A Real Contrast - 692

 A Real Contrast - The National Capital 

22691 Rajdhani Express which started from Bangalore 8 hours beyond the scheduled departure hour of 8.00 PM to the almost Ghostly Hour of 4.00 AM made up for 3 hours of the lost time and we were at Delhi Nizamuddin Station at 11.00 AM . 

To be Honest , considering that it is one of the Important Rail Station of the National Capital , the general Cleanliness of the place was nothing to write home about . Further , everyone around , from the Porter to the Cab Driver try to fleece you to the Maximum . My knowing Hindi well ,  helped me  to a certain extent . 

We were on our way to The South India Hotel at Karol Bagh . The sights on the way  was really breathtaking , Rashtrapathy Bhavan , Ashoka Road , GK Vasan Residence were all neat and clean as were all the other Government Establishments . 

Hotel South India on Padam Singh Marg in Karol Bagh , though in a crowded Market Place full of Mobile Accessories and Textile Shops is pretty decent and comfortable place of stay .  The Udupi Hotel hardly 2 shops away is a very good eatery offering good South as well as North Indian Menu . 

Our first place of visit was the Akshardham Temple . The Metro Ride from Karol Bagh Metro Station to Akshardham Station with Eight in between stations cost us just 30 Rs per head and the Auto Charge from the Metro Station to The Akshardham Temple was also just Rs 30 /- . 

The Akshardham Swamynarayan Temple has very strict  Security Check and you are let into the complex only with your Money Purse . All Electronic Gadgets including the Smart Watch need to be kept in the Locker . The Security Check here would even put the Airport Security Check to shame . 

The Temple itself is an architectural masterpiece with intricate carvings all around . The whole place is so large that it would take no less than 3 hours to cover all the areas in detail . The Children’s Playpen and the Foodcourt are an additional attraction for the visitors . 

The return journey from the Temple to the Metro Station by the Cycle Rikshaw for just Rs 20 /- brought back memories of this mode of travel in Kharagpur as a School Going Kid some 60 + years back and also that of my better half from the Mill Colony to VK Puram , CM Kovil Stop daily for 33 years to catch the bus for Kadayam where she worked as a Tamil Teacher . 

So , in a day I had travelled by the Prestigious Rajdhani Express Train , The First Metro in the Country and to top it all by the Manual Cycle Rikshaw . 

A memorable first day indeed in the Nations Capital , New Delhi .