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Tour
Packages Of Delhi
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About
New Delhi - India / Culture Of New Delhi
New
Delhi - Culture
Delhi
- India
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The
Indian city of New Delhi boasts of a rich cultural heritage. This
varied cultural heritage of New Delhi is reflected in its art, craft,
music, and dance.
Art
Cruising through the different art exhibitions and galleries of
New Delhi, one transcends to a different world altogether. New Delhi
can boast of having one of the most prestigious art galleries-The
National Gallery of Modern Art, an institution by itself. In 1976, The
Lalit Kala Academy, with the help of Delhi Development Authority, set
up studios known as Garhi, the artists' haven. Inspired by the city of
art in Paris, where artists, are provided with studios and lodgings,
Garhi was built on these lines. Only qualified professional artists
can work here. Their work is evaluated and those with talent and great
promise are taken in. The artists are given a free rein to explore and
discover their creativity. Though situated in the center of South
Delhi, it is cut off from the hustle and bustle of busy city life
providing an opportunity to the artists to pursue their interest in a
tranquil atmosphere.
At Anandgram in Qutab-Mehrauli area of New Delhi is the Sanskriti
Kendra, a serene sprawling sanctuary for artists, craftsperson, as
well as visitors. Set amidst eight acres of land dotted with two
thousand trees, the Sanskriti Kendra was the brainchild of Mr. O. P.
Jain, a distinguished art collector. It was conceptualized as a place
where creative minds could pursue and interact with others on an area
of study of their choice with an aim that from such an interaction
would emerge a new sensibility that in turn would enrich and
strengthen the bond of our shared culture. Here craftsperson live in
mud huts reminiscent of their village homes while, scholars are
provided complete studio, workshop, library, and residential
facilities. The Kendra has an art gallery for exhibition of work of
artists, an auditorium, and an open-air amphitheatre.
Other important art galleries in New Delhi include AIFACS Gallery, Art
Heritage, Art Today, Azad Bhawan Gallery, Center for Contemporary Art,
Delhi Art Gallery, Dhoomimal Art Center, National Gallery of Modern
Art, Triveni Kala Sangam, Wadhera Art Gallery, Sahitya Kala Parishad,
and many more.
Craft
A city that boasts of a minimum of seven incarnations will have
more to talk about than just old monuments in different stages of
ruination. Not surprisingly, Delhi has a rich legacy of crafts
patronized by the emperors of yore.
Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi as it is called today, is the richest of the
legacies. Not only because it is the closest to us chronologically,
but also because the Mughals were great patrons of arts and crafts. Go
to Matia Mahal's Pahadi Bhojla and you will find umpteen shops of
jewelers who fashion beautiful bangles and necklaces out of bone.
Their predecessors were ivory craftsmen. However, with the ban on
ivory, they were compelled to change their raw material and switch
over to bones of buffaloes and camels instead.
Creating magic with golden thread embroidery or euphoria with
semi-precious stones, there are the zardozis in the neighborhood.
Zardozi is the art of embroidery with gold thread. These craftsmen
work intricate designs on silk, velvet, and even tissue materials.
Insignias, pulpit covers, embroidery on the robes of bishops and even
the Pope are all created here.
The medicinal value of silver paper (varak) is well known. Thin sheets
of silver paper are still wrapped around sweets and even betel leaves.
If you are looking for the authentic one, go to Matia Mahal area of
New Delhi again. A few of the craftsmen who beat silver into thin
sheets, by hand, still live here. Once upon a time, there were so many
of them that you could just follow the sound of the hammer and reach
them. Today you have to do a little asking around to reach some small
workshops.
The famed meenakari work, where paint is embossed on silver or gold to
give it the look of a precious stone, was once a thriving business of
Shahjahanabad. Turbulence of Delhi, ever since Nadir Shah and later
the colonial rule, pushed the artisans away to peaceful climes. This
group moved partly to Rajasthan, while those who make bangles from lac
moved to Hyderabad in the Deccan.
Lacquer work bangles are one of the old art forms still living in
Shahjahanabad. Bright shades of yellow, red, and blue are perked up
with tiny pieces of mirrors and gold-colored borders with beads to add
that extra touch.
Common to many parts of Delhi are the potters. Not only do they
fashion pots for the hot summer, which, in spite of refrigerators, are
still greatly in demand, they also fashion beautiful clay and papier-mâché
dolls. These clay dolls, some as toys and some as decorations and some
even as clay idols during festivities have a diminishing demand from
the rural-urban migrate.
Then there are more to culture of New Delhi. Making of incense sticks,
of attars (perfumes), brass molding, and so on. Shahjahan's gift to
the country did not stop with Taj Mahal….
Dance
If it's dance and music you are interested in, then you can choose
which kind you prefer watching and concentrate your energies in that
direction. If it's the classical dance form you want to view, go to
the Kamani Auditorium or Siri Fort of New Delhi. Triveni Kala Sangam
has an auditorium too. Then there's India International Center on
Lodhi Road that offers very good programs. In the cooler months, many
dance and music festivals are organized and every corner of New Delhi
is alive with various interpretations of movement and sound.
However, if it's optimistic gyration that you prefer, then put on your
dancing shoes and be prepared to rock the night at one of New Delhi's
many exclusive dance clubs. These clubs are located within New Delhi's
five-star hotels such as Maurya Sheraton (Ghunghroos), Le Meridien (C.J.'s),
The Hilton (Annabelle's), Hyatt Regency (Oasis), Taj Palace (My Kind
of Place), and Park Hotel (Someplace Else). Houseguests and members
can enter scot-free and the rest of Delhi (couples only) has to pay
for some fun. Each place is distinct from the other in its décor,
music, lights, and crowd.
For those Delhiites who are willing to go beyond their limits for fun,
The 32nd Milestone (32 km from Delhi on the highway to Jaipur) has the
answer-Fireball. The place has a futuristic look with the décor
resembling the interiors of a spaceship. The dance floor is so large
that you can actually move your legs along with your body unlike in
the compact discos of Delhi.
Music
Music connoisseurs have a variety of sounds to choose from in New
Delhi. The auditoria where these concerts are held are the same as the
dance programs. Whether Indian classical, Hindustani or Carnatic, or
the lighter ghazals, there is no dearth of choice in New Delhi. When a
particularly well-known singer comes to New Delhi, it is usually well
covered by the press. The papers also reserve a column in their daily
editions to display a list of programs for the day. These programs
include not only the visual arts but also lectures on a wide variety
of topics by scholars or luminaries in that particular field. To see
the craftsmen of the city and the country make their wares, you must
go to the crafts museum in Pragati Maidan and Dilli Haat. They try to
display this form of indigenous talent and let the craftsmen benefit
from their skill at the same time.
What's more, all these places have a café or canteen in the vicinity.
So, if you feel like mind-satisfied-is-not-stomach satisfied it can be
set right. Overall, New Delhi offers a profusion of cultural
activities from light entertainment to scholarly programs.
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