Art For Heart’s Sake

Hushed halls and brightly lit walls. Beautiful pieces of art  from paintings and photographs to sculptures and videos  all vying for attention! Young, upcoming artists with contemporary and revolutionary ideas and creativity - the United Art Fair is all this and more. To be organised at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from September 14 to 17, this one of its kind event will showcase the best of Indian art and creativity.

Photo Credit: GFDL and CC-BY-SA / Wikimedia

On Display

The United Art Fair (UAF) is the brainchild of Anurag Sharma, MD of United Arts Logistic Private Ltd, who together with noted curator Johnny ML scoured the Indian artistic landscape to discover upcoming talent to showcase it at the UAF. An exhibition cum sale, it brings artists from 15 noted art hubs of the country including cities like Mumbai, Baroda, Chandigarh, Goa, Guwahati and Kochi. Divided into six sections, the exhibition features paintings, sculptures, photographs, digital art work and videos, all based on contemporary themes. Visitors to the exhibition can pick up art works which can cost anywhere between Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 1.5 crores! The first UAF held in 2012 also had a Masters’ Gallery with art works by celebrated late Indian artists MF Husain and Tyeb Mehta. Unlike individual art exhibitions that showcase the work of only one artist at a time, this art fair has the advantage of bringing nearly 600 artists under one roof. For a growing art market like India, this is indeed an event worth looking out for!

Photo Credit: Abhishekjoshi / Wikimedia

What to Expect

To begin with – beautiful pieces of art to look at, admire and take home if you so wish, albeit at a price. But that’s not all. Organised in a sprawling area of over 1,00,000 square feet, the UAF boasts of nearly 700 artists for its 2013 edition and more than 2500 pieces of art. There will also be book launches, seminars (with speakers such as Shahidul Alam, Nayantara Garung, Menala Kumari Shah and Frank Barthelemy), a masters’ gallery, a sculpture park, a travelling exhibition as well as an awards ceremony at the end of the four day event. Attended by artists, curators, exhibitors, art collectors, art lovers and the general public, it will be a great place to rub shoulders with the country’s art fraternity.

New Delhi, Culturally Yours

While UAF 2013 is certainly an event to look forward to, for those who would like to be more regular on the cultural scene, this is by no means the only event of its kind. Several similar events, big and small, are regularly organised in the national capital, a hub of Indian art and culture. Those interested may want to take a tour of New Delhi’s many famous museums and art galleries such as the National Gallery of Modern Art, which preserves and showcases modern artwork from the 1850s onwards.  You can also take time out to visit Shankar’s International Doll Museum, which was set up by well known political cartoonist Shankar Pillai and boasts an international collection of dolls. Other places of interest include the  National Museum of Natural History, Crafts Museum with its artificial village showing rural artisans at work and Stellar Children’s Museum, which is a unique educational cum recreational center especially designed for children in the age group of two to eight in Gurgaon.

Photo Credit: Pardeep / Wikimedia

Visit UAF 2013 for an enriching cultural experience. For hotel bookings in New Delhi, log on to MakeMyTrip.com

Delhi: My Top 3 Favourite Things to Do

Delhi is one of those cities that I always look forward to visiting. It is open, green and a calming sight for my eyes that are otherwise used to the congestion of Mumbai. I recently visited Delhi for just a couple of days and made stops at some of my favourite stomping grounds.

Lodhi Gardens: Step Back in Time

My favourite place in Delhi, by far,  has to be the Lodhi Gardens. While it is not the first thing on most tourists’ lists, to me it is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in India’s capital city.  With ancient tombs, a quiet stream that is home to swans and ducks and a bonsai garden, Lodhi Gardens is a sanctuary in the middle of this crazy city. I have spent many an afternoon in this garden in Delhi with a small tiffin box and a good book, relaxing and soaking in the sun. It’s also one of those places where couples escape to as they court, making it quite a romantic spot.

One of the many architectural beauties at the Lodhi Gardens

Humayun’s Tomb: Explore History

Humayun’s Tomb is a big tourist draw card, and in my opinion, one of the most magnificent examples of Mughal architecture (of course nothing matches the beauty of the Taj Mahal). Built in the mid 16^th century, the red sandstone and white marble brings out the best of Persian style architecture in this tomb in India. At the right time of the day, you can see the light come through the beautifully carved architraves. Another place with some lovely gardens, this is also a favourite spot for young couples.

Humayun's Tomb in full glory

Hauz Khas Village: Keeping Up With Trends

For culture from another generation, Hauz Khas Village is where the hipsters and funky artists go to be seen. Famous as much for its quaint shops, selling quirky wares, and up and coming designers, as it is for its rooftop cafes and restaurants, this shopping enclave in Delhi is one of a kind. Taking its name from the reservoir that it sits nearby, and home to some wonderful tombs, this area brings together modern culture and ancient history in Delhi’s inimitable style.

It is this unique variety of old and new that makes Delhi such a great town to explore and enjoy. So why not take a day out in this capital city and enjoy the beauty of Delhi.

Find your favourite places in Delhi. MakeMyTrip offers convenient flights and trains to the city.

Delhi's Secrets

Delhi or Dilli or Dihli isn’t merely what we see on postcards and in books. The city - a miscellany of seven cities that were raised and razed over centuries on Delhi’s soil - is dotted with fascinating fables, some secrets and many, many more sites where these legends shaped up. Presenting some tales from Delhi’s kitty, with nothing to hide...

Chor Minar
In the days of Alauddin Khillji (1290-1320 AD), burglary meant hardcore business, especially in ‘Dilli’! Because once you were caught, you were sent off to ‘Chor Minar’ or the Tower of Thieves. This small monument had not dungeons or gallows, but horrifyingly more. The thieves were hanged, and later beheaded. The heads were pierced through a spear and put up on public display through one of the 225 holes on the Chor Minar. A deadly silent ‘do not steal’ warning by the authorities!

Some chronicles report that Khilji also filled the vents of Chor Minar and some other buildings with speared heads of an army of 8000 Mongols (baffling space management, isn’t it?), who attacked the mighty Khilji dynasty. 

Today, the Chor Minar stands peacefully, with its gory past either faded or forgotten, in Hauz Khas Enclave. On your way to Qutub Minar (from the Yusuf Sarai side) on the Aurbindo Marg, turn left just before the IIT crossing. Plan to visit it before the sun sets, and take a walk inside the tower with your camera. And yes, don’t steal anything!

Khuni DarwazaKhooni Darwaza
The Khiljis probably got gore in legacy from the Suris, and passed them to Mughals in the centuries to come. At least this is what the Khooni Darwaza suggests. Standing humbly between the modern constructions on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Khooni Darwaza isn’t a gate but an arch outside Feroz Shah Kotla, where the mighty Sher Shah Suri built it in his brief reign from 1540-1545. Some bloody memoirs from Khooni Darwaza:

When Jehangir took the reigns of Mughal sultanate from his father Akbar, he knew he wasn’t approved of by Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, one of Akbar’s Navratnas (nine jewels). To thwart a potential mutiny or probably in a fit of anger, Jehangir executed the two sons of Abdul Rahim and put their corpses on display at Khooni Darwaza.

Years later, Jehangir’s grandson Aurangzeb repeated history albeit with a more fierce attack. After seizing the throne from his father Shah Jehan, he killed his blood brother Dara Shikoh and put his head on display at Khooni Darwaza (but not before presenting it to his father in the dungeons).

In 1857, Major William Hodson stripped and shot two sons and a grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar beneath the arch of Khooni Darwaza. This unassuming arched-gate has some more stories to tell. To make the best visit to Khooni Darwaza, read some more or - easier - take a history buff along.

 

Khan-e-Khana’s Tomb
We’ve all come across ‘Rahim ke Dohe’ as we grew up. The full name of Rahim is Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana. Rings a bell? He is the Navratan whose sons Jehangir beheaded, as you just read.

Now, the story of Abdul Rahim is with its own twists and turns so tighten your seatbelts! Rahim was the son of Bairam Khan, a tutor and advisor of the young King Akbar. As Akbar grew up to become a worthy king, he resented Bairam Khan’s influence in sultanate matters and ordered him to head to Mecca for Haj. A voyage on which Akbar got him executed (in Gujarat), married his wife and step-fathered his son Abdul Rahim Khan.

Bestowed upon the title of ‘Mirza Khan’ by Akbar, Rahim wrote various Hindi couplets (dohas), two books on astrology and translated Babar’s memoirs. So on his death, Rahim was immortalised by a grand red sandstone tomb, bedecked with jewels which were of course, stripped off.

This monument of the famous Rahim (who also happens to be of Lord Krishna’s lineage) stands worn out, rather humbly in Nizamuddin’s east residential area, not far away from Humayun’s Tomb.

The rustic yet majestic tomb of Adham Khan stands in Mehrauli, DelhiTomb of Adham Khan (Mehrauli)
Adham Khan was the son of Maham Anga, Akbar’s foster mother. While he was dear to Akbar, he had his wrath on murdering Akbar’s prime minister, Ataga Khan. He was thrown down from ramparts of Agra Fort twice and later buried in his own ‘Tomb of Adham Khan’ which Akbar built for him in 1561. Another reminder of Mughal barbarism and gallantry, Adham Khan’s Tomb, stands tall in Mehrauli Village, not far from the bus terminal.

This tomb has a maze on its upper corridor along the dome and it isn’t tough to get lost, which is why it’s called Bhool-Bhulaiyan. Get down at Qutub Minar Metro Station to arrive here. This ASI protected monument is now sadly closed to visitors, albeit with opportunity for some nice photography in its periphery. Some archaeologists and historians claim a tunnel runs from Adham Khan’s Tomb to - hold your breath - Agra!

Gandhak ki BaoliGandhak ki Baoli (Mehrauli)
The medieval royals had no hydraulic installations, or even electricity, but all the land and labour to make good use of. This gave birth to baolis or step-wells. Gandhak ki Baoli was built in Mehrauli under the reign of Iltutmish, presumably to keep the villages in Mehrauli hydrated. Five storeys deep, it gets its names from the strong smell (gandh) of sulphur that came from its water, that is, when it wasn’t dry.

Turn into the narrow lane leading to the bazaars of Mehrauli and you will find this step-well. It is at a walking distance from Adham Khan’s Tomb. Wear robust walking shoes and eyewear for a pleasant visit to Gandhak ki Baoli, a lovely spot to think, write, read or simply sit and brood.

Go explore these fading sites with their forgotten stories.

[Images courtesy: Wikipedia]

By Abhishek Mishra