DilliMeriJaan

It is Spring in Delhi. And it is so much more than parks filled with flowers. The parks are filled with flowers though – my favourites are the bright red poppies. And silk cotton flowers, all glossy and red, on trees lining most roads in Delhi. Maybe I just like red!! Spring is also about butterflies, birds and bees. You will see the common grass yellow, common tiger, white pierrot and on curry / citrus-y leaves, the common Mormon, which is very grand. You will also see lots of birds, primarily because a lot of them are visitors to the city in winter and stay on till Spring – but who wants to go out in the Delhi winter to see birds (or anything) brrrr!! Another reason you will see them more now is because a lot of indigenous trees shed leaves in Spring. So it’s easy to spot a bird on a bare branch. And there are bees humming on flowers and creating more plants. Bees don’t appear to be as choosy as butterflies. I see them being as attentive to my minute basil f...

Safdarjung Tomb was built in memory of a Minister in the Mughal court, who also became the King of Awadh. You can open Wikipedia and read more about Safdarjung. You will also quickly learn that this is the last of the three gems of Mughal architectural style seen first in the Humayun’s tomb. The middle monument is the most famous – Taj Mahal, and this, the third, is really a poor imitation – as it was built at a time when the rule was fading and coffers were dry.  But these are not the reason for making it one of my favourite spots. It is peaceful, less crowded, and has these two bent trees, on top of which, I have spent hours, staring at the monument. These trees have bent branches, so you can either sit or recline. If you recline, you can stare at the other larger trees all around – which have birds and fruits and flowers. And because there aren’t endless walkers and their dogs, the birds prefer sitting/reclining on these trees rather than on those in its more f...