The Chain
Gang
Omair Ahmad rediscovers Old Delhi, by cycle
Arre
cyclewalon ko rasta do, yeh to paanch baje se chal rahein hai!” The exclamation
is only one of the many, all good-natured, that we encounter as we tackle the
alleyways of Old Delhi. In the lead is the six-foot plus figure of Jack
Leenaars, who has begun DelhiByCycle. The South Asia correspondent of the Dutch
daily De Telegraaf, Jack has been living, and cycling, in the city for the last
five years. Over that time he has developed an intimate knowledge of its
sidelanes and byways, something that he decided to put to good use after he went
on a similar bicycle tour organised by a Dutchman in Bangkok.
It’s a
brilliant idea for Old Delhi, where the roads and crowds make navigation by car
almost impossible, and which is spread over far too large an area to be easily
covered on foot. We also start out relatively early to avoid the rush. The
meeting point is the cycle/motorcycle stand on the Ajmeri Gate side of the New
Delhi Railway Station. We choose our bikes—a unisex version of the ever reliable
Atlas cycles—and make sure the seats are adjusted for comfort. Jack gives a few
crisp instructions. “I’ll be in the lead and Mukesh, my assistant, will bring up
the rear. Remember to obey traffic rules—and yes, for those who are wondering,
there are traffic rules. Don’t jump the red lights, stay on the side of the
road, signal with your hand when you’re turning, and use the bell.” And we’re
off.
The route goes through G.B. Road (Shradhanand Marg). Jack points to
the upper storeys of the buildings. “This is the red light area, although there
is nobody around at this time. I did a story here and it’s interesting in the
evenings, with the women in the kothas on one side, and men hoping to get lucky
on the other side of the road.” At this time in the morning, though, it’s just a
normal place, quiet except for those moving out on their way to work. This makes
it safe for women as well, and the inherent gallantry of the people asserts
itself.
This is the heart of the experience. It’s not so much a guided
tour, as getting an idea of the alleyways and the people who live there. Near
Lal Kuan, half the road is dug up; every 20 yards or so we glimpse a beautiful
piece of stone or woodwork in the old buildings, and all along the way, we hear
wisecracks from the residents, “Arre, it’s a cycle race... the bicycle in the
front is an import, all the rest are desi maal...” We stop for a breather at the
lovely Fatehpuri masjid, and then swing towards Khari Baoli, the first wide road
that we run across, with its huge market swamping our senses. First the smell of
the flower market assails us and then the strong smell of spices overpowers the
fragrance of flowers. We hang a right into another alley and come out near a
South Indian temple, with a statue of Mahatma Gandhi just ahead of
it.
“We’re now going to pass into Civil Lines,” Jack informs us. This is
the area where the British moved out to after the 1857 uprising. It’s a lovely
area, with wide streets but we keep a sharp eye out because the cars are faster.
Along the roads we see signs proclaiming that the residents are IAS officers,
and go past the Lt Governor’s residence. We take a swing through the driveway of
the Oberoi Maidens, and then into Maharaja Lane right next to it for “high tea
with biscuits” at a discreet little dhaba.
This is the halfway point, as
we turn back here towards Old Delhi once again, making our way past St Stephen’s
Hospital around the Town Hall plot, catching a glimpse of the Old Delhi Railway
Station to emerge in Chandni Chowk. It’s getting a bit more crowded but we
negotiate Netaji Subhas Marg easily enough, cycling past the Red Fort, before
turning in towards the Jama Masjid. With all the smell of food, you’re bound to
be hungry—and Jack has timed this perfectly—because he takes us directly to
Karim’s for a morning meal—in this case nihari roti.
After a much-needed
repast, we cycle—or try to—through the immensely crowded Chitli Qabar Road,
cracking jokes with a rickshaw-wala and making sure we don’t stumble into the
tubload of goat’s brains being sold along the street. We pop up near Hajj
Manzil, and wind back into Himmatgarh—with its beautifully detailed architecture
visible in almost every doorway—and the smell of kababs replaced by the scent of
kachauris. And before you know it, we’re winding our way back to Ajmeri Gate—our
three-hour tour over and with a vision of Delhi we’ve never seen before.
DelhiByCycle tours are conducted by Jack Leenaars (9818981194, delhib...@gmail.com). The charges are Rs 950 per person, with a maximum of six people per tour; special rates for a weekday tour for a group of six is Rs 600 per person. Bicycle, tea and snacks are provided. The tour begins at 7.15am in the summer (an hour later during winter), starting out from Ajmeri Gate and lasting approximately three hours.