As Urjit Patel Fumbles, RBI's Autonomy in a Bigger Jumble

The government's shadow over the Reserve Bank of India just got bigger.

Appearing before the parliamentary standing committee yesterday, RBI governor Urjit Patel shied away from (or perhaps deliberately avoided?) answering most questions put forth to him.
The most gaping hole in his responses?
He did not know how much of the Rs 15.4 trillion of demonetised money has been returned to the banks. The banks are still counting, he says. Then, when asked when this number would be available to the public, he gave no definite answer.

Now, it is no secret that demonetisation has been hugely disruptive for all of India. And that's what makes this figure so critical. In all the debate over demonetisation, this one number alone would indicate whether the entire exercise was a success...or a failure.

It will show whether black money hoarders did indeed figure out how to get their stash back in the system with little or no costs. If the portion of 'black money' that was actually destroyed turns out to be negligible, it raises serious questions about the validity of the whole exercise to begin with.

But Urjit Patel dithered. He provided no answer. Perhaps his answers would have been inconvenient for the government...

Remember that, last month, after the RBI disclosed Rs 12.4 trillion of old currency had been returned by 10 December, the finance ministry disputed the figure, citing possible errors in accounting and calling for the data to be sanitised. The RBI hasn't released any fresh data since.

Many questions were already being been raised about the autonomy of the RBI. Yesterday's events will only make the questions louder. Indeed, the governor's tip-toeing around the questions increases fears of the government's overbearingness on the central bank's affairs - more so since demonetisation.

The healthy functioning of any economic system depends on its vital institutions doing their jobs well. The independence and autonomy of the RBI and its policies is a critical cog in the wheel of India's economic well-being. Any encroachment by the powers that be could compromise the whole system.

Some beautiful answers and way of thinking of Turkish poet Jalaluddin Rumi,

Some beautiful answers and way of thinking of Turkish poet Jalaluddin Rumi,

What Is Poison ?
He Replied With A Beautiful Answer - AnyThing Which Is More Than Our Necessity Is Poison. It May Be Power, Wealth, Hunger, Ego, Greed, Laziness, Love, Ambition, Hate, Or AnyThing.

What Is Fear ?
Non Acceptance Of Uncertainty. If We Accept That Uncertainty, It Becomes Adventure.

What Is Envy ?
Non Acceptance Of Good In Others. If We Accept That Good, It Becomes Inspiration.

What Is Anger ?
Non Acceptance Of Things Which Are Beyond Our Control. If We Accept, It Becomes Tolerance.

What Is Hatred ?
Non Acceptance Of Person As He Is. If We Accept A Person Unconditionally, It Becomes Love.

FUTURE PREDICTIONS:

Robert M. Goldman MD, PhD, DO, FAASP

In 1998, Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85% of all photo paper worldwide. Within just a few years, their business model disappeared and they went bankrupt. What happened to Kodak will happen in a lot of industries in the next 10 years - and most people don't see it coming. Did you think in 1998 that 3 years later you would never take pictures on paper film again? Yet digital cameras were invented in 1975. The first ones only had 10,000 pixels, but followed Moore's law. So as with all exponential technologies, it was a disappointment for a long time, before it became way superior and got mainstream in only a few short years. It will now happen with Artificial Intelligence, health, autonomous and electric cars, education, 3D printing, agriculture and jobs.

Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution. Welcome to the Exponential Age.

Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10 years.

Uber is just a software tool, they don't own any cars, and are now the biggest taxi company in the world. Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they don't own any properties.

Artificial Intelligence: Computers become exponentially better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best Go player in the world, 10 years earlier than expected.

With the help of IBM Watson, you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic stuff) within seconds, with 90% accuracy compared with 70% accuracy when done by humans.

IBM Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer, 4 time more accurate than human nurses.

Facebook now has a pattern recognition software that can recognize faces better than humans. By 2030, computers will become more intelligent than humans.

Autonomous Cars: In 2018 the first self-driving cars will appear for the public. Around 2020, the complete industry will start to be disrupted. You don't want to own a car anymore. You will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location and drive you to your destination. You will not need to park it, you only pay for the driven distance and can be productive while driving. Our kids will never get a driver's license and will never own a car. It will change the cities, because we will need 90-95% fewer cars for that. We can transform former parking space into parks. 1.2 million people die each year in car accidents worldwide. We now have one accident every 100,000 km, with autonomous driving that will drop to one accident in 10 million km. That will save a million lives each year.

Most car companies may become bankrupt. Traditional car companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better car, while tech companies (Tesla, Apple, Google) will do the revolutionary approach and build a computer on wheels. I spoke to a lot of engineers from Volkswagen and Audi; they are completely terrified of Tesla.

Insurance Companies will have massive trouble because without accidents, the insurance will become 100x cheaper. Their car insurance business model will disappear.

Real estate will change. Because if you can work while you commute, people will move further away to live in a more beautiful neighborhood.

Electric cars won’t become mainstream until 2020. Cities will be less noisy because all cars will run on electric. Electricity will become incredibly cheap and clean: Solar production has been on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you can only now see the impact. Last year, more solar energy was installed worldwide than fossil. The price for solar will drop so much that all coal companies will be out of business by 2025.

With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water. Desalination now only needs 2kWh per cubic meter. We don't have scarce water in most places, we only have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.

Health: There will be companies that will build a medical device (called the "Tricorder" from Star Trek) that works with your phone, which takes your retina scan, your blood sample and you breathe into it. It then analyses 54 biomarkers that will identify nearly any disease. It will be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet will have access to world class medicine, nearly for free.

3D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down from $18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time, it became 100 times faster. All major shoe companies started 3D printing shoes. Spare airplane parts are already 3D printed in remote airports. The space station now has a printer that eliminates the need for the large number of spare parts they used to have in the past.

At the end of this year, new smart phones will have 3D scanning possibilities. You can then 3D scan your feet and print your perfect shoe at home. In China, they already 3D printed a complete 6-storey office building. By 2027, 10% of everything that's being produced will be 3D printed.

Business Opportunities: If you think of a niche you want to go in, ask yourself: "in the future, do you think we will have that?" and if the answer is yes, how can you make that happen sooner? If it doesn't work with your phone, forget the idea. And any idea designed for success in the 20th century is doomed in to failure in the 21st century.

Work: 70-80% of jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. There will be a lot of new jobs, but it is not clear if there will be enough new jobs in such a small time.

Agriculture: There will be a $100 agricultural robot in the future. Farmers in 3rd world countries can then become managers of their field instead of working all days on their fields. Agroponics will need much less water. The first Petri dish produced veal is now available and will be cheaper than cow-produced veal in 2018. Right now, 30% of all agricultural surfaces is used for cows. Imagine if we don't need that space anymore. There are several startups that will bring insect protein to the market shortly. It contains more protein than meat. It will be labeled as "alternative protein source" (because most people still reject the idea of eating insects).

There is an app called "moodies" which can already tell in which mood you are. Until 2020 there will be apps that can tell by your facial expressions if you are lying. Imagine a political debate where it's being displayed when they are telling the truth and when not.

Bitcoin will become mainstream this year and might even become the default reserve currency.

Longevity: Right now, the average life span increases by 3 months per year. Four years ago, the life span used to be 79 years, now it's 80 years. The increase itself is increasing and by 2036, there will be more than one year increase per year. So we all might live for a long long time, probably way more than 100.

Education: The cheapest smart phones are already at $10 in Africa and Asia. Until 2020, 70% of all humans will own a smart phone. That means, everyone has the same access to world class education.

Robert M. Goldman MD, PhD, DO, FAASP

World Chairman-International Medical Commission

Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board-A4M

Founder & Chairman-International Sports Hall of Fame

Co-Founder & Chairman-World Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

President Emeritus-National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)

Chairman-U.S. Sports Academy’s Board of Visitor

Demonetisation may be a very costly failure

Available evidence suggests that we are on the way to a very costly failure of the current demonetisation scheme, says M R Narayana.

http://www.rediff.com/business/column/note-scrapping-may-be-a-very-costly-failure/20170106.htm

Will we let the poor die?

Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam

Sometimes towards the end of cold war, Rand Corporation, which conducts researches and writes reports for US government, its foreign policy and military establishments, prepared a report that had a startling suggestion. It said that the powerful and rich Western countries and institutions should not intervene to save millions of lives in the less developed countries (LDCS).

According to Rand, the ill-fed, ill-clad, ill-shod millions were worthless vermins who had no value, were of no economic worth, and were a burden on earth’s resources. So they should be allowed to die off in their millions. There was no point in wasting precious material and financial resources on them. That was like throwing black slaves overboard in the sea to drown if the white captains of slave-trading ships thought their ship was overloaded or had insufficient food and water for so many people.

At that time the report sounded a little too cruel, callous and shocking, especially for liberals and leftists. It also seemed unprecedented, but it was not. In India, over the centuries Banias had regularly been hoarding grain as people died in famines. The Banias thus forced food prices (and their profits) to shoot through the ceiling as people died like flies. As Amartya Sen, says in famines there was enough food, but the poor did not have access to it as they had a weak purchasing power.

A particularly gruesome famine struck Bengal in 1942. People from the countryside were dropping dead like flies on Calcutta’s roads, lanes and bylanes. The city was littered with corpses of the hungry men, women and children as Banias’ godowns were brimming with food grains hoarded to be sold at higher prices. As Indians did not bother for fellow Indians, the British rulers had no reason to worry too much about saving Indian lives.

At that point the massive British military (that included Indians and other colonised people in it) was fighting against the Axis powers led by Germany, Italy and Japan. When the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill needed to ensure food supplies to British troops he took away all the reserved food from India and let the people die from hunger in their millions. Between the Banias’ greed and the British need Indian lives were extinguished en masse. Both Churchill and the hoarders had coolly decided to let people wither away. Thus Rand report’s suggestion was not unprecedented.

Thankfully, we are no longer living under British rule, but the rule of greedy traders is yet to be over. And, yes, the native government has not always been an improvement on the colonial one. Our governments at Centre as well as in states have not always acted in stress situations in a better way than their colonial predecessors.

Today no country in the world is allowed to let people perish in a famine. In India itself the last devastating famine came in Cooch Behar in the 70s. Since then no real famine has struck the country, yet from locations in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and the model of economic growth state, Gujarat, reports have often come that said certain pockets were severely food scarce. Starvation deaths are not unheard of in these states as well as Chhattisgarh and others. The question is when India will get rid of hunger, finally? Today, 33 crore people in 256 districts of ten states are severely affected by monumental drought, subjected to the worst human suffering. There is no mention of it in the daily dose of announcements of grand new schemes, plans, missions, projects and Abhiyans. Why? Are not they Indians?

I will continue this in another write-up soon. However, before ending it I want to talk about a cruel joke Sadhvi Uma Bharti has played on some of the worst drought-hit people. Bharti, the rabble-rouser of Babri Masjid demolition movement, is today the Union minister for water resources. More importantly, she is an MP from Jhansi in Bundelkhand, one of the worst drought-hit areas.

On May 2, she flagged off 12 tankers carrying water to some most thirsty areas. She waved a BJP flag and the convoy of tankers rolled off to their destination. When they reached there people were angry to see that none of them had a drop of water. Whatever the case, but Bharti had her pictures sending water to the thirsty publicised. Naturally, the victims did not like this joke at all.

By the way, what does it say about the Centre’s attitude to the life and wellbeing of 30 crore Indians who are not a part of the grand media-created hype? Do these leaders want the poor to die without food and water? g

A Cheerless New Year

Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam

Over the last couple of days I have frequently been returning to the content of the Prime Minister’s much-awaited address to the nation within hours of the beginning of the New Year. We had been hoping for some respite from the consequences of demonetisation and some good news for the New Year. Sadly, I came across nothing to cheer for.

We should have been wise enough not to have expected anything good from the PM. But, even this thin ray of hope was the creation of the PM, who had declared grandly on November 8 while announcing this ill-starred demonetisation that at the end of 50 days “the country would shine like gold.” And if the country did not shine like gold, he should be beaten with shoes on a public square and we should burn him.

We knew that being a political extremist, he has to use the loathsome language of an extremist. Even though India is not shining at all at the end of his deadline, and the glitter has in fact dimmed, nobody, no Indian, is thinking of beating their prime minister with shoes on a public square (or, in a private space), much less to burn him. However, we must note that we have been deeply saddened and disappointed by the callousness and cold unconcern he displayed in his address.

He did not have a word of regret for having created extraordinary difficulty for workers, the infirm, senior citizens. Nor did he have a single word of sympathy for the families of over a hundred people who died as a direct consequence of his note ban. Some unfortunate people simply dropped dead while standing in serpentine queues for hours. Others died because their entire lives’ savings were forcefully taken away from them. Yet others who had saved money for the marriage of their daughters died because of the money saved for their daughters were taken away from them and the marriages were cancelled. Such sorrow can only be felt by an Indian who has a daughter to marry. The PM did not think it fit even to mention them. That was heart breaking.

He was gloating over the fact that “never was so much money there in the banks.” This is nothing to cheer about, Mr Modi. This strikes fear in the hearts of people who know some basic economics. Such a high deposit to loan ratio can easily sink banks. It is not difficult to understand why. Banks pay interest on deposits to depositors and take interest on loans from debtors. The interest on loans is higher than the interest on deposits. This difference is the only legitimate source of income for banks which go as profits after deducting maintenance cost.

What is fearsome today is that very few people are taking loans from banks. Thus there is very little interest coming to banks while the banks have to pay a huge amount of interest to depositors. The banks might cut interest rates to save themselves from failing. That will also mean revision (downward) of interest on loans. As if he was doing a great favour to farmers, he announced a three percent cut in interest on certain farm loans. In today’s situation reduction in interest rates is a compulsion, not a favour.

The demonetisation programme’s goals have been shifting. First it was said to be elimination of black money in cash. It turned out that there was virtually no black money in cash. Then it was about stopping terrorism. Less said about it the better. Also, it was to stop counterfeiting, but the fact remains that counterfeit pink notes appeared in the market right at the launch of demonetisation.

As of now, there is no hope of a let-up in the difficulties of common people in days ahead. Oddly, the New Year eve address sounded like a budget speech. In the short-term, there is a lot to worry about. Even in the mid-term nothing is there to cheer about as the economy is in a free fall, largely because of demonitisation



Copy The below text with Link to share it in whatsapp & mails
A Cheerless New Year
article on the eve of New Year by 
Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam
who writes that New Year. Sadly, had nothing to cheer for

- 

http://jameelblr.blogspot.in/2017/01/a-cheerless-new-year.html

25 Places You Must Visit In Delhi

Delhi is a lot more than just a city of love. It is the absolute combination of tradition and modernity. A city with innumerable monuments on one hand and a world class airport and metro on the other. Street food, shopping malls, thrifty shopping places, religious places, theatre; you name it and Delhi has it! Here are the 25 must-see places in Delhi. Take down your notes and visit them all when you drop by!

1. LOTUS TEMPLE

The Lotus Temple or the Bahá’í House of Worship is an architectural masterpiece which will make you want to go ‘wow’ but wait, you can’t say that aloud! Well, when inside the temple, you have to maintain silence! There are no sermons or ritualistic activities practised, one can just sit in peace and pray to their respective gods.

Closest metro station- Nehru Place (Violet Line)

Tip– Lotus Temple organizes daily shows to educate people about Bahá’í faith. Add that to your list.

2. AKSHARDHAM

This is a must-see site and should be high on your priority list. Akshardham attracts 70% of all tourists who visit Delhi (not surprising at all!). Once you enter, I bet you wouldn’t want to leave. It has jaw-dropping architecture, a fascinating fountain show, an informative boat ride, a huge garden, a food court that offers scrumptious dishes and much more.

Closest metro station- Akshardham (Blue Line)

Tip- Try to reach early so that you can experience all activities before the complex closes

3. NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART (NGMA)

If you are an art enthusiast or just like to go ‘aww’ over fantastic brush strokes, you must pay a visit to this place. NGMA is one of the most serene public buildings in Delhi. Take a walk around this beautiful piece of architecture and you will not want to get back to the hustling roads of Delhi.

Closest metro station- Khan Market (Violet Line)

Tip– Buy picture post cards and souvenirs at affordable prices from the Museum shop.

4. TUGHLAQABAD FORT

Tughlaqabad Fort was built by the founder of the Tughlaq Dynasty in 1321. It is spread across an area of 6.5 km and is near the well established residential-commercial area of Tughlaqabad.

A google-search of the fort is enough incentive for you to jump on the metro and make a fun trip out of it. Don’t forget to take your picnic basket, soak up some sun and enjoy the monumental beauty.

Closest metro station- Tughlaqabad (Violet Line)

Tip– If you go for a picnic, don’t litter. Carry a separate bag for the waste.

5. TOMB OF SAFDARJANG

This monument was described as the ‘last flicker in the lamp of Mughal architecture’. It was built in 1754 for statesman Safdarjung. The huge structure is surrounded by beautiful gardens of the Mughal charbagh style. You’ll be certainly surprised with the silent environment here even though it is right next to the busy Lodi Road.

Closest metro station- Jor bagh (Yellow line)

Tip– If you have a partner, the gardens are the place to get all cuddly!

6. PURANA QILA AND NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK

When you visit Purana Qila, don’t forget to walk upto the National Zoological Park or Delhi Zoo.  It is spread over an area of 176-acre and is very (read veryyyy) crowded on weekends. If you like long walks this place is perfect for it. Walk around enjoying the funny activities of hippos and the hysterical laughs of the hyaenas. You can also rent a battery-operated vehicle at the zoo to take a tour.

Closest metro station- Pragati Maidan (Blue Line)

Tip– If someone wakes up the lion from his slumber, enjoy the thunderous ‘Rawwwwr’.

7. AGRASEN KI BAOLI

Baoli which means stepwell was constructed in order to preserve water in ancient times. What is special about this baoli is that it is situated right in the heart of the city, surrounded by tall buildings of Connaught Place. In the crowd you might spot poets and artists working their magic on paper thanks to the awesomeness of the location.

Closest metro station- Rajiv Chowk (Yellow Line)

Trivia– This place is said to be one of the most haunted places of India!

8. GARDEN OF FIVE SENSES

This garden is a treat to the eyes. It has 25 sculptures and murals on display and walkways surrounded by flowering and fragrant shrubs and trees. There is also a food and shopping court in the garden where you can enjoy a good meal while a light breeze awakens your senses. The garden is spotted as one of the most romantic places in Delhi.

Closest metro station- Saket (Yellow Line)

9. HAUZ KHAS VILLAGE AND DEER PARK

Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri shout out some drunken dialogues in the Hauz Khas Fort in their movie Rockstar! The Fort overlooks a beautiful lake where you can feed adorable ducks and swans. To reach the lake, take a walk through the deer park and admire the spotted animals. While you are on the go you will come across boards which will guide you to perform fitness exercises, if you are the playful type I suggest you to follow them on the way, it makes the walk absolutely fun-tastic.

The ‘Village’ offers great restaurants, dive bars, clubs, and shopping boutiques. After you enjoy your calm moments at the fort you can head out to one of the popular bars and enjoy a good drink. Hauz Khas Village is for sure a mix of everything nice huh?

Closest metro station- Green Park (Yellow Line)

Tip– Take loads of photographs; this place makes everyone more photogenic. *chuckles*

10. ISKCON TEMPLE

Your faith in God will reach new heights after you attend the ‘Arti’ at the ISKCON Temple.

Devotional songs play while you walk around the temple adorned with splendid portraits and idols of Lord Krishna. You will witness a calm environment with an inexplicable energy around you.

Closest metro station- Nehru Place (Violet Line)

Tip– Attend the Vedic sound and light show titled ‘Gita Saar’.

11. NIZAMMUDIN DARGAH AND NIZAMMUDIN KI BAOLI

The Dargah is one of the most sacred mausoleums in India. If you are wondering what it exactly looks like, just picture the song ‘Kun Faya Kun’ from the movie Rockstar.

A secret tunnel was discovered by The Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which linked Nizammudin Dargah to Nizammudin Ki Baoli. The Baoli has a wooden base and a well which intact even after 800 years. The water of the Baoli is considered holy by pilgrims.

Closest metro station- JLN stadium (Violet Line)

Tip– Attend the Kawallis on Thursdays and Saturdays, they are said to have a ‘special touch’.

12. LODHI GARDEN

Here’s a great place for morning walks and family picnics! Lodhi Garden is spread over an area of about 90 acres, it has 5 beautiful architectural works of 15th century- Mohammed Shah’s Tomb, Sikander Lodi’s Tomb, Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad. You can soak up some sun with your family over a game of charades and some yummy sandwiches.

Closest metro station(s) – Jor Bagh (Yellow Line)/ JLN Stadium (Violet Line)

13. PAHARGANJ

Paharganj is the hub for cheap shopping, cheap lodging and cheap hogging. If you love leather bags and footwear, this is the place for you. You can get an amazing leather satchel for as low as Rs 200! The market is well known for silver jewellery and thrift shops. The culture of this market is quite like that of hill stations like Kasaul and the fact that you’ll see quite a few foreigners at any time of the day, you might just forget that you’re in Delhi.

Closest metro station – New Delhi (Yellow Line)

Tip– It’s best to see the market on foot.

14. SAROJINI MARKET

Delhi offers many places for inexpensive but quality shopping. Sarojini Nagar Market might just top that list. It is one of the most popular markets especially for clothes, footwear and accessories. One might simply describe it as a teengirl’s shopping paradise.

Closest metro station- INA

Tip– If you’re new to bargaining, take an experienced person along. Bargaining here could get real nasty!

15. LAJPAT NAGAR MARKET

Set your budget and go crazy shopping for ethnic wear. You get great salvar kameez, sarees, kurtas and kolhapuri chappals in this market. Lajpat market momos are extremely popular so if you’re fond of street food, don’t miss them.

Closest metro station- Lajpat Nagar (Violet Line)

Tip– Get some henna on your hands on the way back from the popular mehndiwallas!

16. DILLI HAAT

This place is a walking tour of Indian culture. Shop for all the ethnic wear you wish, overload your bags with beautiful pieces of handicraft or just enjoy the weather while having a badam kulfi. There are food stalls dishing out scrumptious delicacies of different states of India. If you make an unplanned trip to Dilli Haat you might bump into a fancy exhibition or a dance/music performance.

Closest metro station – INA (Yellow line)

Tip 1 – Bargain as much as possible, it’s legal.

Tip 2 – Don’t miss the momos at the Shillong stall.

17. INDIA HABITAT CENTRE

This place gives you a little bit of everything. An open air complex with huge solar panels on the roof, art exhibits in the galleries, yummy foods from the street of India and a good old American breakfast of bacon and eggs. Ever since 2011, the Delhi Photo Festival is held here.

Closest metro station(s) – Jor Bagh (Yellow line)/ JLN stadium (Violet Line)

Trivia– If you were wondering where the Rang De Basanti amphitheatre is, this is it!

18. INDIA GATE

Everyone knows of the glorious India Gate! Round the year one can see people picnicking or just enjoying a nice walk around the area. There are beautiful fountains around to make the area nice and cozy. If you happen to come around the October-November period do sign up for the Airtel Half Marathon; an early morning run at Raj Path  is bound to stay etched in your memory.

Closest metro station- Central Secretariat (Yellow line)

Tip– Take a walk around India Gate with an ice-cream post sunset, you are sure to be mesmerized.

19. QUTUB MINAR

Qutub Minar is the 2nd tallest minar in India. It has been declared as a UNESCO Heritage Site. At the foot of the tower stands a mosque which is the first mosque built in India. It has a 7 m iron pillar in the courtyard with a fascinating saying attached to it. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled.

Closest metro station- Qutub Minar (Yellow line)

Tip– Read up about the history of Qutub Minar, it’s pretty interesting!

20. RED FORT AND CHANDNI CHOWK

Adding to the list of majestic monuments in Delhi, there is Red Fort. It is also a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. It served as the residence for Mughal Emperors for nearly 200 years. The surviving structures of the fort are its walls and ramparts, the main gates, the audience halls and the imperial apartments.

Chandni Chowk, which leads up to the Red Fort is one of the oldest markets in Delhi. It houses many religious buildings like the Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, Jama Masjid, historical mansions, shops and eateries. Paranthe Wali Gali is one of the most famous eating areas in the market. The market is an amazing place to shop for fabrics, stationary (at Nai Sadak), hardware and silver and gold jewellery.

Closest metro station – Chandni Chowk (Yellow Line)

Tip– Shop all day but do stay back for the light and sound show at 6pm at Red Fort.

21. HUMAYUN’S TOMB

This is the third UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE on our list. It was built after the death of Humayun by his senior widow Bega Begum. It is the first garden tomb in the Indian Subcontinent. The tomb stands in the centre of a square garden called ‘Charbagh’ which has shallow water channels running through it. Several rulers of the Mughal Dynasty lie buried here.

Closest metro station- JLN stadium (Violet line)

22. RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN

The President’s residence is one place you better not miss. The mansion is open to tourists for visit on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Mughal Gardens with two channels and energetic fountains add to the beauty of the place. They are open to the public from February- March every year.

Closest metro station- Central Secretariat (Yellow Line)

23. CONNAUGHT PLACE, JANPATH AND MANDI HOUSE

Shop, eat, watch a movie or just laze in the Central Park; Connaught Place is the perfect location for all that. Have a milkshake in a glass bottle at Keventers or a coffee at Starbucks, pick up a sweet treat from Wengers or a burger from KFC; you have too many restaurants to choose from! Walk through the corridors of the market to find some low priced trinkets and novels. Shop for branded clothes, footwear and accessories all that in one big circular market. Get out of the inner circle to walk towards Janpath market to shop for trendy clothes, jewellery and showpieces at throwaway prices.

Just a stone’s throw away from CP is the cultural hub of Delhi. Mandi House has many auditoriums which host stage plays and other performances regularly. Catch a stage act at Kamani Auditorium or Sri Ram Centre of Performing Arts to get an idea of how much talent this city has to offer!

Closest metro station- Rajiv Chowk (Blue Line)

Tip1– Try out the popular Depauls coffee at Janpath.

Tip2– Sit in Central Park after sunset, the CP circle looks beautiful when lit up!

24. BANGLA SAHIB GURUDWARA

So you have shopped at Connaught Place and are headed home? Not just yet! Make a stop at the beautiful white marble Sikh Gurudwara. The melodious chanting of hymns will transport you to a different world all together. The ‘Sarovar’ which is a holy water body in the Gurudwara premises keeps it cool all year long. The ‘Kada Prasad’ is too yummy, just melts in your mouth.

Closest metro station(s) – Rajiv Chowk/Shivaji Stadium

Tip– A dip in the Sarovar early in the morning and a taste of the Langar is a must.

25. RAJGHAT

This mausoleum is one without a tomb. It is the site of burial of our Father of the Nation. The location is beautifully kept with manicured lawns and red stone paths. Raj Ghat area also has memorials of other famous leaders like Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri etc.

Raj Ghat makes a good place for a refreshing walk with a dose of some history trivia.

Closest metro station- Indraprastha (Blue Line)

Tip– If you don’t want to take a guide, eavesdropping on the ones accompanying foreigners is a good deal.