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Tuesday, Jan 29, 2008
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Inside delhi

A win-win deal

Here’s an incentive for Delhiites to turn off the ignition of their cars while waiting for the light to turn green at traffic intersections. Switching off at red lights not only helps keep the city’s greens intact but also saves money for the motorist.

According to a study carried out by the Central Road Research Institute and the Petroleum Conservation Research Association, Delhi wastes a whopping Rs.994 crore every year because of idling of vehicles at traffic signals.

Trying to drive home the importance of fuel and energy conservation, Petroleum Conservation Research Association officials at the inauguration of the Oil and Gas Conservation Fortnight in the Capital recently said the countrywide figures would run into thousands of crores.

Experts advise that to save money and irreplaceable fuel it is better to switch off the engine when there is a wait beyond 15 seconds at traffic signals. As much as 2.5 kg of carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere by burning one litre of petrol, which in turn contributes considerably towards global warming, experts say.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Roadside charity

With its exotic offerings of “frontier” cuisine, Pandara Market finds a spot on the itinerary of most tourists looking for a wholesome Indian culinary experience. On any given day one can find a fleet of air-conditioned coaches parked outside Jaipur House and a gaggle of sunscreen-shielded individuals trudging towards the several restaurants that have made a fortune catering to the “phoren” crowd.

Like touts, agents and hangers-on looking for hand-outs around popular tourist spots, this sizable and regular presence of white-skinned visitors to Pandara Market has caused percipient urchins in the area to loiter around trying to catch the foreigners’ eye.

A rare and unthinkable occurrence in developed countries, the presence of semi-naked juveniles prancing around in the heart of Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone rarely fails to turn blond heads, who --considering it to be another “exotic experience of India’s economic dichotomy” -- reach for their cameras and a handful of chocolates for the children.

The freebies are not restricted to eatables, with pens, straw hats, shades and, in some cases, even tens of dollars being doled out to eager recipients who race their companions each time they spy a bus being parked by the roadside.

On one such occasion, a friend driving that way barely averted slamming his car into a coterie of young boys who were sprinting towards a group of foreigners luring them with goodies in their hands.

A fairly regular occurrence, these handouts may well cost their eager recipients an arm and a leg if their gallops across the road remain unchecked. And even though their intentions my be entirely honourable, tourists would do well to acknowledge that solutions to Third World poverty do not lie in random roadside displays of charity.

Kunal Diwan

Patriotic flavour

Bringing alive the patriotic flavour of Republic Day, an outlet at the Garden of Five Senses offered a novel experience to Delhiites over the weekend.

“Baujee Ka Dhaba” not only played patriotic songs from old Hindi classics but also served a wide assortment of dishes eaten by the brave men posted at the borders on January 26.

According to Rajan Omprakash Mehra of the outlet, the menu -- “Faujiyon Ka Bada Khana” -- was the same as that served to thousands of soldiers posted at the borders.

“Last year I had personally gone to the Wagah and Hussainiwala borders to find out what the Army men eat. I talked to the chefs there and learnt that they eat ‘sarson ka saag’, ‘makke de roti’, ‘roghan josh’, ‘dal makhni’ and ‘kadai paneer’ on Republic Day. So I am serving these dishes on the momentous occasion.”

The outlet served food in the same kind of utensils -- plates and big Army cups -- in which the soldiers eat. “Our country is surviving because of the Army and on this day we want to honour the personnel of the armed forces,” said Anupama Mehra of the outlet.

Madhur Tankha

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