The Hindu : New Delhi News : Inside delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Inside delhi

Only in winter….

The charms of winter, now in its last throes, never fail to enamour with their peculiar North Indian trappings. As the Capital readies itself for yet another shift in weather patterns, for a host of gourmands the fag end of the cold season also signals an end of their choicest eating hideouts.

If summer brings with it “special” ice cream on the India Gate lawns, the winter mist registers its presence with a cluster of roadside eateries that function late into the night -- way past the midnight curfew imposed on more established outlets -- and provide a calorific haven for the creatures of the night.

In several by-lanes of Janakpuri and Punjabi Bagh are found delectable delights that only those in the know are aware of. Masters of their fare, each ramshackle shanty specialises in a particular edible sin -- if there is a tongue-searing Indianised version of the French toast in one corner, there is viscous and sinfully sweet rabri in another.

The general idea is to satiate all possible gustatory sensations within the physical boundaries of a hundred square yards.

There is all the chance in the world, though, that the appetite will not be satiated but whetted for more, with avid consumers alternating between all kinds of stalls and delicacies.

The Thursday market in Rajouri Garden is another example of nightly encounters of the culinary kind. The surest way to beat the chill is to park beside a simmering cauldron of piping hot jalebis and warm oneself on the syrupy fumes of a promised pleasure.

A man slurped out the ultimate truth between mouthfuls of the gold-brown savouries: “This wouldn’t be half as fun in the middle of July”.

Kunal Diwan

A shipload of youth

More than 200 youngsters from 14 countries including India and Japan are going to share their space and experiences and discuss issues of common interest on a cruise.

These youngsters have been chosen by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to participate in the “Ship for World Youth Programme” organised by the Government of Japan. The 42-day programme that begins on January 24 will allow youngsters a chance to discuss issues of common interest from a global point of view through lectures, cultural exchanges, sports, seminars and club activities.

The group from India will spend ten days in Japan, where they are scheduled to have an audience with the Crown Prince and Princess and the Prime Minister, have excursions and short stays with Japanese families.

They will then sail on board “Nippon Maru”, a specially designed ship, and cruise around Singapore, Muscat and Chennai before returning to Tokyo on March 5. The expenses will be borne by the Japanese Government.

The programme, which is aimed at fostering a spirit of international cooperation, friendship and mutual understanding between the Japanese youth and their counterparts from across the globe, was started in 1967 as one of the events to commemorate the centennial of the Meji Restoration.

In 1988 the programme that was designated as Japanese Youth Goodwill Cruise Programme was renamed the Ship for World Youth Programme and made an annual event.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Festive days

Music lovers in the Capital were regaled with Sufi music at a public function organised at India Habitat Centre over the weekend to celebrate the festive spirit of Lohri.

Renowned singer Madan Gopal Singh rendered Sufi songs and folk melodies. A multi-faceted personality, Madan is a lyricist, film theorist, composer and a professor of English literature at Delhi University. Explaining to the audience the meaning and relevance of Sufi songs in today’s context, he said: “In our presentation, I covered 16th Century Sufi saint Shah Husain, 17th Century saint-poet Sultan Bahu, 18th Century poet Bulleh Shah, and 20th Century playwright Brecht in Punjabi.”

Delhiites were also privy to a performance by Rekha Raj, a Punjabi and urban folk artiste, and a Giddha dance performance by a group of enthusiastic dancers from the Punjab Academy.

Speaking on the occasion, Habitat World Director-Programmes Vidyun Singh pointed out that Lohri marks the beginning of a new season and is said to usher in change along with prosperity.

“It is an annual part of our annual cultural calendar that we celebrate as a special cultural and culinary evening,” he noted.

As Lohri cannot be complete without a bonfire, logs were placed one over the other and put on fire to celebrate the festivity with traditional fervour.

Madhur Tankha

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi