We started at about 10:30 AM from Gurgaon and our first stop was at National Rail Museum, Chanakyapuri. It is a must place to visit as it beautifully captures the evolution of Railways, primarily in India.
The country rail model, beautiful handpainted walls with movie highlights, toy train passing through the tunnels- will make you relish your childhood days when train travel was fun. And icing on the cake are lovely pictures courtesy the colourful background and bright light. And while coming in/ going out, don’t miss the steam engine gargling out familiar noises- all in all a happy experience.
Next destination on our itinerary was National Crafts Museum (Near Pragati Maidan) but before that we stopped for some Pet Pooja at Café Lota inside the Museum. Café Lota is famous for its indigenous preparations of core Indian dishes, in a different way which keeps the base taste alive. Great thali prepped us up for upcoming visits.
We then roamed in the Crafts Museum, picking up souvenirs from stalls of various states. Though not cheap but value for money at one place. This museums has rooms that show how has housing evolved from rural to urban areas, how has design changed over the years. It beautifully shows housing techniques in various parts of the country.
At about 4 PM, we left for our final destination – National Gallery of Modern Arts, located near India Gate. This gallery being a premier art gallery, houses innumerable paintings and portraits by famous and not so famous Indian artists like Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita SherGill, Rabindranath Tagore. There are dedicated sections for stone structures, contemporary designs and also houses gifts given to the Hon Prime Minister. Someone, who is not a fervent fan of arts should avoid Crafts and Modern Art Museum.
With this we reached the last leg of our Delhi Darshan, we drank our heart out at a local pub – Master of Malts near CP and then made it back home.