Hidden Gems of Delhi: India-ASEAN Maitri Park
Delhi, the city of cities has its charms. One of them used to be its fabled and famous libraries. Sadly, over the past few years many of these iconic places have been ‘transformed’ to such an extent that they cannot be called libraries anymore. Sure, the central libraries and the Delhi Public Library still exist but here we are talking about the libraries that aren’t government run and which are located in the heart of Delhi, Connaught Place. The past couple of years have witnessed a rapid decline in reading places which includes the likes of the Indian Coffee House and its famous open-air surroundings.
But this is not a blog about the libraries of Delhi (ghustakhi maaf).
It is a well known fact that along with the city’s library, the parks or the baghs are its fabled jewels. Unlike the libraries of Delhi, these parks seem to have gone on an altogether different tangent. Delhi’s love affair with its parks and recreational spots after-all has a long and well documented history going back to the Sultanate period. The Mughals also didn’t let any stone unturned in altering or changing the landscape of Delhi. Their magnificent chahr-bagh schemes are not only a visual delight but also an experience in themselves. Few, if any, of the remaining or new parks in the city proper can match that. Some of the old parks or baghs that remain have had their fair share of redecoration and redesigning and continue to be major attractions - for example, the sixteenth century Bagh-i Jud (now Jor Bagh) housing the Lodi Gardens and the Deer Park in Hauz Khas.
Less than a kilometre away from the Lodi Gardens, towards its north-west however, lies a not so popular and a hidden gem. This park lies on the road named after the fourteenth century dynasty of Delhi, the Tughluqs. Known for their immaculate use and mastery of hydraulics, the Tughluq Dynasty witnessed construction of dams (like Satpula near Malviya Nagar/Saket), forts as well as a large number of mosques throughout Delhi, under the aegis of Khan-i Jahan Tilangani, one of the important ministers of Firuz Shah Tughluq. This park is located in a posh semi-circular array of bungalows of government servants or bureaucrats, called Tughluq Crescent, and instead of being named after the bygone ruling dynasties of Delhi, is called India Asean Maitri Park or the India-Association of South East Asian Nation Friendship Park.
Don’t be fooled by the small size of this park. Beautifully landscaped with a combination of fountains and laden with a variety of flowers, this park is a winters-person’s delight! Never too crowded and never too empty, this park has certain standout features, some of which have been already mentioned. As you enter the park, you’re greeted by a kaleidoscope of colours, possibly in all and every combination to exist in nature.
A little further ahead and now you’re in prairie like lush-green field marked by small dunes of grass. On top of two of these dunes are imposing trees home to parrots, pigeons, mynahs, squirrels and the lot. Its around 3:30 pm on a clear December evening and a couple of excited and friendly street dogs are loving the setting as well, basking in the sun and running up and down, circumambulating the trees.
Though there’s a busy road right next to the park, the scenes inside are completely opposite and a soothing calm prevails. A group of women suddenly enter with children and now the dogs are even more excited and even more friendly, social media celebrities. Smartphones are out, cameras are on and the children are now showing off their synchronized dancing moves. Gradually, the number of children is increasing and suddenly, the two imposing trees have competition.
The evening however seems to be not bothered by this and is in a relaxing mood. The gardeners have just finished their post-meal stroll and are now watering the grass and the flowers, scattering the honeybees. A few more people enter. They are the only ones sitting on one of the very few benches here. Packets of moongphali (peanuts) are opened and devoured.
As the sun is about to set, the women and the children party vacate and now just a couple of elderly couples can be seen walking around. The air is filled with the smell of wet grass/soil and the fountains’ water supply valves are now being shut.
