Connaught Place
New Delhi, India.
On a bright sunny day, the white colonial pillars of Connaught Place arches past a flood of incoming pedestrians out browsing shops and high end retail outlets for their daily doze of fun – soon to submerge the portico in front (visible in the photo) from morning to late evening, Monday to Saturday till Sunday, an official holiday, brings in a change in pace.
Built in the 1930s by British architect Robert Tor Russel, the imperial era vestige is a monumental symbol of the former glory of British India, marking the transfer of the seat of the government from Calcutta (present day Kolkatta) to New Delhi.
Constructed in the same decade as the Viceroy House ( Rashtrapati Bhawan, the residence of the President of India) and the House of Parliament (now the Indian Parliament), the entire complex is a twin ring one encircling the other with a central park in the center, and many of its resident establishments as old as the place itself – such as the Regal Cinema Hall and Quality Restaurant.
The heritage site still very much the commercial center it was intended to be abounds in shops, cafes, fast food joints, specialty dinners, pubs, multiplexes, airline offices and the best crowds you can hope to come across in Delhi – in fact for both tourists and citizens, lingering around in the white grandeur of this historic landmark is a sure shot way to beat the blues.
