CP
Delhi is polluted, Delhi is crowded. Delhi is fast paced, Delhi is rude.
But Delhi has a place for everybody. It welcomes everyone with open arms and offers ample appropriate opportunities to each inhabitant for getting a foothold. And then it’s up to the individual concerned how he/she capitalizes on that.
But Delhi has one precious possession which I love from the core of my heart. The saga started almost a decade back when I landed in Delhi with a lot of hopes and dreams. Those were the days of frantic running between hospitals in search of a job and getting acquainted with the routes of Blueline and DTC buses.
I first saw its majestic charm one fine evening in March when I was feeling terribly homesick and ventured out of home alone for the first time. I had crossed the place in passing maybe a couple of times before, but that evening I was enveloped in its strong arms. The aura of the place still haunts me, and each time I reach out I get solace. As Wikipedia states, CP was developed as a showpiece of Lutyens’ Delhi featuring a Central Business District. Named after the Duke of Connaught, the construction work was started in 1929 and completed in 1933. Prior to its construction the area was a ridge, covered with Prosopis juliflora (kikar) trees inhabited by jackals and wild pigs, where residents of Kashmere Gate, Civil Lines area visited during the weekends for partridge hunting. The only other visitors to the area were the ones who came to the ancient Hanuman Temple, who came from the walled city on Tuesdays and Saturdays and that too before the sunset as the passage back wasn’t considered safe during those days.
W.H. Nicholls, the chief architect to the Government of India, planned a central plaza based on the European Renaissance and Classical style. But Nicholls left India in 1917, and with Lutyens and Baker busy working on larger buildings of the capital, it was Robert Tor Russell, chief architect to the Public Works Department (PWD), Government of India who eventually designed the plaza. Named after, The Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught (1850–1942), third son of Queen Victoria and uncle of King George VI, Connaught Place’s Georgian architecture is modeled after the Royal Crescent in Bath, England, who visited India in 1921 and laid the foundation of the Council House (now Sansad Bhavan, or Parliament House).
There are many places in CP which I love. I am naming a few of them below, not yo serve as a information brochure for the uninitiated, but for the love of those places:
1. Janpath – A busy market with the choicest of earrings and showpieces and clothes, it was previously known as Queen’s way. Lovely skirts, kutis, runners, sandals, antique showpieces, T-shirts…You name them and Janpath has them.
2. PVR Plaza – Being the second cinema hall in CP after the Regal (opened in 1932) , the Plaza came up in 1940 and was designed by Sir Rober Tor Russell himself. It was owned by director and actor Sohrab Modi until in the early 1950s.
3. Wenger’s – Nothing beats the cookies and the pastries of Wenger’s. Having contributed generously to my so-called waistline (or whatever remains of it today) the confectioners was one of the first shops in CP, and it also owned the largest restaurant in New Delhi on the first floor of their present A-Block outlet. Originally established in 1926 as Spencers in Kashmere Gate, Wenger’s was owned by a Swiss couple, introducing Delhi to pastries and homemade Swiss chocolates, though in its early years it was patronized mostly by Britisher officers, Indian royalty and some foreign-returned businessmen, for Delhi was still a city of classical tastes of the walled city.
4. The Jeevan Bharti building (LIC building) – This glass skyscraper was designed by architect Charles Correa in 1986 and it towered over the low-lying and predominantly white Connaught Place . My personal interest in this structure is also because of the fact that I have a couple of LIC policies and the lure of the prospective green notes upon maturity of the policies make me look up at the tall building every time I pass through the vicinity! But yes, on a serious note, it is one of the most noticeable structures of the region.
5. The Imperial Hotel - It is New Delhi’s first luxury hotel. Opened in 1931 on Queen’s Way (Janpath) it became a haunt for the royalty and also the most preferred place for political talks; most famously, it was here that Pandit Nehru, Mahatama Gandhi, Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten met to discuss the Partition of India and the subsequent birth of Pakistan.
6. Giggles – Lovely collection of gift items, it also has a flower delivery service. It’s located in the E block, and also has a decent collection of t-shirts.
7. The Central Park – This wonderful park was built in front of my eyes. Underneath the park lies the majestic Metro Station of Rajiv Chowk, thanks to hard work of Mr. Shreedharan.
8. The Best Book Shop – Flipping through the books that smell of that typical smell of new books, the hours pass like a supersonic jet here.
9. The Zen - Heavenly food……such well behaved waiters.
10. The corridors – Except for some untamed pedestrians who love to throw their garbage on the floor, the corridors with the adept vendors who are unparalleled in bargaining with their colourful goods are a trademark of CP.
11. Pradeep chaiwala - I have known him for almost a decade now. On my first visit to the place, he offered me a cup of ‘half tea’ for Re 1, which now costs Rs 4. But I am one of his elite customers who can still enjoy his cuppa for Re 1. Sitting on the deep green bench of the inner circle, many a winter evening passed with the warm comfort of Pradeep’s ‘half tea’. As I wait for the winter of 2012, I also eagerly wait for his tea.
If my words sound too sugary, please let them be, for my love for CP has increased manifold over the years. Irrespective of all the ups and downs, the never ending facelifts and the diabolical jam that can frustrate even the most stoic individual, the charm and magic of Connaught Place (CP) remains unmatched. Though officially renamed Rajiv Chowk, I stick to CP, and as long as I live in Delhi, the je ne sais quoi of CP will continue to mesmerize me
But Delhi has a place for everybody. It welcomes everyone with open arms and offers ample appropriate opportunities to each inhabitant for getting a foothold. And then it’s up to the individual concerned how he/she capitalizes on that.
But Delhi has one precious possession which I love from the core of my heart. The saga started almost a decade back when I landed in Delhi with a lot of hopes and dreams. Those were the days of frantic running between hospitals in search of a job and getting acquainted with the routes of Blueline and DTC buses.
I first saw its majestic charm one fine evening in March when I was feeling terribly homesick and ventured out of home alone for the first time. I had crossed the place in passing maybe a couple of times before, but that evening I was enveloped in its strong arms. The aura of the place still haunts me, and each time I reach out I get solace. As Wikipedia states, CP was developed as a showpiece of Lutyens’ Delhi featuring a Central Business District. Named after the Duke of Connaught, the construction work was started in 1929 and completed in 1933. Prior to its construction the area was a ridge, covered with Prosopis juliflora (kikar) trees inhabited by jackals and wild pigs, where residents of Kashmere Gate, Civil Lines area visited during the weekends for partridge hunting. The only other visitors to the area were the ones who came to the ancient Hanuman Temple, who came from the walled city on Tuesdays and Saturdays and that too before the sunset as the passage back wasn’t considered safe during those days.
W.H. Nicholls, the chief architect to the Government of India, planned a central plaza based on the European Renaissance and Classical style. But Nicholls left India in 1917, and with Lutyens and Baker busy working on larger buildings of the capital, it was Robert Tor Russell, chief architect to the Public Works Department (PWD), Government of India who eventually designed the plaza. Named after, The Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught (1850–1942), third son of Queen Victoria and uncle of King George VI, Connaught Place’s Georgian architecture is modeled after the Royal Crescent in Bath, England, who visited India in 1921 and laid the foundation of the Council House (now Sansad Bhavan, or Parliament House).
There are many places in CP which I love. I am naming a few of them below, not yo serve as a information brochure for the uninitiated, but for the love of those places:
1. Janpath – A busy market with the choicest of earrings and showpieces and clothes, it was previously known as Queen’s way. Lovely skirts, kutis, runners, sandals, antique showpieces, T-shirts…You name them and Janpath has them.
2. PVR Plaza – Being the second cinema hall in CP after the Regal (opened in 1932) , the Plaza came up in 1940 and was designed by Sir Rober Tor Russell himself. It was owned by director and actor Sohrab Modi until in the early 1950s.
3. Wenger’s – Nothing beats the cookies and the pastries of Wenger’s. Having contributed generously to my so-called waistline (or whatever remains of it today) the confectioners was one of the first shops in CP, and it also owned the largest restaurant in New Delhi on the first floor of their present A-Block outlet. Originally established in 1926 as Spencers in Kashmere Gate, Wenger’s was owned by a Swiss couple, introducing Delhi to pastries and homemade Swiss chocolates, though in its early years it was patronized mostly by Britisher officers, Indian royalty and some foreign-returned businessmen, for Delhi was still a city of classical tastes of the walled city.
4. The Jeevan Bharti building (LIC building) – This glass skyscraper was designed by architect Charles Correa in 1986 and it towered over the low-lying and predominantly white Connaught Place . My personal interest in this structure is also because of the fact that I have a couple of LIC policies and the lure of the prospective green notes upon maturity of the policies make me look up at the tall building every time I pass through the vicinity! But yes, on a serious note, it is one of the most noticeable structures of the region.
5. The Imperial Hotel - It is New Delhi’s first luxury hotel. Opened in 1931 on Queen’s Way (Janpath) it became a haunt for the royalty and also the most preferred place for political talks; most famously, it was here that Pandit Nehru, Mahatama Gandhi, Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten met to discuss the Partition of India and the subsequent birth of Pakistan.
6. Giggles – Lovely collection of gift items, it also has a flower delivery service. It’s located in the E block, and also has a decent collection of t-shirts.
7. The Central Park – This wonderful park was built in front of my eyes. Underneath the park lies the majestic Metro Station of Rajiv Chowk, thanks to hard work of Mr. Shreedharan.
8. The Best Book Shop – Flipping through the books that smell of that typical smell of new books, the hours pass like a supersonic jet here.
9. The Zen - Heavenly food……such well behaved waiters.
10. The corridors – Except for some untamed pedestrians who love to throw their garbage on the floor, the corridors with the adept vendors who are unparalleled in bargaining with their colourful goods are a trademark of CP.
11. Pradeep chaiwala - I have known him for almost a decade now. On my first visit to the place, he offered me a cup of ‘half tea’ for Re 1, which now costs Rs 4. But I am one of his elite customers who can still enjoy his cuppa for Re 1. Sitting on the deep green bench of the inner circle, many a winter evening passed with the warm comfort of Pradeep’s ‘half tea’. As I wait for the winter of 2012, I also eagerly wait for his tea.
If my words sound too sugary, please let them be, for my love for CP has increased manifold over the years. Irrespective of all the ups and downs, the never ending facelifts and the diabolical jam that can frustrate even the most stoic individual, the charm and magic of Connaught Place (CP) remains unmatched. Though officially renamed Rajiv Chowk, I stick to CP, and as long as I live in Delhi, the je ne sais quoi of CP will continue to mesmerize me
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