Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Dilli Chalo..

Though there was hectic work schedule on weekends (after looooooooong time am working on weekdays & weekends!!!) I managed to go out to see a place which I was longing to. Its RAJGHAT....Gandhi samadhi. I remember this place was shown in television on every 2nd of october as well as when foreign dignitaries across the world visited India as this is a must visit venue for them.It was quite emotional to go there......I felt I was connected to that place....The reason is, my grandpa was a great Gandhi follower. He was a teacher and freedom fighter who went couple of times to JAIL during British rule!! Interestingly my granndma use to get extra pension as grandpa fought for freedom and had gone to jail. And whenever I visited my granny's place and saw the copper plate hung on wall which is a recognition given by Gandhi to my grandpa I felt proud about it. So I felt I too am connected to Gandhi :)

The second place I visited is India Gate and Rashtrapathi bhavan. Until I visited the India Gate I never knew the importance of the place!! It is situated on Rajpath. It was orginally called as "All India War Memorial". It was built by Edwin Lutyens to commemorate the Indian soldiers who died in the World War I and the Afghan Wars.The most interesting thing about India gate is, it has the names of the soldiers who died in these wars inscribed on the walls. Amar Jawan Jyoti (The flame of the immortal warrior) is burning under it since 1971, which marks the Unknown Soldier's Tomb.

On the top of the Gate the following line is inscribed:

To the dead of the Indian armies who fell honoured in France and Flanders Mesopotamia and Persia East Africa Gallipoli and elsewhere in the near and the far-east and in sacred memory also of those whose names are recorded and who fell in India or the north-west frontier and during the Third Afgan War

I also walked in the hot scorching sun from India Gate to Rashtrapathi Bhavan which made me feel proud as this is the place where great Indian leaders stood/walked/gave speeches :)

The third interesting place i visited is "Andra bhavan", a hotel near India Gate which is rated as one of the best quality/price hotel in India!! 65 Rs per delicious meal was much better than paying 60 + tax for a masala dosa with chutney (which is really unique!!) @ food court in my workplace :)