli in the middle of nowhere. An early 20^th century haveli, it is now a hotel.

The imposing entrance to Fort Unchagaon

Reaching it will not be easy at all – we took a road trip till Garhmukteshwar, and then a boat ride down the Ganga. Now this may sound interesting, unfortunately the mighty river in this stage of her life is rather staid. On both banks all you can see are grey bluffs and some crops in the field if you have taken the right season, read winter. It is a really long journey by boat, and if you stop by the rather picturesque island along the way, the journey only becomes longer. But entire worth it as it is a relief from the grey waters and banks. If you are a couple on a romantic trip, better not have disagreements, for the two of you is all the company you shall get!

And be warned, despite the boatmen claiming there are river dolphins in this stretch, you will encounter them more in the way you meet tigers in a tiger reserve. “Pug marks are all I ever see, and on this journey at least, this is how I saw the dolphins. However, to be fair, I did see the dolphins on a later trip in this stretch!

Disembarking after what seemed endless hours on the boat, hungry and tired – the chips and other goodies had been on different boat, we made to the banks again, only to discover there was another road trip, and this time through almost non existent roads!

Anyhow, reaching this tiny hamlet dominated by this haveli was a bit of an anti climax – the interiors are all dominated by erstwhile semi rajahs whose only passion seems to have been to decimate fauna in the area. The walls are lined with tiger, deer and other animal heads, and that is definitely not my preferred interior decoration motif.

It turned out that the rooms are pretty large, and draughty, and if at the end of haveli, can be spooky as well. Given that it is an old palace, not all amenities are as updated as you would want them to be. And no, there is no TV in the rooms! Food is standard fare, ordinary north Indian. Alcohol is local or strong beer. Despite the increase in tourism in India, this little hole in the wall has not yet caught on, and people stare when you step out of the haveli.

The lawns are easily the best part of the haveli. As there is not much else to do, prepare to entertain yourself! 

Meet Vegas' big brother: Macau

Place: MACAU

There are only so many superlatives one can use to describe what is now the largest casino in the world

The Venetian shimmers in reflected glory. This, the world's second largest building when built, is Macau's latest step towards making it a regional casino hub

Part of a mega hotel-convention-entertainment centre, this casino is built to host about 6,000 slot machines in 5,46,000 sq ft. Its target is new Asian, young, rich and within five kilometres of Macau. In fact, with about half the world's population, about three billion people living in that five-kilometre flying radius of Asia's Sin City, it is no surprise that Macau left Vegas behind in where it matters most - the bottom line - raking in an estimated US$ 6.8 billion.

And the Venetian Macau is set to rule here in the coming few decades. Built on land reclaimed from the sea, today this is a giant anchor hotel of the 10.5 mn sq ft Cotai Strip. The strip, whose name is derived from two of Macau's lesser-known islands - Colanne and Taipa, is witness to 14 world class hotels coming up at top speed. With a combined room capacity of 20,000 and an estimated expenditure of US$ 25-50 billion by 2010, it is a whole new city coming up at great speed.

The Venetian has cost about US$ 12 billion already, with some work left, but the rest of the Strip will have three mn sq ft of retail, three mn sq ft of meeting and convention facilities as well as a 1,800-seat entertainment complex. Sheldon G Adelson, chairman of the board and CEO, Las Vegas Sands, the holding company of the Venetian, says he looks forward to the Strip changing the face of the gaming industry in Macau, changing its image of a rather seedy gambling den to a modern, legal global centre for gaming. "We wanted to build space for 60,000 rooms, but got permission for just a third of that capacity," he says.

This, for a place that has a total area of about 27 sq km and a population of half a million people. And the number of visitors to Macau last year - 26 million. It is hoping that at least 10 million travellers from India (with its 1.3 billion people) will visit its shore by 2010. (The tourism ministry's figures for 2006 are 4.43 million!) The Venetian has 16,000 people working in the property, 9,000 as hotel staff and the rest working for the 30 fine dining restaurants, 350 speciality shops - with every luxury brand one can think of, a 1,000-seat food court, a 15,000-seat stadium (which on October 18 hosted a dream match - Roger Federer v/s Pete Sampras) inside the hotel. The MICE part will see the world's largest convention and exhibition centre.

The numbers say it all. The hotel has 3,000 suites, each with a minimum area of 650 sq ft - each with a 130 sq ft bathroom and a sunken living room overlooking the surrounding bays. And most rooms are already booked till November, informs a hotel staff. But it is the facade that elicits the biggest gasps. It is built to recreate Venice complete with St Marks Square, the Doge's Palace, a 157-feet Rialto bridge, huge colonnades, massive halls, ceiling copied from famous Italian landmarks.

There are three 490-feet canals that water the equivalent of 11 Olympic-size swimming pools, with 51 gondolas on which travellers can even get married, as couples from South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand have done, after winning nationwide contests to get married on the opening day.

The shopping is in this ambitiously-named Grand Canal Shoppes area, and though not all stores have opened yet, the visuals leave one awestruck, especially as the entire area is topped by a manmade sky, complete with clouds, which forms part of the hotel superstructure. "I chose Venice as I had my honeymoon there, and here I have combined the romance of Venice with the luxury of Vegas," says this septuagenarian who walks with a stick, but whose energy is still infectious.

If this sounds like a brochure, please excuse, for it is not everyday that one comes across the largest single building in the world, as Adelson claims. His earlier hotel at Macau, The Sands, started in 2005, recovered its investment within a year, and Adelson is the third richest American according to Forbes.

A view of the main casino room, which, when built,
was the largest in the world

"Do you want one of these?" is his opening statement on meeting Indian journalists as he proudly shows off the Venetian. But he is unwilling to venture into India without the casinos. Convention venues do not make money, they serve to create a ripple effect where the individual who comes in for the business meeting gets attracted to the casino," is his blunt reply to queries about a similar destination resort in India. But he sees great potential in the land, and says he is ready to invest a similar amount here if rules permit. Las Vegas Sands is already building a casino-resort in Singapore, which will seek to attract Indians as well. "I want to create copies of Las Vegas around the world."

However, he claims only five per cent of the Venetian's area is earmarked for gambling, though he admits he expects two-thirds of the revenue to come from it. The comparative figure for the hotel this resort is modelled on - the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas gets about a third of its revenue from gambling. Respectability is a mantra for him at Macau, for he is unwilling to risk losing his license in the face of strict Chinese supervision. "No loan sharks will be permitted," he stresses, and trots out names of chains like Hilton, Sheraton, Four Seasons and Shangri-la as among the 'respectable' chains designed to give confidence to the prospective indecisive visitor.

Getting to Macau is far from simple. But like the Burj Dubai, it is set to become the chosen destination for millions by the time Asia's fairytale city is complete. One thing that travellers need to keep in mind - don't plan a holiday with kids, for those under 18 are not allowed in the casino.