Sahelion ki Bari - Udaipur
Karim's Old Delhi
So, not to start a firestorm here, but I've eaten at Karim's several times lately (Tourist Season - so loads of visitors). For those of you uninitiated, Karim's is "The Place" to eat in Delhi. Co-workers, Neighbors, Strangers, Flight Attendants - they will all ask if you have dined there.
I haven't had a meal there I thought was bad, but I'm definitely starting to think it might be overrated.... Does this make me a bad person - Or, is this the secret truth every Dilli Wala knows - but won't admit?
What are your thoughts?
Local Celebrity
While in Udaipur, I came across this man. He was quietly sitting on a corner, and for some reason piqued my interest. I politely asked to take his photo and he obliged.
Afterwards, he invited me to sit down. He motioned that he had something to show me in his knapsack. Unsure what to expect, I reluctantly agreed and what he pulled out shocked me.
In his bag he kept hundreds of letters, postcards & photos from tourists all over the world. Each was addressed specifically to him and usually a letter accompanied the picture. This man had spent years as an Auto Rickshaw Driver, and had been collecting these items to document his journey.
Impressed, I wrote down his address & soon he will have this photo to add to his collection.
Cute Monkey?
Perhaps even more than the Taj Mahal, India's most popular tourist attractions are Monkeys. Americans, Brits, Japanese - they all have an obsession with the local monkeys. Outside Delhi, every tourist attraction has a resident monkey gang that is all to eager to pose for photographs with the visitors.
This weekend, we took a trip to Udaipur and visited the Monsoon Palace around sunset. As we arrived, I saw a crowd hovering near a tree & looked to find the Monkey I supose I already knew was there. After taking photos, and feeding the guy, the crowd dispersed and the little guy was left alone.
Soon, the Monkey started approaching a group enjoying a picnic on the lawn. He cleverly and quietly snuck up to the crowd before making a bold attempt to steal food from the crowd. Unable to resist, I steadied my camera and captured the ensuing madness.
In the end, the Monkey stole food from three seperate parties, including a bag of Lay's Potato chips. Soon, the crowd dispersed & as the next bus load of tourists arrived, the camera's returned & the monkey posed dutifuly for the camera once again.
Our Visit To Pardada Pardadi Educational Society
This past weekend, Sally and I paid a visit to Pardada-Pardadi Girls Vocational School in Anupshahr, Uttar Pradesh. Located near the Ganges River, the area is largely agricultural in nature.
The Pardada Pardadi Education Society (PPES) was established to provide education to girls who would not normally be afforded an opportunity to attend schools. Enrollment has exploded through a variety of novel programs including, guranteed job post graduation, 10 rupee placed in saving account for each day of school attended, and vocational training (in addition to academics).
The Pardada Pardadi Education Society (PPES) was established to provide education to girls who would not normally be afforded an opportunity to attend schools. Enrollment has exploded through a variety of novel programs including, guranteed job post graduation, 10 rupee placed in saving account for each day of school attended, and vocational training (in addition to academics).
Here are some shots of the school & Children.
To learn more about the school, visit http://www.education4change.org/.
The River Ganga (Ganges)
Just returned from a weekend in a village on the banks of the Ganges River. We were touring a wonderful girls vocational school for children in the area. The foundation is Pardada-Pardadi & can be visited here: http://www.education4change.org/
It was a wonderful trip with much discussion about wealth creation amongst India's poorest rural citizens. I will try to post some thoughts on the experience soon - in the meantime, enjoy this shot from a boat on the Ganga - India's national river - significant for Hindu Religious purposes, and for creating the fertile agricultural plains.
Kite Wala
This is the local kite seller near our friend Rohan's house. From what I gather, he has been selling kites for years from this corner. As you can see from this photo, the variety of kites available is pretty large. This is a small portion of his overall stock.
I realize this photo is a few weeks late (given my earlier post about kite flying), but it took Rohan some time to get me his photos as he recently got engaged. Congrats Rohan!
Reason For Foodies To Celebrate!
From HT: Oberoi Patisserie & Delicatessen.
Have you seen spicy Calabrian salami, San Danielle ham, real farmhouse Cheddar cheese (that is, made in Somerset, not the variety that’s made in Gurgaon!) or Valrhona chocolates on your last trip and wished you could get them in Delhi? Well, now you can. There are other goodies too: real Kalamata olives from Greece, cold-pressed olive oil from Sicily, breads the likes of which we in Delhi have hardly seen.
What impressed me the most was the subtle, gracious manner in which a variety of tastes had been catered for. There was gorgonzola cheese (Rs 100 for 100 grams for all varieties) and goat cheese from Piedmont for the dyed-in-the-wool cheese lover, but there were also Edam, Gouda and Emmanthal for the less adventurous. It is the same with virtually every product - the depth within each range shows you the intensity of research that has gone into the restaurant.
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