The cyclerickshaw-wallahs of Delhi

The cycle rickshaw is really the only sensible way to negotiate Old Delhi's narrow lanes. Especially if you have some distance to cover and don't fancy getting pushed around in the crowd.

Typical Old Delhi street, just wide enough for two rickshaws

Cycle rickshaws first appeared in Delhi in the 1940's. Before that, there were only hand-pulled rickshaws, as well as "ekka-gadis" (single horse tangas). The cycle rickshaw was considered a technical improvement over the previous hand-pulled version, where the rickshaw-wallah "ran" with his passengers and used the soles of his feet as brakes!  

Today, there are more than 700,000 cycle rickshaws in the Delhi region (according to a government study). Most are passenger rickshaws, and they have two types of seating, which you can see in the photos below:

The regular variety that seats 2 people

Rickshaws with extra seats at the back. Can take 4 people

There are also rickshaws that ferry goods rather than people. There are far fewer of these around, but you can still spot them in wholesale market areas.

Wedding cards being delivered by goods rickshaw at Chawri Bazaar

A lot of people just use the regular passenger rickshaws to carry goods.

If you can balance it all, this will work just fine!

Rickshaw pullers are typically migrants from other states - usually they are agricultural labourers or marginal farmers who can't make a living in the village. Or they are craftsmen and tradespeople whose traditional occupations no longer sustain them. They usually leave their families behind and come to the city. 

Rickshaw-pulling is an attractive option for new entrants to the city, mainly because it needs no investment. Very few rickshaw-wallahs own their rickshaws. Instead, what they do is rent them for the day from owners.  Rentals range from Rs 25 to Rs 50 per rickshaw per day. Typically, a rickshaw-wallah earns Rs 200 to Rs 250 per day, out of which rent must be paid to the owner. The owner is usually responsible for maintenance of the vehicle. To become a rickshaw-wallah, all you need is an introduction (usually by another rickshaw puller) to the owner. Deposits are not required.

My estimate of monthly earnings for a rickshaw-wallah is around Rs 5000 (about $100). After taking into account living expenses in Delhi, he probably saves Rs 1500 or Rs 2000 a month, which is usually sent to the village. 

Rickshaws are not expensive to buy. A second-hand rickshaw costs only about Rs 2000 or so. So I initially found it surprising that so very few rickshaw-wallahs own their rickshaws. When I did some reading, I found the real reason - there's a nice little extortion racket going on. The Muncipal Corporation of Delhi has issued only 90,000 rickshaw-puller licenses. So - more than 600,000 rickshaw-wallahs you see are actually illegal and are not supposed to be driving rickshaws. If they are caught, their rickshaws can be confiscated and destroyed any time. This means the only guys that can afford to own rickshaws are those who have the ability to pay off and "manage" the cops routinely. Having 600,000 unlicensed rickshaw-wallahs suits the authorities very well...a nice steady source of income! 

This also explains why the rickshaw rentals are so high, Rs 25 per day means Rs 750 per month, a very crazily high rent for something so cheap. It's because the excess rental is going into paying off the cops and to get back impounded rickshaws. What a crazy situation! 

If you want to read more about the rickshaw-wallahs and the cops and their daily struggle, you should head over to the Manushi page. Lots of stuff there, and some of it very positive. In April this year, the Supreme Court lifted the ceiling on rickshaw-wallah licenses and further ruled that rickshaws could not be impounded or destroyed. Let's wait and see if that actually improves anything.  Meanwhile, the next time you sit in a rickshaw, think about the hard life they have and tip a little extra!

Elderly rickshaw-wallah, Kinari Bazaar 

Deepa's Guide to Delhi's Bazaars

Shopping in Delhi can be fun, but it can also be a little bewildering.

So here are my picks for what to buy from Delhi's dazzlingly diverse bazaars!

I'm updating it every couple of days, so you can either follow it on Pinterest, or you can bookmark the page and check every now and then.

Enjoy :) :)

DEEPA'S GUIDE TO DELHI'S BAZAARS

Day trip to the Taj Mahal (by the new Yamuna expressway)

Article Updated: 20-Sep-2015

A lot of folks are asking me about the new Yamuna expressway to Agra. Here's a post with a map and timings for how to organise your visit:

Yamuna Expressway Map - Delhi to Agra marked

In the map you can see the expressway marked in blue. The yellow line with the number 2 is the National Highway 2, which used to be used earlier for this trip, running via Faridabad.

If your hotel is in Gurgaon, you can go by the old highway, but the new expressway makes for an easier trip these days.

Assuming you are staying in Delhi, then the road trip is best done like this:

If you want to see only Taj Mahal and Agra Fort:
Depart Delhi 7:30 a.m. after breakfast (By expressway)
Taj Mahal tour 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Lunch 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
2:30 to 3:30 Agra Fort
Return to Delhi by 7:00 p.m. approximately (by expressway)

The Taj Mahal (look at the tiny people!)

Hall of Audience - Agra Fort

If you want to see Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri
Depart Delhi 5:30 a.m. by new expressway
Arrive Agra in 4hrs, can have breakfast in Agra or bring packed breakfast
Taj Mahal and Agra Fort tour 10:00 to 2:00 p.m.
Quick Lunch 2:00 to 2:30 p.m.
2:30 to 3:30 drive to Fatehpur Sikri
3:30 to 4:30 tour of Fatehpur Sikri
Return to Delhi by 10:00 p.m. approximately (you can return by the Old highway because of how Sikri is located, but the expressway is better)

Fatehpur Sikri

If you want to go to Agra by train rather than road
This tour depends on train tickets availability. See erail.in for train tickets status.
Leave the hotel Delhi at 5:00 a.m. (or earlier, depending on the location of the hotel) and transfer to the railway station
Express train to Agra departing at 6:00 a.m.
Pick up at Agra station at 8:06 a.m. and tour of Taj, Agra Fort (8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
Relaxed Lunch from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
2:30 to 3:30 p.m. drive to Fatehpur Sikri, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. tour of Fatehpur Sikri, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. drive back to Agra
The express train back to Delhi departs at 9:15 p.m., so you have a 3-4 hour wait time in Agra. You can visit shops or go to a café / restaurant until 7:00 p.m., then be dropped at Agra railway station by 7:30 p.m. Or you can go to see the sunset view of the Taj from Mehtab Bagh before returning to the train station.
Arrive Delhi railway station at 11:30 hr and transfer to the hotel by 12:15 or 12:30 p.m.
2016 Update - there is also now another express train, the Gatiman Express. Departs Delhi 8:10 am arrives Agra 9:50 am. Departs from Agra at 5:50 pm and reaches Delhi by 7:30 pm. Please write to deepa@delhimagic.com if you want to make a trip by this train. 

If you want to stay overnight in Agra, then:
Day 1 - Leave Delhi after a relaxed breakfast, drive 4hrs to Agra, check in and have lunch. Around 4 p.m. visit Agra Fort and drive to the other side of the river for sunset views of the Taj Mahal from across the river. Overnight Agra
Day 2 - Visit Taj Mahal at sunrise, return to hotel for breakfast. Check out and drive 1hr to Fatehpur Sikri. Return to Delhi via the old expressway.

It is pointless to go by train if you want to stay overnight in Agra.

Here is the sunset view of the Taj Mahal from the other side of the river:

The Taj Mahal as seen from Mehtab Bagh across the Yamuna River

To book a tour to Agra with us: Please see http://www.delhimagic.com.

Article Updated: 20-Sep-2015

Art chat for Delhi's teenagers

If you're between 13 to 16 years old, here's a great way to get the inside dope on contemporary Indian art.

Saffron Art is conducting a Walkthrough on Art, explaining the basics of modern Indian art and its context. You'll also get an up-close look at works by some of the biggest names in the art world.

Sounds good, yeah?

Date: September 1st, 2012
Venue: Saffronart Gallery, The Oberoi Hotel, Dr.Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi- 110003
Time: 11 am to 12 pm
Session led by: Yamini Telkar, Head Saffronart Gallery, Delhi

The painting alongside, by the way is Tyeb Mehta's "Falling Figure with Bird". It is one of the paintings on display during the session.

Tyeb Mehta witnessed communal brutality on the streets of Mumbai in the aftermath of the Partition of India. His paintings are filled with images of violent separation, falling figures and fractured forms, reflecting the death and dislocation that he saw. 

You'll find more information about Tyeb Mehta and his work here, on the Saffronart website.

The quirky side of dentistry

Among the many businesses in Old Delhi, there is a thriving wholesale business in dental equipment. Just near Jama Masjid is a shop called Dental Depot where I spotted this blissful open-mouthed mannequin. 

On your next dentist visit, here's wishing you the same bliss :)

Mystery Shop in Ballimaran

Some one please tell me what this shop in Old Delhi is actually selling? And to whom?

Ballimaran, I am told, originally used to be the mohalla where boatmen lived. They rowed boats on the Yamuna. 

Today, only a few things are known widely about this area - a lot of people know that Ghalib's haveli (where he died) is here in Ballimaran. Rickshaw-wallahs will gladly take you there. The jooti-market is here, selling colourful leather mojdis and shoes. Then there are lots of shops selling spectacles and sunglasses; apparently this is a wholesale centre for opticals. The varq-makers live here, tapping out thin silver foil to decorate traditional sweets. And there are lots of small eateries, offering Mughlai and Afghani food. 

But the shop above - it doesn't fit into any of these, and I can't quite figure out what these various wooden rings and beads and what not are. Some of it looks like metal, some like plastic. Help!

Delicious Nankhatai biscuits in Old Delhi

No blog on Delhi is complete without a mention of these wonderful treats - light, crispy, flaky, nankhatais! I spotted this stall when I was walking along Dariba in Old Delhi, after a day of shopping for silver.

You know the best thing about these nankhatais? They're warm when you eat them! They are made hot and fresh on old-fashioned coal ovens, and when you bite into them, you get this warm crumbly deliciousness. It's difficult to stop with just one!

I love the browner ones, what about you? Store-bought nankhatais are a boring white colour, but these street stall ones usually have a lovely brown colouring. I think it's because they are stored right inside the coal oven, which keeps them warm and makes them browner. The baker usually rotates the trays, to evenly balance the heat from the coals. 

Another thing is that store-bought nankhatais are all the same size and shape, because they are cut using machines. But these ones, they are made by hand, and they have a pleasing lack of uniformity.

Try it at home. Nankhatais are downright easy to bake; you can be an utter kitchen-klutz and still turn out pretty decent nankhatais. I've made them many times, all by trial-and-error, but they always taste delicious and they always get polished off by the family in no time.

There are many variations of nankhatais, from plain to dry-fruit to chocolate flavoured. I like the plain ones best. There's a very good video here, which shows you how to make these at home: do try it! If I can do it, so can you :)

Visiting GOONJ - an absolute must-do in Delhi

If you live in Delhi, or are planning to visit Delhi, I highly recommend you make time for a visit to GOONJ.

Over the last ten years GOONJ has grown into a mass movement among both urban and rural people. What do they do? They have been successfully mobilizing cloth (primarily from affluent urban areas) and re-positioning it as an important development resource for the poor or disadvantaged, rather than "waste". They are bringing about social change through recycling waste, and it is an absolutely inspiring thing to see.

A central feature of Goonj's model is that Goonj improves and adds value to what is thrown away, making it actually usable. This value-add is critical. Their knowledge of "on the ground" realities  in rural India sets them apart from other places, allowing them to finely assess what will make sense and to whom. What is also unique about Goonj is that they are bringing large scale into the operations, dreaming big, and achieving it too!! I admire their model enormously, and think it offers one of India's best learning experiences.

The Goonj centre at Sarita Vihar. Our group just hangs around...it seems like just another ordinary looking place...until the material begins to arrive from their network of collection centres across the city.

The first step in making the material useful is washing, cleaning and drying. It then goes to the sorting centre, where it is made more useful. When you give ready-to-use clothes to Goonj, they sort by gender and size, they remove unusable things, add strings to pajamas, make colour-coded sets, and despatch material sensitively (salwar kameezes to north Indian women, gowns to Bengali countryside etc based on what is worn where). They have a Cloth for Work program where people can do social service projects in their villages in exchange for clothing. This allows recipients of charity the dignity of working and earning what they need.

One of the major problems women from poor backgrounds face is the lack of sanitary napkins. This is a basic need, and when it is not met, it deprives women of basic dignity and freedom. Goonj is meeting this need using waste cloth. Cloth is washed, cleaned, cut into the right size, and packed in used newspaper for distribution. See what I mean by "Goonj understands ground realities"? This is just one of many examples - and you will hear many, many such sensitively designed ideas when you visit them.

Apart from cloth, they also repair, recycle and redistribute a wide range of things, from toys, water-bottles, schoolbags, stationery. There is a repair unit which works hard to make things reusable, they do everything from mending to attaching buttons, hooks, straps and so on to convert waste into something useful.

At Goonj you can see many things that have been made from waste materials - satchels, bags, cloth of different forms.. it's inspirational to see the kind of work they do, employing simple skills, but great care and "on the ground" understanding of what exactly is needed. This is what sets them apart from other do-good organisations that go around collecting stuff. Goonj understands that you can't take stuff and just go dump it on people just because it is charity! You have to give people what they really need and find useful. This is especially true in disaster-relief operations (Goonj has been doing fantastic work in this area).

If you are an overseas visitor coming to Delhi, please bring a suitcase full of things you don't need, Delhi Magic will take them from you, and send it over to Goonj. If you would like to visit them, let me know and I will help arrange it. This is a truly inspirational place to visit and I would like everyone to see their marvellous work. You can donate cash too, it will go towards the enormous relief work that Goonj is undertaking in flood and other disaster-hit areas.

What you can and cannot give to Goonj:

If you have trouble reading this image, head over to the Goonj website and there is a detailed list there.