Those chaotic places |Monday Mumbles 13

May 12, 2015May 12, 2015 / Srishty / 12 Comments

India is a place of mesmerizing chaos. Sounds clichéd but it is that. India is so full of places, vintage and modern, urban and rural, that can send your senses on a journey unexpected. Even those who have lived here their entire lives. No matter where you live, you will know few places that are chaotic but still enticing and even though they are difficult to roam around in, you like the charm of these places. Share those places in the comments section. 🙂

I had India in my mind when I wrote this but I am sure these places are there in other parts of the world too, even though most parts are less culturally diverse and less populated. So, if you are reading this but you are from somewhere outside India, consider answering this. 🙂

My answer:

Well, Delhi has endless places like these. There are numerous places where modern meets Mughal Delhi and it is captivating as hell. One such place I can think right now is Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi. I think this was built as part of Shahjahan’s Delhi when every architecture was all prim & proper and beautiful. This place is in a very poor state today as far as infrastructure is concerned, but it houses a huge, huge market of bridal wear & other wedding shopping. A market that garners unexpectedly high turnovers every year, or rather, every minute with the shops in the dark alleys of Chandni Chowk doing huge business. The place also is famous for its cult favorite food joints which have been here since forever and are still loved like nobody’s business! The place gets its touch of modern by the Delhi metro and the McDonald’s outlets open here but how much we would wish that nothing new is introduced here but whatever is already there gets back its glory!

A visit to Daryaganj Sunday Book Market | Street Diaries

April 16, 2015April 16, 2015 / Srishty / 25 Comments

Before we start, I have to say something. I am so disappointed with myself regarding the pictures of this post. I could have done so much better what with the Old Delhi backdrop, huge, HUGE piles of books all around. Believe me when I say this, this market is huge as hell!

Yes, that’s what the first thing that hits you when you reach here. Let’s not count the obvious culture shift that you feel from the rest of Delhi.

I know it sounds annoying to hear it repeatedly, but trust me, it is just not possible to explain in words how big this market is!

My friend and I got down at the ‘New Delhi Railway station’ metro station and took an auto for the market. We told the auto guy a point to drop us off, but the humongous piles of books began much before that point. We were like, should we get down mid-way or the best is yet to come?

As far as I am concerned, the entire market is the bomb. I am not aware of any best stalls or corners as such. You will find treasures and prices that might make you gasp. I got a lovely kids’ hard bound book for like 40 INR!! That’s less than a dollar!

There is this one big stationery shop that has all sorts of cool notebooks for really cheap prices. Most of the things here are sold by weight. You should definitely go to this shop for notebooks and some other knick-knacks. If you only want to visit this shop and not the entire market, ask anyone about it once you reach the main lane of Daryaganj book market.

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If you have heard about Delhi’s street shopping for clothes all your life, this market is that same thing but for books.

Bargain shamelessly.

Don’t show that you were dying to own a copy of that book you chanced upon.

Don’t show that you were dying to own the edition that you chanced upon.

The more you walk, the more your hunger to walk further will increase. Dress comfortably for that. Carry water.

That’s my haul!

I see no reason why you shouldn’t head here the coming weekend.

Look at that Mughal-art inspired book, this book was like a magnet.

[Plus, one of my favorite Instagram-ers, India Pictures, is having an Instagram meet in Old Delhi on the 19^th of April. It starts at 6 am though 😛 ].

Sagan ke lifafe (envelopes), anyone?

6 most annoying types of people in metro | Friday’s List

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 / Srishty / 3 Comments

I know that none of you ever imagined Friday’s List as this, a post about rants or annoying people. 😀 It must have been imagined as a value addition kind of post, where you either add things to your bucket lists or get to know about few tips/tricks. But here it is, a Friday’s List about people I hate in the metro! 😀

The queue breakers: Well, they are at number 1 for a reason. I hate them the most. So much so that if it wasn’t ethically & lawfully wrong, I would have loved dragging them on the floor and beating the f*ck out of them. I know it sounds outrageous but that’s how badly I hate them. There are two kinds, the ones who are unabashed, one woman actually told me this, “I don’t care if you call me shameless, I am okay being shameless than wait in the queue”, and the ones who try to act all innocent – “oh! I didn’t realize there’s a queue!” Oh my God. I wish I could slap you.
The ‘gluesomes’: These are the ones who will come and stick to you even if there was enough space for a hundred people! I mean wow!
The weight-putters: These are an improved version of point 2. They will not only stick to you, but also make sure that the weight of either their back or thighs or something is on you. Like, take your own support people.
The high maintenance people: These are the ones who will act all sophisticated and will roll their eyes if someone asks them to accommodate them on the seat. Now, I know most of you will disagree with me and say that if a seat is meant for 7 people, why would I want to stuff 9 people in there. Here’s my logic – In a country overflowing with people, it’s better to seat as many people as possible even with a little discomfort to each of them, so that maximum possible people are seated and the ones standing are also able to stand more comfortably. So, if it only takes a little bit of adjustment, it’s fine instead of rolling those eyes!
The seat hunters: Of course, how can I forget these. These I mostly do not hate because they are borderline funny. It’s funny to look at their tactics to get a freaking seat. They will do anything and I mean anything to get a seat in the metro. They are super annoying for me in two cases majorly: 1) when they try to save a seat for someone else too, that really irritates me somehow, 2) when I am standing right in front of a seat and they try to push me so that they can stand there as the next claimant of the seat, this is when all hell breaks loose and I make it a point to not let these kinds win with their shitty, uncivilized ways.
Women who act victimized all the freaking time: Why is this point the last? Because this entire post was written in a fun way but this point is actually serious and scary. I think most women really need to realize that they are responsible, equal citizens instead of victims of society’s burdens. True, we have a tougher life than men in a patriarchal society, we are more unsafe, all that is true but does the onus to change that lies on someone else? Why should men treat us as equals when we ourselves act like privileged citizens asking men to stand up from seats to let us sit? I have heard about teenage girls asking old people sitting on the reserved seats to get up. Really? Lately, thanks to metro, I have started feeling that women and men are getting divided into two groups where both the groups hate each other fervently. Being cautious is one thing, but every time someone’s elbow hits you in a super crowded metro, it isn’t eve-teasing ladies! If you start putting up fights without understanding the real situation, obviously men would start treating us as a separate group which they are supposed to stand against at any cost. Can we please act like strong individuals instead of victims?

That’s all for my rant. I am sure you would have some public transport experiences which can be shared. Can’t wait to hear more cringe-worthy accounts! 😀 Oh, and, good ones too. 🙂

Speak up?

September 16, 2014 / Srishty / 19 Comments

Did you read about the Deepika Padukone incident? Or did you read about this incident? Well, something similar happened to me today. Honestly, it was not too much (as per Indian lechers’ standards) but it made my blood boil. Things like these make my (or any woman’s) blood boil but we are so habitual of it that we let it go. I guess I was just way too inspired by these two incidents.

So this is what happened. I was in the metro and in the regular coach, not the one reserved for ladies. This man started scanning me. If you have ever lived in India, you will know exactly what I am talking about. If you are a girl, you have experienced it one hundred percent. If you are a boy, you have either done it yourself or have seen fellow males do it. So, anyway, I got extremely angry and normally I just ignore but, in this particular incident, I gave him a hard glance for a considerable time and he looked away but I realized that he is staring at me every once in a while. Now honestly, it is something that happens in public transportation here every 5 minutes but I still really wanted to confront him! I controlled. Somehow, after few more metro stations, it just happened. I did not even realize that I am doing it. I said,”Kya hai? Koi dikkat hai kya? ab mat ghoorna, bta ri hoon last baar, ab mat ghoorna bas!” It means this: “You got a problem? You dare not stare anymore, i am warning you the last time, don’t stare again. Enough.”. I had thought earlier that he was with some colleagues so he will definitely not be apologetic about it and would try to shame-face me. I was totally readying myself up for that since the past few stations. However, it did not happen. He became silent after uttering some gibberish like “What? me?” very slowly and looked away. I am still not sure whether he was with colleagues or not. Just so you know, a similar incident happened after he had left.

It is not an act of bravery. Heck, I did not even say those things confidently enough. In fact, I am scared enough to not do this frequently. 😛 The point I am trying to make is that I wanted to speak up, take a stand for myself and I did. Even if it’s really nothing, I have the right to speak up if someone else’s gaze is intimidating in a bad way to me. I have basically the right to speak up whenever I want. I DO NOT need to be apologetic about it. And the most important thing, if any of you try to do this (God forbid you land in such a situation), there is a one hundred percent chance that the culprit and the onlookers would try to shame-face you. Make sure that you know that you are not doing anything wrong. They are the wrong ones. You are taking a stand for something so bad, so wrong, be proud of it. Always, always be confident. You know what sucks the most about the incident that I just narrated? The fact that I am sure that all the onlookers in the metro at that time must be thinking me of as such a drama queen. They definitely don’t understand how daunting it is to get stared at like this. In fact, they consider it part of the lifestyle. They would even have outrageous things to say like ‘you were wearing such clothes, what do you expect?’ Pheww! Let’s not even go there.

Lastly, I have only two things to say. First, if you feel the need to speak up, never be ashamed to do it, take stand for yourselves. Secondly, we all know how unsafe our country is for women. So, always be cautious and good at judgement. If you think you are alone or in a troublesome situation, don’t put up a fight or gather attention in any other way just because it is right. It might be hazardous for your own safety. Just be good with judgement. I was in a metro full of people so I could take chances with confronting him, but if I were on a road in the night with such a lecher (God forbid), I wouldn’t have dared to do it.

Just be safe. 🙂 Take care. 🙂

Life Instagram-ed #10 and hello from Philippines! :D

September 11, 2014September 11, 2014 / Srishty / 39 Comments

Hi everyone! 🙂

Ok, it is a little creepy on my part that I am saying hello from Philippines after spending 4 days here and when it’s almost time to come back. 😛 (Honestly, I imagined myself writing a post the day I reached 😛 ) Anyway, that did not happen. I don’t know why. I am here on a business trip and this is my first international trip. 🙂 The moment I realized that this is my first international trip, something popped in my head. On one of my earlier posts, Tatsat had commented that ‘you will go places with your attitude’ for some reason. Somehow, when I read that comment, it felt very, very heart-felt. I am not sure if he wrote it like that or it’s just me but I felt like he actually is sending a wish for my success. Whatever be the case, I was reminded of this comment. 🙂

Coming back, this is NOT my Instagram feed from my stay in Philippines (because Hi! I am Srishty and I cannot break the sequence). I haven’t done the Instagram post here since mid-June and therefore, I couldn’t skip that and start with Philippines. So, here you go from around two-three months back:

1. The renovated Fab India in Block-A, Connaught Place. I LOVE Fab India by the way and their new store is not only about the stuff they sell! Just look at it.

2. That is the Kailash Colony metro station. They have these paintings all over the platforms and I love them!

3. I just clicked this randomly and it did not look like refined oil at all. I asked people on Instagram to guess what this is and somebody said beer too. 😀

4. Visited one of my favorite places, Sukhdev Dhaba in Murthal (Delhi-Haryana higway) after a long time.

5. Randomly reading a magazine.

6. That is my cupboard and the day I received these sunglasses, I was clicking them with everything. Doesn’t it look super cool though? Like someone awesome’s stuff? 😛

7. Please read point 6. 😛 This was clicked on our way to Agra when some of us friends planned a one-day trip there (yes, post will be up once I am back, so many posts lined up in my head!!) That’s my scarf by the way, the one that I wear to protect my hair/face from Delhi ki garmi 😛 (heat).

8. This is from the restaurant ‘Not Just Paranthas’. Post coming up soon. 😛

9. That is the famous(?) ‘Pizzeria Rossa’ in Hauz Khas village. I don’t know, I found it pretty average. I have this feeling though that their starters might be good. I tried two dishes and found them average. The pasta was average and the dessert tasted regular too (I am not anyway a well-informed person when it comes to dessert).

10. Random click in Rapid Metro because I was wearing my favourite pants from Van Heusen (but they are not quite visible :P).

11. The new client’s office in their India location, the only thing to cheer me up there is this area.

That’s it. 🙂 Regarding my stay, I am feeling kind of lonely, I always thought that I’ll love being alone as a tourist but that’s actually not the case. Although I am enjoying myself but like someone who travels a lot, not like a tourist. I don’t feel like covering a lot of places, I just want to chill and explore things around me. However, I know I’ll regret this later when people ask me things like where did you go in the Manila city. I don’t know why people’s opinion matters so much to me.

Pheww. Thanks for reading, guys. 🙂 😛

Amazing choley bhature near Madhuban, Nirman Vihar Metro Station

August 15, 2014 / Srishty / 21 Comments

Hola! 😀

So long I took for this post. Yes, I was pretty caught up but so am I right now. So we are, always. Well, laziness and bad time management happens (all the time!!!). Oh, by the way, for those of you who celebrate it, I hope you had an amazing Raksha Bandhan 😀 (for those who don’t know, it is an Indian festival where sisters tie rakhis (bands) on their brothers’ wrists for their long life and well-being and brothers give them gifts. Of course, you can modify this custom as per your convenience 😀 ).

Anyway, coming back to this post. So, we were in this area for some work and my dad decided that we eat something right away as it was lunch time. Let me tell you that my dad is hyper concerned about designated time for things. He doesn’t care if he is hungry or not, he checks his watch, if it is lunch time as per his standards, he eats THEN.AND.THERE.NO.MATTER.WHAT. So, as per the same standards, it was lunch time and we saw this Chola Bhatura (fried bread and chickpeas in gravy, an extremely famous North Indian delicacy) shop right across the street. Now, in North India, you find one Chola Bhatura stall at every nook and corner, so I had not huge expectations from this place. I just expected it to be filling and tasty enough. I think it would make sense to let you know now that I am not a huge Chola Bhatura fan, I mean I like them and all, but it is not one of my favorite things, get me? So, yeah, I did not expect much but this place bowled me over totally! This place had amazingly delicious choley bhature. The sweet lassi (buttermilk) served alongside was heavenly. The super spicy choley bhature with the soothing lassi was so divine an experience. 🙂 I can’t urge you enough to go try this place out. Highly recommended! Also, I am sure most of you reading this space love Choley Bhature more than I do, so you will thank me for this later. B-)

Before I end this, I would like to highlight a few points for your hogging experience:

This place will satiate your hunger and taste buds, not your need for a good hangout place. It is basically a roadside shop meant for people running around to either eat there when in a hurry or get stuff packed to carry away to their homes.
Lastly, I should tell you how to reach here, right? 🙂 Get down at the Nirman Vihar metro station on blue line (from the exit towards Shakarpur, NOT towards V3S Mall). Ask anyone for the Madhuban road. As soon as you turn towards that road, look to your left and you will see the huge hoarding of this shop.

I don’t expect you to go here especially for this because, let’s face it, it is not a hangout place but if you are in the area, definitely try this out. 🙂

Life of Srish

Because every tiny thing is worth a snapshot

Delhi Metro