By Rashmi Goyal

Transport in Delhi has undergone significant development in recent years. Visitors can look forward to air conditioned trains and buses, computerized tickets, dial-a-cab services along with the usual taxis, auto-rickshaws, the substantial Delhi bus network, cycle rickshaws.

The fairly new Metro train network in Delhi is modern, speedy and convenient.  Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system built and operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC). The network consists of six lines with a total length of 156 km (97 miles) along side 132 stations. It has both elevated ground level and underground lines.

Running from and to the Metro are the Metro RTV feeder buses which bear the same silver color as Metro trains and have the Metro logo on them. In fact, the DMRC was the first railway project in the world to be registered at the UN under the clean development mechanism (CDM) scheme, enabling it to earn carbon credits.

21st century Delhi is a bustling ultra modern metropolis with swanky Malls, huge department stores, chic boutiques, endless bazaars and classy up markets to satisfy the unending appetite of shopping buffs. Most of the important and popular shopping centers of Delhi like Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, Janpath, Chandni Chowk and Nai Sarak, Lajpatnagar, South Extension , Sarojini Nagar, Munirka, Vasant Kunj  are either located just outside a metro station or have one nearby, usually within walking distance.

Delhi has been rightly denoted as Mini India- where the ancient and modern coexist in perfect synthesis. The city is known for its rich heritage of medieval Mughal monuments. Some of the most famous spots of Delhi are: the Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Jantar Mantar, Humayuns Tomb, Purana Quila, Humayun’s Tomb and Raj Ghat. Modern structures are the Rashtrapati Bhavan and its Mughal Gardens, Rajpath Avenue down to India Gate, the wondrous Lotus Temple and the grand Akshardham Temple. Most of these sites are off a Delhi metro station or very nearby. There are any number of food joints and restaurants serving both Indian and foreign cuisines. Delhi also has vibrant nightlife with discos, pubs and clubs spread across the city.

Hotels in Delhi are known for world class service and facilities. There are thousands of hotels to chose from – a majority are located on the Karol Bagh -  Connaught Place axis which has about a dozen metro stations on it.  An interesting tit bit – can a pillar be your address? Looks like that is what is happening for so many people residing close to the elevated Metro tracks who have started using the Metro pillar numbers as a landmark to find their house or office and even on the hotel visiting cards!

By Rashmi Goyal

“The story of the Ganges, from her source to the sea, from old times to new, is the story of India’s civilization and culture, of the rise and fall of empires, of great and proud cities, of adventures of man.”

Many tourists come to India seeking what they call ‘the real India’ . If you are at your hotel in Delhi, wondering where to get some authentic ”real India”, then a unique, mind blowing tour would be to head down the mighty Ganges river from its start to finish. The tour will also take you to major holy hotspots along its entire stretch – a unique tour itinerary.

The mighty Ganges River (Ganga) rises in the Himalayas and flows 2,510 km eastward through the vast plains to the Bay of Bengal. In Bangladesh, it is joined by the Brahmaputra River and Meghna rivers; and empties into the Bay of Bengal forming a delta 354 km wide, the largest in the world, shared by both countries.

In the Uttarakhand Himalayas, where glacial waters flow from a cave at Gaumukh, is the origin of the Ganga river at a height of 13,000 feet. The river reaches Gangotri, the first town on its path, 23 km from Gaumukh.

Thousands of visitors come to Gangotri annually, which is at 10,000 feet . Nearly four hundred thousand tourists visited the shrine in 2010. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Ganga.

The river joins the Alaknanda river at Devaprayag, in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, to form the Ganges which then flows through Himalayan valleys to emerge at holy Haridwar. The Ganga is revered as the Goddess by a billion Hindus. The evening ‘Aarti’(prayers) on its holy river banks has the entire riverside lit up with offerings of thousands of floating lamps accompanied by devotional singing and tinkling bells.

The Ganges then courses through Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, and Kolkata. The Ganges drains an area of over a million sq km. The nearest point from your Delhi hotel to the sacred Ganges is at Haridwar just 250 km away.

The Yamuna originates less than 100 miles east of the Bhagirathi(Ganga), flows mostly parallel to it and merging with it at Allahabad, known as holy ‘Triveni Sangam’. New Delhi and Agra are on the Yamuna river. So you can have a breather at your Delhi hotel before moving further down the Ganges heading straight from your hotel in Delhi to either Rishikesh or Haridwar. Ganga near Rishikesh is now a world famous locale for river rafting. The river rafting stretch of 36 Km between Kaudiyala and Rishikesh, has 12 major rapids.

Around 70 million Hindus gathered at the last Kumbh Mela (fair) on the Ganges riverbanks in Allahabad ! Below Allahabad the Ganges becomes a slow, meandering stream with shifting channels passing Mirzapur, Varanasi, Patna and Bhagalpur. Varanasi is the most holy place for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains alike. More than 1,000,000 pilgrims and tourists alike visit the city each year.