Way to President's House, New Delhi
Busy & narrow streets of Old Delhi
Cloth shop in Paharganj
Vegetable shop in Paharganj
Jama Masjid, Delhi
Jama Masjid , Delhi
In this sprawling metropolis, there are jungles...natural jungles with trees and the other, which is more predominant, the urban jungle. Masses of houses, clustered against one another with no breathing space, tangles of wires, and the new ‘species’ who’s poached the rooftops, dish antennas. Yet there is order amidst this chaos, not noticeable to the ordinary eye. Life in this jungle goes on smoothly and for the residents in the urban jungle, these elements are not eye sores, rather necessities of life. Beauty is secondary, functionality is paramount. This is a view from outside the Metro Station in Chawri Bazar, near Chandni Chowk area in the old part of Delhi. Masses of small shops, thousands of people, all in a hurry, hand carts, rickshaws, vans, two wheelers & cars vie for the little road space that exisits. Yet, this is a bustling market, with millions of Rupees worth business being transacted every day. Looking up I froze...those tangles of wires....If there is a fire,....only GOD can help!
The Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid can be a bewildering experience for those unfamiliar with its history. On one hand there is the beautiful, curvaceous Islamic calligraphy, the arabesque designs and then there are pillars with clearly pre-Islamic Hindu motifs. The reason is of course quite simple; the pillars were taken from the 27 temples of Qila Rai Pithora, the city of the Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan. This in fact has been recorded by Qutub-ud-din in his inscriptions, who calls it the Jami Masjid (Friday Mosque) in his inscriptions.
The Construction of The Mosque The mosque was started in 1192 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty (called so because the founder was once a royal slave). It was finished four years later. However the masjid, much like the Qutub complex itself, never stopped growing and many subsequent rulers, like Altamash in 1230 and Alauddin Khalji in 1315, added their own bits to it. 
The Extension of The Structure Later Qutub-ud-din's son-in-law and successor, Altamash had the prayer hall screen extended, and added three more arches besides the original five. The difference between the two arches is interesting: the earlier arches are not really the 'true' arch which is such a hallmark of Islamic architecture, Altamash's arches were built by workmen from Afghanistan and are stylistically quite distinct. They use Islamic motifs such as geometrical shapes rather than naturalistic designs (which were frowned upon by the Muslim clergy) that Hindus used. Ala-ud-din Khalji added a courtyard to the mosquethe entrance to which is the amazing Alai Darwaza.In the mosque compound is the small but pretty tomb of Imam Zamim, who was the Imam (head priest) of the mosque during Sikander Lodi's (1488-1517) reign. 
ShankatMochan- Jai Hanuman.At Shakti-peeth temple (Chattarpur Temole) by the side of the Mandapam, stands in splendor, the statue of Shree Hanuman (around 100 feet high), silently blessing the devotees.
Swastik- Symbol of Hinduism at 'Shakti Peeth', Chattarpur, New Delhi, India.“Hands off our sacred Swastika” must be the loudest roar of the followers of Vedic or Hindu Dharma and all its sects all over the world to save the divinity, purity, auspiciousness, serenity, prestige and position Swastika holds in human race, after the German members of European Parliament called for the total ban on the use of Swastika all over Europe in protest of Prince Harry’s provocation of international outrage by wearing Nazi outfits with a swastika arm band in a private fancy dress party. It is shocking and astonishing news for the lovers of Swastika, irrespective of their faiths, all over the world that the European parliament is in opinion of considering such a ban on this innocent symbol. What has Swastika done wrong? What is the crime of Swastika? Once the most popular, respected, beloved, revered and worshipped symbol of human being all over the world by all races and all faiths is facing socially, religiously and ethical discrimination in Christian dominated European Parliament. 
The zeal to succeed is always ennobling; more so in the time of terror and recession. Saluting the undying spirit of West Delhiites, West Delhi showcases some thrilling success stories scripted by them in the year 2008. To remain optimistic and happy is a congenital human attribute. This is the reason why amid the gathering gloom over recession and the threat of terrorism, everyone is looking for a reason to smile and whoop it up this New Year Eve. There is no doubt that these are, to quote, Dickens, "the best of times and the worst of times.’’ But there is no taming the resilient spirit of West Delhiites. Their greatest asset is their ability to bounce back instead of getting bogged down in the quagmire of defeatism. And, no one personifies this trait better then our very own Sushil Kumar, Olympic medallist wrestler from West Delhi. A native of Baprola village in Najafgarh, Sushil this year became India’s fourth-ever individual Olympics bronze medalist, putting India on the medal tally of Olympics. For sure he can be rightly called the next nawab of Najafgarh after Sehwag. If Olympics saw the birth of a new star, same is true for international cricket. West Delhi’s very own Virat Kohli from Shankar Garden, near Vikaspuri did India proud as it won the U/19 World Cup (2008). Gautam Gambhir from Karol Bagh is another cricketer from West Delhi who is making his mark as an opener in both the versions of the game. After topping the batting average in the recently concluded test series against England, Gambhir has now jumped to 10th spot in ICC rankings. Then there is the speedster from Ranjit Nagar, Ishant Sharma, who has become a regular bowler for the Indian squad. He shot into international limelight early this year in Australia when he knocked the living daylights out of Ricky Ponting by dismissing him many times in one-dayers and test matches. In fact, he played a crucial role in halting the Australian juggernaut. Other prominent youngsters from West Delhi, who are all set to make it big in the field of sports in the coming years include Amit Mishra (Cricket) Arantxa Andrady (Tennis), Vishal Singh (Cricket) from Tilak Nagar and Shaun Andrady (Soccer) from Delhi Cantt.
With the New Year’s Day being observed as a ’No Honking Day’, would North Delhiites play it safe? North Delhiites are not happy at the recent decision of the Delhi Police to celebrate January 1 as ’No Honking Day.’ Now, you may call it a typical case of status deprivation to use the educational jargon. How can it be possible? They are, after all, governed by the seat of their pants. In other words, they believe in instincts rather than logic or knowledge. You may cavil at their impertinence in having their way, but do you have the right to grudge them their freedom of choice and expression? If they don’t honk, they won’t be able to avoid collateral damage on roads. In fact, foisting such facile justifications come easy to North Delhiites. Rash driving is their besetting sin. After all, when all you have is hammer, everything looks like a nail. The first day of New Year is all about whooping it up; after all it is not everyday that you get to celebrate this particular occasion!
This New Year’s Eve, North Delhiites would travel to Swiss beaches, African jungles and to the sets of Bollywood. Thanks to the theme parties that would give them a taste of the world, right at home. Gone are the days when New Year’s Eve was a very personal affair, restricted to either a small get-together at home or a terrace bon-fire party with friends. The concept of theme parties is now catching up amongst the party freaks in North Delhi. The bigger, the better is the tagline for North Delhiites who are going all out to get the world home in their New Year parties. From Goan Beaches to the beaches of Switzerland, you name it and it is all there, right at your home. The beachside ambience is simply perfect for the New Year’s Eve, exclaims Sumit Sethi of Shalimar Bagh. Beachside Party was the theme of his last year’s New Year bash. "We had a beach created at home and the dress code was obviously beach wear. It was quite chilly outside and we got the entire venue covered. We made sure that even the temperature was perfect for those dressed up according to the dress code. It was sheer fun. The guests enjoyed sitting in boats and chilling out on the sands with palm trees all over," narrates Sumit. Well, for this year, Sumit’s guest will witness one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Eiffel Tower. Playing up with the theme of ’An evening in Paris’, Sumit has already aroused the curiosity of his guests.
It’s that time of the year when commitments comes from within to set right individual mistakes and shortcomings – towards changes that are generally interpreted as advantageous. We call it ’New Year’s Resolution’—the name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year Day and remain until fulfilled or abandoned. However, a pragmatic look reveals that those resolutions are rarely maintained in the long run. A day or maximum of a month, not many resolutions find their place for more than this. At a time, when the serious kind of resolutions are soon lost and forgotten, there are some that can be amusing yet one don’t have to take pains to remember them. Says Apoorva Jain, BSc. (Applied Sciences) student from Hansraj College, "I have realised that resolutions cannot be strictly adhered to. So, I have resolved that I will help break the resolutions of all my friends, who have set any. This is fun, but something that needs no strictness can be achieved easily." Siddhant Jain and Shobhit Baijal, residents of Model Town-II, have brought out their fun quotients in New Year resolutions. Shobhit is all set to break rules this year, before they are even formed! And Siddhant’s resolution has already found a place in his room quite early that reads, ’I hope to be able to make people think happy thoughts when they think of me’. Likewise, first year BCom(H) student Ritika Gupta from SGTB Khalsa College says she resolved to attend all lectures at her college, which have everything to do apart from studies. No matter how successful one has been in following resolutions in previous year, one makes fresh resolutions for the next year with determination. To materialise the things thought of may be difficult, still some people manage to do so. New Year resolutions offer a sense of direction to people to lead the coming year. With crossed fingers, let’s wish to maintain our resolutions, just like these young North Delhiites.
Two thousand years ago the King of Kings was born.'
Try to remember and keep in your heart and mind
So when you’re Christmas shopping for family and friends, 
