Capital Idea Lutyens

Delhi, the capital was laid out by Edward Lutyens (I think I have this right)

Lots of Lutyen’s buildings are wonderful artful combinations of classical palladian formalities with indigenous pieces and detailing. Set along broad boulevards that unroll straight or sweeping, it has the grand formality of Washington or parts of Paris.



Unfortunately for the tourist the jungle has grown up along the great fences and walls and lawns and the views of the stately buildings are obscured. It gives the city the air of an exclusive enclave where one must be an insider to enjoy much of the city.

The Birla Lakshmi Temple, built by the Birla family to honor the goddess of wealth – Lakshmi is a fine exception to this rule. A wonderful confection, open to all, is a great oasis in the heart of the city.

The India Gate, honoring the Indian troops from The Great War, is another. Once seen it’s image is ubiquitous. It is majestic and beautiful and sits, like the Lincoln memorial on an axis from the President’s house.






The dust and pollution of Delhi makes for an incredible light: both fierce and soft. It is an amateur photographer’s dream as it creates complicated shots with just an automatic camera.

Delhi Strip Tease

Delhi, like any good city, has layers and waves of development. So you have the colonnade and city beautiful planning of Connaught Place’s collonade juxtaposed to the lego box buildings of the Indian Insurance company.


There are also pieces of surprising confluence where the sum is greater than the parts, like this collection of concrete buildings from 3 or 4 decades. Fortunately, in my opinion, the best one has pride of place on the corner and serves to unite the lesser buildings around it.







I marveled at the expenditure for the line connecting the two towers: it’s an open spaceframe with no apparent function except to visually unite the disparate elements.







There are lots of newer buildings which range from the banal to the ridiculous. Luis helped me realize that even the awkward ones contribute, if only to enliven the mix.









Out in the suburbs the office parks, IT campuses, and integrated townships are springing up like mad, as they are in every city in India. The developers have learned well from Las Vegas and the decorated shed predominates, albeit in the usual forced geometries for curb appeal. The buildings are great eye candy, no idea if they function well or are worth inhabiting.








Our timing to Delhi was fortuitous. Connaught Place as well as the market where our hotel was located were two of the bomb sites last week.

Deco Delhi

Indian construction is mostly masonry with most buildings including single family residences employing reinforced concrete. precast panels, and plaster. The plastic, moldable nature of these materials has brought out incredible form and expression.


The art deco and moderne vocabulary of the buildings are awesome.
The operational and security components are mostly wood and metal work. And the craftsmen go nuts here. The designs are ornate, or simple but usually very forceful and beautiful. The labor component is something we can’t match in the west.




On top of it all is a layer of power and communications infrastructure that looks like an army of spiders have run amok through the cities leaving loopy, dangling threads everywhere.

In Hindu mythology Hanuman is the monkey god, and is the embodiment of strength, endurance and devotion.

When Lord Rama’s wife Sita was abducted by the King of Lanka, Hanuman enlisted an army of monkeys and bears to build a bridge to Sri Lanka so Ram could defeat the King and rescue his wife.




While Luis and Michael were waiting for me to arrive from the airport, they were watching a live action kid’s show on TV featuring a little guy in a Hanuman suit. They thought he was cute and funny. I never got to see the show.


Everyone loves Hanuman. How can you not?
There are statues and paintings of him all over India. He's ubiquitous. So we felt as though he was following us and keeping a watchful eye to protect us.

On our ride around Delhi the next day we passed a 60’ statue of him. Unfortunately I apologize that I didn't get any really good pictures of it. Luis sent me this one from the net. AMAZING!

That's Delhi's new mass transit system – partially elevated, partially subterranean. Dontcha love how the elevated runs at chest level of the statue? Gives you a chance for devotion on your way to and from wherever.

Down at street level there are a couple of temples worked into the statue. Hanuman has defeated acouple of bad creatures and has them underfoot. You enter the temples through their mouths!!

In the mythology, Hanuman has the ability to change his size. One of my favorites was tucked into the crotch of a tree.

Indian Sojourn

Call it mid-life crisis, call it taking advantage of an opportunity, call it what you will, I left my job and spent the last couple of weeks being a bonifide tourist.

I joined two friends in Delhi, who had flown in from New York, on the 28th of August. We had a car and a driver, some plane tickets and some rough ideas, and away we went.


This post is just by way of introduction to the sojourn. There are thousands of pictures and lots of stuff to share. I may be writing this blog for months to come, if only as reminisence.


The trip was filled with surprises and contrasts. It was very real and in your face and surreal and enigmatic and sometimes like a scary movie and sometimes like a Bollywood pastry.



There was architecture: ancient, old, classic, vintage, modern, contemporary, silly, and just plain bad.








There were all sorts of places to look at and live in and sleep in: castles and forts and temples and mosques and markets and ruins and hovels and flea bags and mansions gardens and and even boats.





There were landscapes unbelievably flat, and precipitous inclines to make you swoon.



There were days of water everywhere, in pools and lakes and seas and cascades.
There were places so dry and arid, and places so full of salt that the great sea of water couldn’t wet it.












There were critters: camels and elephants and always loads of monkeys.









And of course there was Hanuman, right from the start. He followed us everywhere, devoted as he is, and gave us strength and laughter.