“Bridal Look” is how news reports described the looks of Delhi since last Sunday. I went to a few places that are hosting various cultural activities for CWG or Commonwealth Games. Though around this time of the year, Delhi anyway gets up from its half-yearly slumber post-hot summers. But this year courtesy of CWG the scale is bigger.
Everything that usually happens over a period of 3-4 months seems to be packed in these 10 days.
Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts
My first landing was at Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts, and it presented an absolutely deserted look. The security guard told me that there is no exhibition inside. But I insisted that the newspapers said there is and went inside. A beautiful tribal iron gate welcomes me, and the plaque next to it tells the story of the gate. Then came the beautiful sculptures spread across the sprawling green lawns. And suddenly there was a beautiful yellow and red structure in front of me.
Since it is not visible from the road and in the front you only see a white colonial building, this comes as a pleasant surprise. I went inside and saw that it was absolutely empty and renovation work going on.
Disappointed I came out and the security guard showed me a notice that said all exhibitions have been postponed to 21st Oct. Then he narrated how hundreds of people have come with newspaper cuttings and he has to explain to them that what it says does not exist. Not an encouraging start to my CWG excursion.
Non-Sporting Attractions Of Commonwealth Games, Delhi
I walked to the national museum across the road. And this is a familiar turf as I am a student there. I went to the Canadian Inuit Gallery that is on exhibit right now and a research scholar at the National Museum Institute explained all the artifacts in great detail along with all the associated stories and myths of that culture. Thanks to this unusual guide, I thoroughly enjoyed the gallery. I also explored the newly opened museum shop, which looks attractive.
Though the glass doors do not go with the ambiance of the rest of the museum. The merchandise was interesting but was too expensive. I am not sure how much sales they can expect at that kind of price.
Cultural Program
Came out of the museum and there was a cultural program going on its lawns, a tribal dance from Andhra Pradesh. I sat on the lawn and enjoyed the simple performance.
From here, I went to Rabindra Sadan for the Sahitya Academy Book Exhibition. Bought some books by Rabindranath Tagore which were at a huge discount. There was a small display of books from Pakistan and Bangladesh. Otherwise, there were no books from the Commonwealth. The film shows on art was supposed to happen but as there was no power supply in the premises. No one knew if the show would happen.
Meghdoot Theater had an array of shows. But ironically the ticket window tells that you have to go to some other place to buy tickets. The Coca-cola stall outside had nothing to sell. It was difficult to find drinking water or any other eatables in and around the venues.
The art display of the City and Sports is amazing. It is a huge collection of primarily, paintings around the theme of Delhi and sports. But there are a few sculptures as well that are also fascinating. This is a must-see for anyone interested in looking at various facets of the city.
Looking forward to visiting at least one stadium and watching some sports events as well.
That person standing and looking at the painting in the last picture looks like a installation himself….am I right or have I grown old?
You are right Mahfuz, it is an installation
Nice pics… all that misinformation is so typical… but loved that last one!
All pics are truly nice. I like the art work of first one…