Extracted from Biswin Sadi Memoirs, growing up in Delhi during the 1960’s and 70’s CinnamonTeal Publishing, Goa, 2018.

The small pleasures of family life. Ah! I see it all the time at restaurants, as happy, apparently ‘normal’ middle-class families—papa, mama and the kids,  sit down together for a meal. They study the menu carefully, taking note of the prices quoted for various dishes and then discuss among themselves about what to order.

I guess the reason why I am so devoted to the myth of the happy family is that my father, who took his role as pater familias quite seriously, used to do all the things which are regarded as typical of normal middle class families. Soon after we settled in Delhi in 1967, he regularly took us on outings and for eating out. We tried out a number of restaurants such as Karim’s hotel near Jama Masjid, Moti Mahal in Daryaganj, where live ghazal performances used to be organized for the guests while they gorged on uniquely Punjabi dishes such as butter chicken, tandoori naan, and malai kofta.

We often went to an open air restaurant in the Central Park of Connaught Place known as Ramble whose logo was an old, red coloured jalopy like the one in Archie’s comics. Here we tried things usually not eaten at home, such as hotdogs and  burgers—the earlier versions of fast foods which were to become so common later. Though Ramble’s hotdogs tasted delicious, I guess it must be the lingering memory of childhood years; recollection of bygone times in which everything tends to look beautiful, and the foods tasty. I doubt if the Ramble hotdogs had any sublime qualities themselves, because they were fairly conventional fare—just a sausage, onion, and tomato inserted between two pieces of elongated, deep fried bread, wrapped around in a paper napkin with a toothpick inserted to keep it all in place.

In those days, one encountered many western tourists in Connaught Place and Janpath among whom ‘hippies’ were a class apart. They all wore colourful, though unusual clothes, which perhaps could be best described as a fusion of east and west clothing. Typically, it was a saffron kurta, and a pajama which actually looked like loose trousers. The men always had beards and a dishevelled look and the women too did not look particularly friendly or interested in their surroundings. All in all they looked weird but later, when I read about the 1960s, I discovered that so much had been said about the ‘hippie movement’. According to some it was a phenomenon of the post World War II years, particularly the ’50s and ’60s, and their generation (some ‘day trippers’ notwithstanding) represented some sort of a global protest movement.

When I thought I had forgotten all about the hippies, a friend reminded me about them, recommending a book called The Greening of America, written by an American sociologist. This book attempted to bring about an academic perspective to the whole thing by talking about the first generation (the builders), the second generation who went to the war, and the third generation which rose in protest, rejecting the value system and materialism of the previous generations. This post World War II generation of the revolutionaries were the so called ‘flower children’, with music and a lifestyle of their own, experimenting with drugs and various religious cults, perhaps trying to erase memories of the horrible war. The academic interpretations of the movement notwithstanding, I think Dev Anand, the legendary Bollywood filmmaker and actor,  made a great job of capturing the spirit of those times in his cult classic Hare Rama Hare Krishna in which he ingeniously inserted the story of a broken family, a boy’s search for his long-lost sister, who had joined a band of hippies in Nepal, against the background of a rich plot of antique smuggler’s nexus.

Ramble restaurant must have been in existence around  ca 1968, located at the exact spot which is now occupied by the underground market Palika Bazar. In fact, much of this area back then was a mix of small shops, offices, and restaurants, and in one of those untidy, nondescript buildings, one of my uncles who was a journalist had his office. It was once, while sitting in the ramshackle journalist’s office in Connaught Place that I heard an interesting story which was fascinating, though tragic. The person who narrated the story was a young reporter for the Indian Express and had in fact covered the incident for his paper.

The story itself, I thought, was remarkable on two counts. First, because a period specific thing, the juke box which was a common sight in fashionable restaurants in those days and which is pretty much unheard of now, figured prominently in it. And second, the number which was played that day. Why that particular song? Was there any significance to it?

The story was about a shooting incident in the coffee house of Delhi University, which occurred in ca 1962 and at the root of which was a story of unrequited love. The university canteen was located in a large hall attached to the old Vicergal Lodge, now the Vice Chancellor’s office. Way back in the 60’s the university canteen too had a juke box where patrons could listen to songs of their choice by inserting a coin in the machine. The day was like any other. A young army officer, perhaps a captain, sat drinking a cup of coffee at a table. On a nearby table sat a young girl with a friend. The captain got up, and inserting a coin, selected the number,‘Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi’—a song from the film Mr.X in Bombay. Beautifully sung by Kishore Kumar, it’s opening lines are:

Mere mehboob qayamat hogi

Aaj rusva teri galiyon mein mohabbat hogi

Meri nazrein to gila karti hain

Tere dil ko bhi sanam tujhse shikayat hogi

As the record continued to play, the brooding captain sat and listened. How long he waited for his next move is not known but maybe long enough till the last line had been sung. Then he got up and, pulling out a gun from his pocket, shot the girl sitting on the adjacent table. With another shot, he killed himself. As the story unfolded later, it seemed that the captain who loved the girl had made a marriage proposal which had been rejected because she loved someone else.

Years have gone by since this incident supposedly happened. Meanwhile, all the places have undergone a sea change. The Indian Coffee Board—an institution that was an eternal fixture of those times, and ran coffee houses have mostly shut down. Among the numerous old eateries in Connaught Place, the restaurants built in the 1950s, such as Standard, Gaylord, Kwality, United Coffee House, Volga, Embassy, etc., catering to the influx of people after partition are facing intense competition from the invasion by international brands like McDonald’s, Barista, KFC etc. The grand Standard and Gaylord restaurants in the Regal Building closed down, as did Volga. (Regal cinema itself shut down—the last show there was held in April 2017).

Meanwhile, the place where the  incident above occurred was actually functional as a canteen in the University of Delhi till some years ago and used to serve the standard fare—idli, dosa, cutlets, sandwiches, filter coffee, etc. This was up until 2008 till some wacky person in the top echelons of university administration, who most probably didn’t understand ‘spaces’ very much, must have felt that the canteen was a waste of space, which ought to be better utilized for some other purpose. And so, what used to be the university canteen of yore—the only place where teachers, students, karamcharis could sit, relax and talk things over a cup of coffee, has now been appropriated by the university administration department and converted into an office.

Well, a feeling of nostalgia seems to be overpowering me. I have some really fond memories of this shopping complex name Janak Place. It has always occupied a special place in my heart. I remember going to the complex with my mother when I was an 8-year old chap. It was a time when shopping malls hadn’t made their presence felt. Life used to be quite uncomplicated back then. Access to fast food wasn’t much and having burgers and pizzas used to be a once-in-a-month affair.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

At a time when West Delhi wasn’t brimming with malls and high-end shopping complexes, the Janak Place shopping complex used to serve as the perfect weekend getaway. The McDonald’s outlet used to be my preferred destination ( you can imagine why). Back in those days, a McDonald’s burger used to be a luxury. I say luxury not because it was hard to afford, but because American fast food chains hadn’t swept over the minds of the Indian masses back then. A burger used to be something that was meant to be eaten only during celebrations and get-togethers.

Having lived in West Delhi for more than 20 years now, I can tell you that Janak Place hasn’t changed one bit. The shopping outlets available have changed for the better. There are new and better food outlets for people to choose from as well, but the overall essence of the place has remained intact. An alag si ” Delhi waali feeling” seems to engulf me whenever I get a chance to visit the place.

During the days of graduation, a lot of my time was spent at the complex. That is because I used to commute through the Metro rapid transit and get down at the Janak Puri West Metro Station.

A Foodie’s Paradise

Also, for those of you who haven’t visited the place yet. I must bring to your knowledge that Janak Place shopping complex is a foodie’s ultimate destination. Forget the KFC’s and the TGI’s for a minute and you’d be able to find pocket-friendly eateries scattered throughout the complex. I don’t know about anybody else, but my excitement knows no bounds when I get a chance to get my hands on a smoking hot plate of momos. Many of you might disagree with me, but I strongly feel that a steaming-hot bag of momos is the perfect companion on a cold Saturday evening.

Over the years, my liking for the place has soared beyond limits. This liking was born out of my longing for companionship. I was an introvert and didn’t have many friends. This place provided me with an ideal refuge from the ups and downs of everyday life. A place where hours can be spent doing nothing. A place where you get a steaming-hot plate of momos or chilly potatoes to appease an empty stomach.  It wasn’t about the money and neither was it about the quality of food. It was about finding a transient refuge from the worries and woes of everyday life. For me, the place has always been way more than just a physical entity. It has been an experience like no other.

Shopping Experience

District Centre, as some of us call it,  is a shopping enthusiast’s paradise. Forget the outlets selling branded clothes, There’s a specific area where you’d find countless stalls selling fashion accessories, kurtas, mobile covers, bridal clutches, artificial jewelry, etc. If you get a chance to visit the District Centre, do spend some time and treat yourself to some economical and durable fashion accessories. You’d get everything from Punjabi Jhuttis to designer kurtas at pocket-friendly prices. This place in West Delhi is a budget-oriented shopper’s paradise.

And, It is Still popular

Even with a multitude of shopping malls taking the city by storm, Janak Puri’s good old District Centre has maintained its charm. Some might argue that the place is not at all posh and high-end, but that is exactly what makes the place worth visiting. The beauty of the Janak Place shopping complex lies in its rawness.