Metros are truly the best way to travel.
The locals at Chandni Chowk endorse this, and if you were stupid enough to ask them if it would be a better bet to take a rickshaw or ride the metro, to get to chawri bazaar from there, they look at you like you’re nuts and say ‘Kyon Bhai, jaam me phasna hai?’ Silly you!
So we begin our primarily culinary journey. Park at Patel Chowk, metro into Chandni Chowk station, and within a few minutes you place the first bite of Natrajs’ crisp, hot tikki in your mouth. Even as your nose runs happily in tandem with the flavors bursting on your tongue, you overhear a bunch of South Indian young ladies dissuade each other from Tikkiing it.”Theyre fried in pure Ghee....no baba”
Ghee or no ghee, you defiantly follow with a cool, creamy, dahi vadaa, the mildly sweetened dahi beautifully offset by the khatti chatni.
We move on. Answering shopkeepers insistent invitations to see the latest in lehngas or saris with a ‘Haanji bahaia, abhi dekhte hain” till you reach the oldest Annapurna sweet shop near Ghantewala…though I can’t actually recall a “Ghantewala’.
Annapurna- The old Bengali delight – needs no description. Samosa to chamcham to sandesh to a couple of recommended on the spot ‘must try’.
We walk across the road into Dariba....after all, wasn’t this one of the reasons we were here? A marriage in the family...an idea for the gift. Only to be found here. Between pattas of dew risened light as air bits of the jhaag of milk – sometimes called ‘Malaiyo’ and glassfuls of Kaanji Key Vaday, a couple of paapris and bhallas we find the perfect gift. But we still need to check the competition.
Delving into silver shops, starting relationships with particular shopkeepers...sharing reminiscences with them of Baap Dada times... before you know it, you’ve whiled the day into late afternoon.
The shopkeeper insists- Kachori toh khaa kay jaana- bhulo gay nahin. We comply.
To Chawri Bazaar- this is where we began- jaam may nahin phasna- metro again.
Impressed at how beautifully the Indian public has adapted to this form of travel. Oldish couple equipped with own strolley on which were strapped on suitcases etc, off at Railway station, onward to catch train.
Chawri – Just manage the elaichi chai, new strength alright, but now not an inch of space in tummy… nonetheless, bought the mothers of Anaars, straight from Kandhar… sworn on the fruitwalas head!
It’s a once in a while thing for us…but the shopkeepers there, judging by the number of them sticking in their little wooden spoons into various little pattas...in the words of one Mausiji.."Bhaiya, sab chatorey hain!"
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