Pages

Riding ripples on a bicycle | Opera Cyclothon

The thing too close to eye is hard to see. The glamorization of one thing sometimes hides the dimly lit. Delhi is full of crowd, hustle-bustle, towering buildings, historical marvels, and surprises. It's amazing that just behind the ever so crowded Qutub Complex, there's a place so serene and secluded as Sanjay Van. I set off at 6 am on a lazy Sunday morning for this. So it had to be really good for me to not to lash out. (It was)

The moment I reached the meeting point I was greeted by clouds, rain and firefox bicycles. I pounced on a bicycle after 8 years or so. The flag off set us on a unique journey, the camera  sling bag made it even more exciting for me. In the beginning, it was unnerving riding a bicycle amid gigantic and speed monster motor vehicles but gradually the feeling sunk in.

Thanks to the innovative thinking of Opera, we went towards less visited Mehrauli Archaeological park and not Qutub complex. Mehrauli Archaeological park with over 100 historically significant monuments, is the only area of Delhi that has been continuously under occupation over 1000 years and still it misses on the tourist destinations list. The idea behind the #DiscoverWithOpera cyclothon was to discover the things that are right there in the sight but still unnoticed and not cared about.

The monuments here are not like the rest of the Delhi. No well mowed lawns or well aligned trees, all you see are the monuments gradually being gobbled by the greens. The rain and the lush grass made it difficult to walk. But rain cleared up the atmosphere and made it all the more beautiful. The first monument that faced the snapper was Tomb of Khan Shahid.
More images at GvSparx Facebook Page
Next, we discovered Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb complex which is one of the most famous haunted places of the country. It was featured in the opening episode of India’s Most Haunted too. 

Highway on my plate presenter Rocky's account of haunting at Jamali Kamali
We also visited some more monuments in Mehrauli Archaeological park like Tomb of Balban Khan and Tomb of Quli Khan. It was a really pleasing site to see guys playing cricket in the shade of greens and historical landmarks. It told the story of India in the most precise manner. 

India in one frame
Then, we headed towards Sanjay Van. You look around Sanjay Van, all you see is trees, trees and more trees. It isn't difficult to get lost there. And given my talent, I did that with ease. I came across a seldom visited temple and a very pretty cat too. Sometimes, you have more fun getting lost than finding things you want.

More pictures of Cute kitty. Check her out ;) 
I roamed about the place searching for the right exit for half an hour. The funny and sad part is even the guards don't know about the place well, forget about the population dwelling in city malls. This is where a lot needs to be done. The people in and around these forgotten marvels need to be informed and motivated about them. These could be developed into great tourist spots that can pay for themselves if marketed properly. Do share this article so that more and more people come to know about the hidden architectures of Delhi and keep them alive.

More amazing pictures of the ride can be discovered at "Discover Delhi Cyclothon" photo album on GvSparx Facebook Page.

Share this: