Tughlaqabad Fort

View from Tughlaqabad (Pic by Shamima)

For the ones interested in visiting Tuglaqabad Fort in Delhi, it should be clear that it is a fort that once was. It isn’t there anymore. What remains now are the massive walls which will give you more than a hint of what existed in the past. Some people might even say ‘Haan pahad hai’ ( Yah it’s a hill) when you ask about the place. But don’t expect a hike either. Nonetheless, go there.

Situated on the outskirts of Delhi it offers a magnificent view of the city. It is no hill (for a Nepali) but on climbing the ruins you find yourself on an elevated point where you can feel the cool breeze across your face. It’s the USP of the place apart from the ruins. Destruction can indeed look very beautiful at times.Half a part of a wall, an underground passage and the massive fort wall visible from the main road make Tuglaqabad Fort what it is. Across the street lies the mausoleum of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq.  It is a well-kept unique structure with sloping walls surrounded by green grass.Coming to think of it now the place is ironical in a way. The fort where people once lived is in ruins. The building which houses the tombs of the dead, however, is well maintained. But all of it corresponds to the fact that Delhi is a place which celebrates death. The most beautiful places here are built around tombs like Lodhi garden or tombs themselves like Humayun’s Tomb.

Hope the pictures(below) inspire you to visit the place if the text didn’t.

Ramblings about Delhi heat

This is me making the most out of the 27 degree Celsius temperature in Delhi. It was 27 about an hour ago but I don’t wish to verify it now. Let me just believe it is 27. So far, I have not been forced to turn on the fan so it must be still around 27. I can occasionally hear wind rustling leaves outside my window indicating pleasant weather. You can appreciate good weather only when you live in extremes. What better place to live in and appreciate the weather of Kathmandu than Delhi.

The fault is all mine. I underestimated Delhi heat. In the beginning of May I’d thought when everything got over I would stay back for a week or so, relax, enjoy Delhi and then go back home. If relaxing means absence of thoughts because I am unable to think straight when I am in my AC-less oven(room) then I am surely relaxed. It has only been a few days but it feels like weeks of leisure. I just can’t think clearly in this heat. In the past few days I watched as many as 3-4 movies a day and way too many Ugly Betty Episodes. I watched Rio ( loved it), Hangover ( didn’t find it funny at all, someone tell me why it was such a big hit?), Letters to Juliet (cheesy) , The Kids are All Right ( Mark Ruffalo’s unkempt look suits him), Chalo Dilli , I Am ( Good movie ) etc. As for Ugly Betty I’d begun to think that Matt and Henry were not Betty’s but my boyfriends. Just kidding. Nonetheless it reminded me of all the good times I had when I wore braces. I even missed them.  And how can I forget the Glee Episode ‘Funeral’ where Sue Sylvester’s sister dies. The day the episode was aired Sue Sylvester was trending on twitter. Sue’s a mean person with a tongue sharper than a knife (no wonder I love her ) but her speech in the funeral moved me to tears. So this, my friends, is one way of keeping your mind off extreme heat. Watch lots and lots of TV on your laptop

Before the temperature started hovering around late 30s to early and mid-40 degree Celsius I’d planned to spend my days in the beautiful, spacious parks of Delhi.  One of the best things about Delhi is its green spaces. As a Kathmanduite I was initially overwhelmed by the parks here.  A friend of mine recently came to Delhi and I suggested we go to Humanyun’s Tomb. The ticket for entrance is priced at INR 10. It’s a beautiful place and if you don’t believe me you can ask Bill Clinton and Obama. So, once we were done strolling around the place my friend said ‘This is such a big place and it costs only 10! We pay 80 for going to Garden of Dreams which is way smaller than this!’ You can’t compare the two places on any regard but the public spaces in Delhi deserve nothing but praise for the way they are maintained. Most of them are free. You can stay in the parks for as long as they open. All praise to the fact that New Delhi is a planned city. But with this heat my plans of spending leisurely afternoons in the park seems like the clichéd expression ‘Water, water everywhere not a single drop to drink’. I just can’t dare to step out in this heat.  Therefore, I am still glued to my computer. (Meanwhile, I had to turn on the fan.)

Where do I go from here?

Where Do we Go from here? , a photo by Zaded on Flickr.

I was just going through my Flickr shots when I came across this. The picture is a perfect portrayal of my state of mind. There is nothing to do here in Delhi apart from experience the unbearable heat. But I feel like the little kid I was back in school who never wanted to go home! For some reason I don’t want to go back to Kathmandu though I must. I think I have grown too accustomed to this ‘Robinson Crusoe’ economy of mine …I don’t want to change the way things are. I don’t think I am ready to come out of this oven and go out in the real world and interact with people. The mere thought of human interactions is bit too much for me to take at the moment. I don’t want to be baked in this Delhi heat but I don’t have the heart for anything else either. I feel like one of those birds in the picture. What should I do? Take a tourist bus to Kathmandu? Air ticket? Train ?