Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan V

A Train Journey Back in Time

Ferrying passengers, freight and mail from one place to another, the railways have served as one of the most important symbols of India. Started in 1853, Indian railways have served as a lifeline for more than 150 years in India. In 1947 at the time of independence there were over 3,000 steam engines under operation, the largest fleet in the world. Today, with the arrival of electric engines, only a handful of those are left. The rest, they say is history. And this history is carefully preserved in the National Rail Museum in Delhi, which has some of the oldest and the only engines in the world.

National Rail Museum in Delhi is the focus of India’s vast and significant Rail Heritage, spanning over more than 150 years. Formally inaugurated in February 1977, this is one of its kind museums in Asia having an interesting collection of history, heritage, romance and nostalgia. It has a collection of some of the most unique types of locomotives, royal coaches, wagons etc.

The ‘Gadar’ Engine-WP series
This is the steam engine that all cinema goers are familiar with. Used in films like ‘Gadar’, ‘Rang De Basanti’, etc. it is a favorite of filmmakers in India. Once during one of my visits at the museum, D.S. Hanspal, head of the archives department of the museum told us, “Any film maker who is making a period film hires this steam engine for shooting. It is in perfect running condition.”

Built in 1947, these locomotives were the main stay of Broad Gauge passenger train operations on the Indian Railways for a very long time till 1995 when they finally retired.

Mr. Hanspal also revealed a trivia about the engine, “for shooting of the film ‘Gadar’, the engine was hauled from Delhi to Amritsar by a diesel locomotive. After arriving at Amritsar the steam engine had to be activated. The steam engine was in running condition but was not strong enough for long runs. However during the shooting of the climax the front part of the engine was damaged and one can see this in the film.”

The Fairy Queen
Certified by Guinness Book of World Records, this prize exhibit is the oldest preserved and working steam locomotive in the world. This is the first exhibit to be brought to this museum at the time of laying the foundations in 1971.

Built in 1855, this locomotive also hauled troop trains to Raniganj during the famous 1857 War of Independence. It served Indian Railways till 1908. With the initiative of Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Tourism, it rolled again on February 1,1997.

Currently serving as a heritage train for tourists, it runs from Delhi to Alwar. This over whelming journey includes the tour of the picturesque town of Alwar and Sariska Forest Reserve.

Mono Rail
Running on a single track, it is the only one of its kind in the world. Built in 1907, it was used in the State of Patiala. The track was a single rail along one side of the road. On this ran the load carrying wheels of the train while a large single wheel at the end of an outrigger ran on the road to keep the train upright.

Mr. Hanspal narrated the story to us, “Maharaja of Patiala loved to collect unique items. Once when he went to Germany, he saw this monorail and got it for his Palace. In the beginning he used it in the big garden of his palace. Later the public urged him to allow it for common people too as it belonged not only to the Maharaja but also to the people of the state.”

Col. Bowles who designed this system became the state engineer and laid the Patiala State Monorail Trainways. It was about 50 miles in length from Sirhind to Alampura and Patiala to Bhavnanigarh.

Saloon of Prince of Wales
This four-wheeler saloon was one of the most luxurious saloons during its time. It was built specially for the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) during his visit to India for the Royal Durbar of 1876. This milky white saloon has seats for four armed guards, outside two on each side of the coach and has sunshades on both sides. Two emblems representing the British Crown are painted on the sides. Built in 1875, all its fittings and furnishings are intact.

Saloon of Maharaja of Mysore
Considered as an engineering marvel, this specially engineered saloon shows the expertise of the Bangalore workshop of Mysore State Railways. Built in 1900, this coach could be run on both broad gauge (5’6”) as well as metre gauge (1 metre). It is possibly the only one of its kind in the world.

This saloon was a part of a special three-coach train used by Maharaja Krishan Rao Wodeyur of Mysore. The other two coaches were, namely, the Maharani’s coach and a dining cum kitchen car. The furnishings, beautiful floral pattern paintings on ceiling and brass fenced ‘Verandah’ gives a taste of the glory of those days.

Some Other Wonders
Beside these, there are some other wonders too which can be found only in this museum. On one side there is the tiny ‘Hasang’, which is the world’s smallest steam engine ever used, running on a two feet gauge. On the other hand there is ‘Garatt’, the heaviest and most powerful steam engine ever used. There is a small elegant ‘Rail Car’ with a sitting capacity of six people and then there are the gigantic HP Class engines with the wheel measuring 6.5 feet in diameter. This museum can definitely boast of the best samples of railway engineering in the world.

Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan IV

A ray of light for the blind

Meeting Prof. Vinod Sena has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I met him nearly three years ago when I was a journalist and was doing a feature on his initiative – Shruti Audio Book Service (SABS). He has been working endlessly since over a decade to provide audio books for the blind. Investing a considerable amount of his time and income, he is aiming to bring light to the dark world of visually impaired persons.

Print media by its very nature is inaccessible to those with serious visual impairment or for those suffering from dyslexia. SABS is a pilot project based in the Delhi University and was started in 1998 by three colleges, namely Lady Shri Ram, Hindu, and Gargi. The project intends to develop a national library service for people with visual disabilities.

Prof. Vinod Sena of Delhi University's English department deserves a major part of the credit in helping the project take off. Introduced to "audio books" by a blind student 15 years ago, he has been trying to provide a similar educational tool for the blind in our country and is now investing a considerable amount of his time and income on creating a National Library Service for the Visually Challenged.

What makes him appreciate the project more is the fact that as a child a primary vaccination to smallpox affected his own vision, making it tough for him to read the fine print. His becoming a professor goes to the credit of his parents who did all they could to help him complete his education. His sisters and parents used to read out books to him, which Prof. Sena with a sharp mind grasped well.

With the help from his fellow students and family, Prof. Sena always had a strong academic career. He was a topper in his school (DPS Mathura road) and later stood first in M.A. English from the University of Delhi in 1957. Ten years later, he got his doctorate on T.S. Eliot as a playwright from the University of Delhi and a second doctorate from the University of Cambridge on W.B. Yeats as a Literary Critic in 1970.

He was on the staff of St. Stephens College, Delhi from 1961 to 69 and joined the English department of Delhi University in 1970. He became a professor in 1983. During this period, he wrote many books, and has contributed a large number of articles to scholarly journals. His outstanding career also boasts of many awards including National Lecturer, UGC in 1986-87.

Having been a student of literature Prof. Sena knows only too well how frustrating a visual handicap can be and says that he could never read as much as he wanted to. He doesn't want this to be the fate of the millions of other people with optical problems.

His idea to help others materialised in the mid 80s with his introduction to audio books. Since then he has wanted to provide a nationwide audio book service not just to assist the education of the visually impaired but also to help them stay in touch with their reading after finishing their education.

The first step in this direction was taken in the late 90s when an Audio Book Resource Centre was commissioned at the Central Reference Library of Delhi University. Billed as the first of its kind within the country's university system, the Audio Book Service is a dream come true.

Audio books, also referred to as talking or speaking books, are recorded instead of being printed. These books reinstate oral tradition and thanks to modern technology can be replicated as many times over as needed.

A die hard optimist, Prof. Sena refused to give up despite his proposals for a pilot project being turned down. Waging a lone battle, he went about collecting material for a library. Traveling through out the country and also with the help of some of his friends abroad, he has been successful in collecting about 1000 books for his own library.

“The problem with audio books is that they are not sold in the market. The libraries in the west give such books on rent. But in India, because of high cost of production, not many books are available”, says Prof. Sena. After realizing the shortage of audio books, Prof. Sena himself started production of such audio books. But making of one such book costs around Rs. 8000-10,000 and because of lack of adequate funds; he hasn’t been able to do as much as he wanted.

Till now, Hindi, English and Political Science books have been recorded by a small batch of dedicated volunteers at a makeshift studio of Prof. Sena. With time, he plans to record books on other subjects falling within the fold of Humanities and Social Science, but only after adequately covering these three subjects.

As for science and mathematics, he says, " These subjects do not lend themselves well to the audio format". Also, long articles on various subjects including current affairs and developments in medicine have been recorded.

What makes audio books particularly useful, according to Prof. Sena, is the fact that these can be used not only by people who are completely blind but also by those with low-vision problems, those who lose their sight at a late age due to an accident and by people who suffer from learning disabilities like dyslexia. Such people seldom learn Braille and they have little or no access to reading material.

“In India we often see old people sitting in front of television as they do not have any other option for pastime. This is because their eyesight gets weak at late age and they find it hard reading a book with normal fonts sizes. In India we do not have concept of special books with large fonts for persons with weak eyesight. Even for such people, audio books may prove beneficial”, he says.

To a question on the use of audio books in the age of computers, Prof Sena's answer is that the synthesized sound of the computer is no substitute for the human voice. " It takes away the joy of a literary work whereas the human voice enhances the pleasure of reading."

While volunteers are welcome to lend their voice to books, a voice test is mandatory to ensure clarity. " It is equally important that the reader stops at the right place, otherwise the import of what is being read will be different than the printed word. Accent is no problem as long as the diction is clear," says Prof. Sena.

Project SABS envisages four components the first of which is the Shruti Information Centre or SIC. This will serve as a data bank and cover all the information regarding audio books and Braille books produced all over India. SIC is already on the Internet and is planning to develop a website soon.

The second part of the project is the recording unit. The recording of audio books is time intensive and the recording has to be of a high technical quality to enable its crisp reproduction for library use.

Thirdly SABS plans to set up Audio Book Libraries (ABL) at the Braille Library and at the four undergraduate libraries of the Delhi University which are located in different parts of the capital so as to make them easily accessible to all those in need as travel is not a simple task for the visually handicapped.

And last of all the Electronic Media Centre (EMC) is going to be set up which will speedily convert print media into electronic text.

But this is not all about Prof. Sena. In 1995, he started Yashoda Charitable Trust, which give scholarships to visually handicapped students. Currently this trust gives scholarships in 2 colleges and one school.

India is a country that has a population of more than one billion. With a conservative estimate of twelve million blind and at least as many with low vision problems, the country needs desperately to find a key to this dilemma.

Perhaps the answer lies in a project like SABS, which without questioning the importance and the relevance of Braille, aim at developing a service based totally on audio books and represents an option that has been sadly neglected in our country.

After all, no nation can deny the visually impaired their basic human right access to knowledge, information and empowerment.

Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan III

STRINGS OF A MUSICAL LEGACY

Delhi has always been the city of music. During the rule of Rajputs till early eleventh century and then the Mughals, Delhi’s courts were always known to appreciate musical talents. Even today, walking down the lanes of Delhi, one can easily spot many musical instruments’ shops. All these shops together tell the story of Delhi’s rich musical heritage.

But there is one particular shop in busy Cannaught Place that, though part of this heritage but, still stands apart from any other musical instrument shop in this country. Rikhi Ram Musical Instruments and Manufacturing Co., run by Ajay Dass Sharma, is a place that has been a pilgrimage of musical maestros since last 58 years.

Believe it or not, this unassuming man and his shop in Connaught Place can lay claim to a part of the success of all-time great musicians like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma Ustad Zakir Hussain and Pandit Vishnu Mohan Bhatt.

Ajay Sharma is carrying on the musical legacy of his forefathers who were singers. Talking about this legacy, he says that it was his grand father, Late Pt. Rikhi Ram, who ventured into making musical instruments at his shop in Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore. After partition Sharma’s family shifted to Delhi and they were given a shop in Connaught Place by the government as a compensation for the shop in Anarkali Bazar in Lahore. Later, Bishan Das Sharma, son of late Rikhi Ram carried on the traditional business forward.

Talking about his father Bishan Dass Sharma, Ajay Sharma says, “My father played a legendary role in establishing musical instrument making as an art. Before that, anyone who knew music preferred to entertain an audience and get applause rather than play a role in the backstage. But my father established instruments making as an equally important art.”

Continues Sharma, “My father knew that to be a master craftsman one needs to have a thorough knowledge of music; and to understand the sound, tonal quality and other nuances of the instrument. He learnt Sitar playing at a very tender age under the guidance of Pt. Ravi Shankar. He has a great understanding of music”.

He doesn’t forget to mention that his father has also invented instruments like Transistorised Sitar, Rikhi Veena, Naad Veena, Shankar Guitar, Tamboori, Swarmanjari to name a few. His best known invention is the Swar Mandal---a combination of the Tanpura and the Sur Mandal--fashioned on a teak base which he designed for Vishnu Mohan Bhatt who went on to win a Grammy Award in 1994.

Talking about his father Ajay Sharma recites an incident. “Once in 1995 Pt. Ravi Shankar was performing in Delhi’s Sri Fort auditorium on his 75th birthday. As he was playing a string of his sitar became loose. Something went wrong with the tuning of his sitar and the master called his sishya “Bishan Dass kahaan ho?’ Everyone was surprised at Panditji’s gesture. And seven years later, on his 82nd birthday, the sitar shaped cake melted from a corner and again the master said “Bishan Dass kahaan ho?’ He loved my father’s work!” Sharma says gleefully.

About his own education and training, Ajay Sharma says,” I have done my Masters in Sitar but I prefer to be here rather than on the stage. My father and Grandfather have worked hard to establish a name and I have to carry the legacy forward. It’s no longer about money. People come here by faith that they have in our abilities. I put my personal interest into each work and instrument”.

Interestingly Ajay Dass too learnt Sitar from no less a person than Pandit Ravi Shankar, who was also his father’s teacher. Today the renowned maestro plays only on sitars made in this shop. And its not just Pt. Ravi Shankar, Ajay Dass makes special string instruments for a host of other musicians too.

Ustad Vilayat Khan got a special sitar from this shop for his son Sujat and nephew Nishad when they started their learning music. When Amjad Ali Khan's sons, Amaan and Ayaan were little kids, they got their first Sarod from this shop. Recently, Sharma made a special travelling sitar for Anoushka Shankar, which is small in size but has the same character and tonal quality of a traditional one. But it is neither bulky nor unwieldy and easy to carry.

Worldwide Fame
It’s not just the Indian maestros who consider this shop as a final destination for musical instruments. When the Beatles were on their tour to Phillipines in 1966, they stopped over in India and visited his shop. Ajay Dass says, “George got his first lessons in Sitar from my father and in his autobiography I, Me, Mine there is a picture of the sitar which my father made for him. My father also made a Tanpura for Paul McCartney and a tabla and sarod for the John Lenon.”

Today many established and upcoming stars from European and American countries like Matt Maley of Counting Crows, Cula Shaker and others come to him and get the string instruments they desire.

“We do not make bulk products, we cater to the needs of selected clients. Each sitar is made from Ceder wood commonly known as Tun. We season it for at least three years. It’s only after that it gets the right tonal quality for a sitar. We have our own inventory of this special wood which we put in a three-year seasoning cycle,” says Sharma.

Lectures & Demonstarations
Because of his love for music and musical instruments, Ajay Sharma has traveled worldwide and has held workshops in sitar making at Asian Music circuit in London, University of Nottingham UK, SAOAS- School of Asian and African studies London and given lecture demonstrations in the music department of prestigious Universities in Europe and USA. He has held workshop at Ali Akbar College of music, All England Conservatory Boston USA, University of Valladolid in Spain. He has also participated in live concert with Pt.Ravi Shankar ji.

He talks about his tours abroad citing them as a great learning experience. “It is so amusing to see that in the western countries, people start teaching children about music at a young age. Once I was invited by a primary school in England to give lectures on string instruments. I was amazed to see the kind of knowledge those kids had about Indian classical music. They were raising some really good questions. During this tour I met many western musicians had discussions with them and learnt their music”, says Ajay.

Future Plans
“The shop will definitely be there, but I want to increase awareness about Indian music in the world”. Ajay talks about his plans to teach students at school level. “Here in India even parents don’t have knowledge about Indian music. They don’t realize that Indian music and musical instruments are very popular in the west. I am planning to talk with few schools so that we can start teaching students about Indian music at an early age. At least they should have basic knowledge about it”, he says. He is also writing a book on Sitar and Sitar playing, which would be beneficial not only for students but also for people ho are into western music.

The humble man has got appreciations from world over, but Ajay Dass Sharma takes it all in his stride and says that the biggest appreciation is when some one plays the instrument and feels satisfied and content. “For me it’s the blessings of the artist and the appreciation by music lovers is what that matters the most. This keeps me motivated to do my work with much more passion.”

Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan II

A Delicious History

I have always been in love with the myriad by lanes of old Delhi. From the famed Jama Masjid to Khari Baoli, from Chitli Qabar to Balli Maran and from Fatehpuri Masjid to Nizamuddin Auliya's tomb it is a world away from the frenetic city of Delhi. A world that still lives in the medieval ages and sets its own languorous pace.

Even today, whenever I am in Old Delhi, there's one destination I simply can't avoid going to - wedged between Chandni Chowk and Kinari Bazaar, the famous Paranthe wali Gali,the destination for the most appetizing Paranthe. Though the lane is still known as Paranthe Wali Gali, but there are only three restaurants left, which still serve paranthe, rest all have been converted into shops selling saris and other items.

Among these, my favourite is the shop named ‘Pandit Gaya Prasad Paranthe Wala’, the oldest of the lot.

Opened in 1872, this was the first Paranthe Wali Dukan in this area. During a candid chat, Anil Sharma, who currently runs the business once said, “We were the first ones to come to this area. Later we called our brothers to join and gradually this lane became full of Paranthe Wali Dukan.” Anil Sharma is the great grandson of Pandit Gaya Prasad Shivcharan, who migrated from Madhya Pradesh and started the business here. “I am the fifth generation and our sixth generation is ready to carry our legacy forward”, he said fervently.

The walls of the eatery are full of photographs of our national leaders having a Parantha in the eatery. It has served people like Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru, and has always been popular among the political leaders. Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pramod Mahajan often came here. Anil Sharma gave me the reason- “ before independence, political meetings of freedom fighters were held here. We served the nation by looking after food requirements of our freedom fighters.”

The reason for the popularity of this shop is not hard to find as this shop has uniqueness about its recipes. A look at the menu can delight even the diet-conscious people. The recipes like Rabri Paranthe, Kaju Paranthe, Tamatar Paranthe, Kela Paranthe, Gaajar Paranthe and Chini Paranthe can be found only in this shop. Served with three kinds Sabji and two kinds of Chutney, eating Paranthe in this shop is definitely a delicious experience.

“Our shop is the only place in this world where you can find items like Chhilke Wali Sabji and Kele Ki Chutney”, Anil Sharma claims proudly. He guarantees that perfect hygiene is maintained in his eatery.

Though this shop serves only about 80 to 100 people per day, but there are many regulars like us who visit this eatery often. Once I met a 72 year old gentleman, who has been eating here regularly since last 50 years. Besides there are few loyal foreigners too who come to eat here whenever they visit India. Featuring in Rashtrapati Bhawan’s catering, they are often called in high profile political parties.

Another interesting fact about this shop is that it doesn’t have to pay the sales tax. Anil Sharma narrated us the story, “my father was at the shop when P.C. Sethi, the then Home Minister Of India and Vidya Charan Shukla, then Minister of Information and Broadcasting, came to have Parnthas. They ordered for Aaloo ke Paranthe, but my father said 'aaloo ke paranthe nahi mil sakte. Sales tax lag gaya hai'. He was commenting on the recently imposed sales tax by the Indira Gandhi regime. At this P.C. Sethi laughed and said, 'You don’t require to pay the sales tax. Now give us Paranthe'. Since then we never paid sales tax. Even now we have to pay only VAT.
Anil Sharma also also told us about customers like Amitabh Bachhhan and Kabir Bedi, who often visited here in the past. “ Amitabh even recommended our shop to others and sent few customers”, he said humbly.

Over 134 years and five generations, this shop has served millions of people and is committed to carry the legacy forward. And as for competition in the market Sharma says, “we don’t compete with each other, we are all brothers. We always help each other because this legacy is not only about our shop but Paranthe wali Gali.”

Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan I

A Taste of Delhi

I have never been an admirer of street side foods. But when it comes Delhi, the ethnic street food is just too hard to resist. The choice is wide – Samosas, kachoris, chana-kulchas, chaat-papris, kulfi and rabri. Old Delhi has a rich culture of roadside foods that lays itself bare on the stalls in all its flavours and customs.

Here street food is a grand old tradition from the times when vendors with their basket, full of goodies perched precariously on their heads, went from door to door selling a variety of snacks. Today they are found lining up the streets of Chandni Chowk with their stalls on wheels which double up as their kitchen and the dining table.

Eating ethnic road-side food, while roaming the streets of Old Delhi is an experience in itself. I still remember my college days when I along with my friend Sushant often used to go all the way to Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid just to savour these spicy treats. And this is not just about me and Sushant, we have met many people who travel through the crowded streets of Old Delhi in search of the steaming hot foods prepared from fresh ingredients. The finger-licking food and the crowded markets just transports you to an era long gone by.

In fact some of these vendors have gained such a reputation that people travel far to eat there. For example, there is an old man selling Chhole Kulche in Nai Sarak, who we found out was selling here for the last fifty years. And then there is another man with his typical call 'Paanch – Paanch Ke', attracting everyone's attention. Actually, 'Paanch – Paanch Ke' refers to Faluda Kulfi sold for Rs. 5. Among all the varieties my favourite is one 'Pakore wala'. He serves different chutneys with different pakoras, as he says “chutney and pakoras are a combination, and you need right combination for right taste”.

During one of our rendezvous, we met a person from South Africa, Allan Marillier. He told us that he visits India at least once every six months, and whenever he is here he takes a trip to Chandni Chowk for freshly baked naan-khatais , which he referred as Indian cookies.

With advent McDonalds and Haldirams, and strict rules of Municipal Corporation of Delhi, many feared the disappearance of street vendors and along with them the ethnic taste of Old Delhi. But yet, despite adversities, the narrow by lanes of Delhi's Chandini Chowk have managed to hang on to their traditional foods that transport you back to an era gone by. Ironically, Frito-Lay has started calling one of its chips variety Street Chaat and McDonalds, apparently been inspired by the alloo-tikki, calls one of its most popular burgers the McAloo Tikki!