But when, is the question to be answered.
By Rajiv Theodore
NEW DELHI: Where are you when the sun goes down? The answer is, if you are in Delhi, probably downing some lassi and preparing to sleep, and some more adventurous of us may even call couple of buddies home to down some burra pegs over kukkad and rotis. And that’s about all. Spirits and cocktails are difficult to access in the night in the capital city-state, with the watering holes largely concentrated only in certain parts of this urban sprawl.
And if you are looking for fun and entertainment at night: dance clubs, bars, parties, festivals, shows, restaurants, live music bands and more, conservative and bureaucratic Delhi does not offer much as compared to say Mumbai or Bangalore for that matter.
People say that night clubs are sprouting, but you still have to look around for them. Although all night dhabas or roadside eateries could be found in Lajpat Nagar or near the railway stations, but obviously they cannot be included in fine dining and drinking. Pandara Road is the closest that comes to mind for that kind of occasion, but then it’s too crowded, have few restaurants in the midst of a honking mass of cars, unless you have couple of stiffies earlier to mute the mayhem.
Malls apart, which winds up by about nine each night, the concept of a New York lifestyle, a city that never sleeps syndrome is still unknown in India’s capital.
But then there is probably a ray of hope, just a sliver of light barely visible, though. Yes, the city’s municipality seems to be twitching from their slumber, presumably to wake up, I guess. The legendary Connaught Place and Khan Market are in the radar of these corporations to make it attractive for night owls. Their current day life would be extended by another three hours from the usual 9 pm.
A baby of Jalaj Srivastava, the new boss of NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Committee), the two shopping districts with their iconic status and unique advantages would now be lit up and lasers beamed at them. There shall be cultural shows to boot to attract crowds who in turn could patronize the many shops that abound the city’s oldest shopping zones.
But then, reality bites.
For example Khan Market is in a shambles despite being the most expensive retail location in India. Recently Ritu Kumar, a designer, was aghast to find that the first floor of her shop collapsed which caused the second floor to cave in and the ground floor to develop cracks. Building bylaws have been flaunted at will with heavy equipment like gensets being placed on these buildings by traders that is increasingly making the buildings a potential mine-field.
The story of Connaught Place is even sadder. Named after the Duke of Connaught (Prince Arthur, the third son of Queen Victoria and uncle of King George VI) and built in 1933 on an area once famous for partridge hunting, it now resembles a war-zone or even a moonscape.
To be refurbished for the Commonwealth Games which Delhi hosted in October 2010, the work is still far from over. The number of deadlines to complete the work has become irrelevant, some say 20 misses and NDMC insist that they have only missed eight dates for completion, so much for time-keeping.
The cost of renovation has escalated from Rs. 76 crore to Rs. 671 crore. The municipality which had developed cold feet over the rise in prices have abandoned many features like air-cooling system and subways.
And now CP stands amidst a stench of urine, hanging cables, iron rods and mountains of debris which for generations was an old favorite, where just a stroll on its Georgian styled boulevards could be the high point of your day.
(Rajiv Theodore is a journalist based in Delhi. An alumni of St. Stephen’s College, he likes cooking, traveling, and contact sports.)
To contact the author, email to editor@americanbazaaronline.com