Pixelated Memories: Books

Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

December 13, 2012

Sanderson's Sundial, New Delhi

This post is part of series about Qutb Complex, Mehrauli, Delhi. The integrated post about the complex and the structures within can be accessed from here – Pixelated Memories - Qutb Complex.

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In the vibrantly flourishing city that is Delhi, where a set of unbelievably giant astronomical instruments christened as “Jantar Mantar” was raised by a medieval vassal sovereign to allow scientifically-inclined minds to gauge the time of the day and also perform several astronomical calculations, a small sundial competes for importance and popularity. “Sanderson’s Sundial” exists as a forgotten, misplaced relic in a corner of the colossal Qutb Complex close to the exquisite tomb of Imam Muhammad Zamin, a medieval saint from Central Asia. A small instrument, it is crafted from white marble and fitted with a sleek blade whose shadow rotates according to the angle of the sunlight to indicate the time of the day. It is neither very stylish nor stunning in its composition or ornamentation; in fact, on the contrary, it is minimally inscribed with a simple Latin inscription that reads “Transit umbra; Lux permanet” (“The shadow passes, the light remains”).

In memory of Lt. Sanderson

Constructed in memory of Gordon Sanderson, Superintending Archaeologist of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Sundial stands testimony to his achievements and illustrious career in a country where archaeologists and historians are routinely forgotten and regarded with unconcern. Even during the colonial times (1857-1947) when the entire subcontinent from Afghanistan to Burma was managed and governed by British administrators and bureaucrats, the mundane existence of archaeologists was no different and most of them officiated as architects and engineers for the British Indian army from which they were drawn to undertake monumental conservation and repair efforts. Lieutenant Gordon Sanderson (1886-1915) of Machine Gun Battalion, 2nd Gurkhas (also known as Sirmoor Rifles), was appointed as the Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey, North-West Frontier Province (now Pakistan) by the Punjab Government to undertake extensive research, documentation and conservation projects for several renowned historical buildings in the provinces of Delhi, Agra, Allahabad, Bhopal, Lucknow, Ajmer, Bikaner, Gwalior, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur.

Lt. Gordon Sanderson (1886-1915) (Photo courtesy - Ncbpt.org.uk)

Prior to this, he was employed by the British government in Egypt and also penned a number of books and sketches about the architectural and archaeological features of several English cities. He is also credited with authoring several notable books, most significantly about the monuments of Delhi, especially the Red Fort complex and Qutb complex (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites), where he carried out extensive excavation and restoration work.

"Transit Umbra; Lux Permanet"

Only 28 years old, he participated in World War I (1914-19) as the commanding officer of 2/2nd Machine Gun Battalion and was martyred in action in France in October 1915. He was survived by his wife Agnes and two-week old daughter. The sundial was established as a memorial to his exemplary archaeological zeal following the conclusion of the Great War in 1919. His eminent books, especially “Delhi Fort: A Guide to its Buildings and Gardens” which has been considerably helpful in several of my articles pertaining to the Red Fort’s numerous pavilion-palaces, and excellent line drawings for which he achieved fame as a draughtsman are available on several sources on the internet and are still reverentially referred to by modern historians, cartographers and archaeologists.

A conjectural line-drawing of the colossal Qutb complex sketched by Lt. Sanderson depicting the extensive layout as it would have appeared had all the monuments initiated by successive rulers been completed. (Photo courtesy - Kamit.jp)

Location: Qutb Complex, Mehrauli, New Delhi
Open: Sunrise to Sunset
Entrance fees: Indians: Rs 10; Foreigners: Rs 250; Free entry for children up to the age of 15 years.
Photography charges: Nil
Video charges: Rs 25
Nearest Metro Station: Qutb Minar
How to reach: Taxis, buses and autos can be availed from different parts of the city. One can walk or avail an auto/bus from the metro station to the Qutb complex.
Time required for sightseeing: 10 min
Facilities available: Wheelchair access, Audio guides.

Other monuments within Qutb complex -

Another Sundial in Delhi - Pixelated Memories - Jantar Mantar complex

August 20, 2012

Connaught Place, New Delhi

Classical English architecture, wide beautifully-kept roads, colonnaded walkways and glittering large showrooms of every known brand – if it were not for the recurring garbage piles and betel (“paan”) stains ornamenting the white walls and grey marble floor, one would have thought they were somewhere in Europe. Welcome to Connaught Place – the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi! Officially called Rajiv Chowk and often abbreviated as CP, the massive commercial area was originally conceived to provide maximum shopping experience to British colonialists and military officers who then ruled over the subcontinent from their newly developed capital ostensibly christened as “New Delhi”, but now predominantly caters a clientele consisting of the Westernized, rapidly multiplying, newly affluent middle-class of a modern capital. A reflection of the vast changes that have crept unopposed in the society with time, the market’s large buildings that once housed British shops, bakeries and bookstores are now owned by multinational retail and food outlets catering to Indians and foreigners alike who throng them in search of instant gratification stemming from the belief that “A lot can happen over a Coffee” and one is supposed to be “lovin’” their burgers.

Connaught Place - Shopper's paradise

Interestingly, about a century ago, the entire area was dominated by forest lands used as grounds for shooting partridges and a cluster of three villages (Raja ka Bazaar, Madhoganj and lastly Jaisinghpura where Gurudwara Bangla Sahib exists today, refer Pixelated Memories - Gurudwara Bangla Sahib); between 1929-33, the villages were evacuated and demolished and the massive megalith was raised in their place as a showpiece of modern British construction and Georgian architecture. Today, one cannot even attempt to imagine the erstwhile villages/forests in place of the glistening white facades since every sign of their existence has been obliterated by the unrelenting surge of capitalism and urbanization – the partridges are long gone from among the high-rises of the commercial mega-hub and it is regarded amongst the top five most expensive realty and commercial establishments globally! Designed by architect Robert Tor Russell and christened after H.R.H. Prince Arthur, The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (seventh child of Queen Victoria), the gigantic circular structure, inspired by the Royal Crescent of England, is divided by intervening roads into three concentric layers (obviously) christened as Inner, Middle and Outer Circles (actually the circles are horse-shoe shaped – superstitious British planners and administrators thought the shape would prove lucky for both shoppers and shopkeepers); the double-floored buildings were intended to house shops on the ground floor and residential quarters on the first-floor; in the center of the entire scheme is located a grass-shrouded lawn from which radiate seven streets like the spokes of a wheel and divide the concentric building into large arched blocks.

Nocturnal sparkle at the commercial heart of Delhi

If there is one place that showcases the fast-paced and frenzied life in Delhi and also its vibrance, it would definitely be Connaught Place. Walk into any of the wide colonnaded avenues along its horse-shoe structure and into the outlets offering everything from food (McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Bercos, Kaventer’s, Café Coffee Day, Wenger’s) and clothing (Pantaloons, Levi’s, Shopper’s Stop, Woodland) to electronic and electrical accessories (Sony, Nokia, Samsung, Canon) and you will notice an equal mix of foreigners and Indians alike enjoying their time here. Even the pavements are lined up with kiosks and pavement dwellers selling books, posters, street food, cold drinks and ice cream. This is what I like the most about CP, the big and small conduct their business side-by-side, especially the numerous book sellers with their wide range of popular covers (though one can get much cheaper, though often second-hand or pirated, books at Daryaganj flea market (refer Pixelated Memories - Daryaganj Sunday Book Market)). Over time Connaught Place has become a shopper’s paradise, and even if you aren’t one for shopping, the wide walkways and shop windows that give a glimpse of the marvels they store within shall certainly tempt you into buying one thing or the other.

So many shops, so many brands!

As part of a project initiated by Delhi Municipal Corporation to showcase CP in good light during Commonwealth Games 2010 (CWG XIX) that Delhi hosted, the inner and outer circle areas are being redeveloped and beautified, but as with almost every Indian civic project, it too is mismanaged, has missed many deadlines, incurred vast cost overruns and is still in progress, thereby leaving many of the footpaths and walkways destroyed or dug up and shop facades re-plastered but not painted. Following the 2008 bomb blast attacks in the area in which terrorists hid bombs in dustbins, all the dustbins have been removed from the market place prompting people to throw plastic bottles, ice cream wrappers and fast food packaging around the walkways from where the sweepers simply shove them to one or the other corner – I realized this late one night while out with a friend and even pointed it to her – the authorities have to provide dustbins of some sort, right? The condition cannot continue status quo.

Colonnades and symmetry - Georgian architecture at its exemplar

The underground metro station at CP, officially Rajiv Chowk station, is one of the largest and busiest in the city and serves as interchange station for Yellow and Blue lines of metro service. The headquarters of Delhi Tourism is also located in Connaught Place, opposite the famed Hanuman Mandir (an ancient temple dedicated to the monkey-faced Hindu God Hanuman). One can visit the temple too, though it doesn’t have much to say for itself, except the idol of course which is said to be over a millennium old. Also located nearby is the revered Sikh shrine Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. If you are one for history and monuments, head to the nearby located (or rather hidden!!) Agrasen ki Baoli or the majestic Jantar Mantar complex (check links at the end of this article). And if even after all this your urge to shop isn’t satisfied, you can always visit Palika Bazaar (an underground shopping arcade immediately next to the inner circle) or Janpath (which is basically a large flea market selling both men and women clothing and accessories at dirt-cheap prices). Of course, unlike Connaught Place, one has to extensively bargain at both Janpath and Palika Bazaar, plus there aren’t trial rooms available at either which becomes an issue for women shoppers. Baba Kharak Singh Marg adjacent houses state emporiums – individualized outlets where one can purchase traditional textiles, sculptural art, souvenirs, religious items and handicrafts of that particular state.

The handicrafts building at Baba Kharak Singh Marg, a cornerstone of CP's touristy image

Edit (May 2014) – Overlooking the entire business district, the country’s largest tricolor, a 60 X 90 square feet mammoth monumental flag weighing 35 kgs and hoisted upon a 207-feet high pole, has come to flutter proudly in the Central Park courtesy of Flag Foundation of India (FFI) and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). As it quivers and trembles in the wind, the leviathan sends surges of pride, wonder and excitement through the hearts of onlookers who, even if they have seen it numerous times before, cannot take their eyes off its majestic form. The charm refuses to fade, especially of gazing at it at night when it has been lighted up with powerful arc lights.

National Pride

Nearest Metro Station: Rajiv Chowk
How to reach: The metro station exits at CP's inner circle. Autos can also be availed from different parts of the city for reaching CP.
Timings: The shops usually open around 11 am and close down somewhere around 1 am.
Entrance fees: Nil
Photography/Video Charges: Nil
Other landmarks in the neighborhood -

Other shopping destinations in the city -

Suggested reading -

August 03, 2012

South City Mall, Calcutta

I believe the South City Mall outstrips all the malls in Delhi & NCR in terms of size. & I never thought Calcutta boasts of such a large & lively place as this. Visiting the mall on a Saturday afternoon/evening with my friends Aakash & Sunil on the same trip when we visited the Calcutta Zoo (see http://pixels-memories.blogspot.in/2012/07/alipore-zoo-calcutta.html for more details & photographs of the Calcutta Zoo), I had been told by my Bengali friends that the mall is gigantic, I took their words with a pinch of salt, after all don’t most Bengalis think Calcutta is the best city in the world? Most of them had even said Calcutta Zoo is largest in Asia, but it wasn’t. In fact the Delhi Zoo is much much larger than it. But guess what - for the first time, my Bengali friends were right!!

South City Mall

As we entered the mall, security guards manning defunct metal detectors welcomed us, they smiled when I stepped before them for a pat-down check & let me in without any. Aren’t these guys concerned that someone can smuggle in any illegal substance or weapon in the mall? Moving around the mall, we saw almost all the shops there were, from the ones selling garments (Pantaloons, Planet Wear) to the ones selling electronic accessories (Fundamental, NEXT) & cameras (Canon, Sony, Nikon). The mall houses large showrooms of all these big brands & has been built to maximize the shopping experience. The shops have been clubbed together according to what they have to offer. So while food shops are on the top & ground floors (inside Spencer’s Retail), electronic accessories are on the first floor, while cloth showrooms jostle for space with the mighty Spencer’s on the ground floor. The mall was next to empty & we didn’t see many people around. This allowed me to take some nice photographs inside the mall, especially from the third (& last) floor. Being bookworms, all three of us were salivating as soon as we spotted Star Marks. The book shop had almost half of the floor to itself & believe me I had never seen so many books stacked at one place. Fiction, comics, science books, coffee table books & even kids colouring books – the shop had it all. The smell of new books was enough to drive us crazy & we picked one after the other book, not sure which one to buy. I was impressed by their collection & even asked them for permission to take pictures so I could upload them on my blog. Sadly, to protect their design & décor they had a “No Photography” policy. It really broke my heart. After spending almost an hour in the book store, sifting through many a delight’s covers, we had started to feel hungry. Heading first to the Spencer’s store at the ground floor that also houses a small food court, we had our fill in almost all the outlets there, ordering one or two dish from each. After all we are growing kids with a large appetite!! & food tastes much better when shared with friends. I would suggest some spicy food from Bombay Shiv Sagar, their Pao Bhaji is good. The Garlic Dosa at the South Indian joint is delicious. Head to Flurry’s if you have a sweet tooth (teeth in my case!!). Tummies bursting but not satisfied yet, head to the top floor which houses another food court, this one with all the top names – Pizza Hut, KFC, Mainland China, Benjarong.

Big might not be the right word!!

Designed by city architect Dulal Mukherjee for the company ICS Bentel Associates, South City is said to be one of the largest malls in Eastern India & I guess I would take their word for it (there aren’t many malls in Eastern India). The design is impressive with a large glass atrium running through the center of one side & surrounding the roof, acting as a filter for the sunlight.

Whenever you are in Calcutta & are done with all the sightseeing & travelling, head to the South City Mall. There is nothing more relieving than an evening spent with friends & family shopping & eating.

Location : Jadavpur, Calcutta
How to reach : Taxis & Buses are available from different parts of the city. The taxi drivers would agree to charge you by the metre when you board but would tell you that you have to pay double of what the metre shows when you get down. & you have to pay as all the people side with the taxi drivers.
Entrance fee : Nil
Photographs/Video Charges : Nil. But prohibited inside some of the shops
Time required for sight seeing : 3 hrs.

April 30, 2012

Daryaganj Sunday Book Market, New Delhi

It is not unusual to see school/college students early morning moving around with bags full of books, despite the December chill & foggy conditions. But if you see the same on a Sunday morning, rest assured you have reached the right place for book shopping – The Daryaganj Sunday Book Bazaar. No, the bazaar does not have this grand name, it is just an assortment of traders from many different places in Delhi, getting together on the footpaths of Daryaganj every Sunday, to showcase their wares – predominantly books, but also stamps, coins, amulets, cheap clothes, mechanical & kitchen accessories & stationery. Why were we there, for the books of course.

I want a throne like that!!

Every Sunday the mile-long footpath gets covered with books – thousands of them, millions of them, there are so many books that many a times not getting the space to walk, people walk over them, which is actually quite a pity. & then there are the traders themselves who sit on top of the book piles, handing the customer what s/he needs by picking it out & replacing at the right place.

But not a floor like this!!

There are all types of books available – novels (Chetan Bhagat, Arundhati Roy, J.K. Rowling, V.S. Naipaul, Dostoyevsky, Tagore, Premchand, William Dalrymple - you name it, you get it), memoirs, biographies, quiz books, coffee table books, encyclopaedias, magazines, school & college course books & even entrance exam preparation material – be it IIT, AIEEE, CA, UPSC, Bank or any other of the numerous exams. There are possibilities of one finding books that may not be available in regular book stalls due to them being difficult to order or find.

Since not many people read books these days, & not even half of them know about the market, we, i.e me & my school friend Piyush, were pretty pleased with ourselves for going there one fine Sunday morning. Since it was our first time to the market we decided to reach there by 8am (it opens from 6am-9pm), we were in for quite a shock. The market was filled with people – men, women & children of almost all ages, thronging to the sellers, bargaining like anything. How did they reach there so early?? Shit!! We had to jostle in the crowd to move our way through. & since it was our first time there, we were not even sure how to bargain. The first book-pile we saw, we bought the same set of books – the only difference being that while I bought them for Rs 300, Piyush bought them off for Rs 200. Disappointing!! But it left us all the more cleverer as we went to the next pile. Sadly we did not get to try our newly learnt bargaining skills, since even the thickest & glossiest books were priced at Rs 20-30. Even though most of the books here are either second-hand or pirated editions or second-hand pirated editions, yet the place is a heaven for those who are tired of having to buy overly priced books. . Given the correct skills & practice, a person can bring down the price of a book to as low as 10% of its original price – I was able to buy Amish’s "Secret of the Nagas", available for Rs 300 elsewhere for Rs 20 (yes yes I helped promote piracy, so what?? They should be happy I am reading the book). Although these days most books can be downloaded free of cost from various internet sites, yet it can never match the pleasures of the printed word, & what better place to buy all the bestsellers at throwaway prices. The simple fact is the readership is not going to increase unless book prices are brought down, if piracy helps, then why not?? One does not face issues like missing pages or typographical errors in the book itself – although as it happened to me, the cover stitched to a book may not actually be its own, it may be an altogether different book on the inside – hence, don’t judge a book by its cover!! Two shops later, we had our hands full with books, so heavy that we just wanted to keep them somewhere & sit, but we did not, because the lure of more books kept pulling us to the next pile. Also we had to buy some study material too, you can get college books at dirt cheap prices, though you might have to put in some extra effort to find the latest editions & the correct authors among the bulk of books available. I even bought some stamps off a dealer selling whole stamp books & stamps from countries like the US, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Canada, Brazil, Nepal, China, Nigeria etc. I was not sure how many of those were real, but since each individual stamp was only Rs 1-2, & a whole book was for Rs 50/100, it seemed a sell-out.

Buy some stamps..

Coin sellers too peddle their ware here, so do several cloth-traders & traders of a number of paraphernalia, like screwdrivers, hammers, knives, pans, amulets & even photo albums. The mass of humanity swelled as the day got longer, & at 11 am we had to step down from the footpaths in order to avoid the milling crowds.

Or would you like some coins??

There are more than 150 book sellers here who sell their books on the pavement. They have their fixed spot and they can be seen here every Sunday outside the closed shutter of the shops. You can not only buy second hand books here but can also sell them to the vendors or get them exchanged for other books. Some of the book sellers sell specialized books while many others can be found selling all types of books. The traders, even though they had their hands full, were helpful & guided you to the right shop if you asked or tried to help you find the right book, no matter how long it took. Well, at least most of them, a guy selling IAS study material from Vajiram-Ravi, was quarrelsome with almost all the customers, I still don’t know what got into him. Moreover most of the people involved in this big Indian bazaar – from the customers & traders to the tea-seller manning the corner shop – would pose for you at a single request, which definitely made my day.

Does he know how to read??

Finishing our quota of shopping, we headed to the nearest bus stop, just down the road, right next to the Delhi Gate, one of the surviving gates of the erstwhile Shahjanabad (refer Pixelated Memories - Delhi Gate). It was difficult to pull oneself away from all those books & move on, more so because one knows that so many of those hold the keys to strange worlds & distant lands, a welcome relief from the monotony at the end of the day (or at the beginning or the middle if you are just like me). A date with books on another Sunday then..

Location: Near Delhi Gate of Old Delhi
Nearest Metro Station: Chandni Chowk
How to reach: Once you deboard at Chandni Chowk Metro Station, ask for the Red Fort, you would be guided to a narrow lane that opens straight to Chandni Chowk Road, take a rickshaw to Delhi Gate & walk from there on. (Don’t ask the rickshaw-wallahs to take you to the book market because they would drop you off at a place called Nai Sarak, where permanent book shops are located)
Timings: 6am – 9pm
Photography/Video Charges: Nil
Precautions: It gets pretty crowded so take care of your belongings, Beware of thieves & pickpockets.

Relevant Links -

Pixelated Memories - Delhi Gate