Hauz Khas Village – a village which has become one of the hot-spots
of South Delhi. A village which retains its ethnic village charm, co-existing
with pubs, loud music, drugs and hyper active hormones. I have recently started
liking my visits to HKV ( as it’s known ). I have a few favourite places to
hang out on a nice, sunny winter afternoon to relax and catch up. I have visited
HKV with friends and with my children and each time the experience has been
different. Everyone who comes to Delhi,
or is from Delhi will visit HKV, and here are a few tips I have learnt along my
visits there
- Soak
in the character - it’s a quaint experience to walk down the alleyways and
narrow lanes. I, for one, am fascinated by haveli’s, well’s, and narrow
paths leading somewhere unknown. Take time to soak in the character of the
place, read the tombstones and find your own paths.
- Reach
early to enjoy the village –Reaching
early also helps you get parking easily, which as anyone who has been to
HKV, can vouch for is a nightmare on weekends from late lunch time onward.
Avoid the weekend nights – while we all have our moments of madness, where
we want to be the wild party animals, Hauz Khas Village loses its charm
for me in the night. An absolute nightmare to park, crowded lanes, waiting
to be seated and a nightmare to exit, I would avoid it in the nights. Of course,
it would be make for pleasant early summer evenings, though the traffic
would be enough to put me off.
- Take
the kids – my kids enjoyed walking though the village, and exploring the ruins.
However, avoid taking the kids on Valentine’s day or the day before Valentine’s
day. The village is known for couples high on hormones and drugs and it
was a little tough to explain certain things to the kids.
- Food
and drinks aplenty – all the known joints have a branch at the village. Food
and alcohol is reasonable to suit all pockets. My personal favourites –
Social Chhat ( terrace) for winter afternoon’s – overlooking the
reservoir, complete with cots, it’s the perfect place for the winter
afternoon with friends or family. Yes, it’s a kid friendly place too. Nirula’s
ice cream parlour is right next to it – perfect for that hot chocolate fudge.
And of course, Starbucks – make it a take away, walk down to the ruins and
enjoy your cuppa in peace … not bad, I say !!!!!!
So go ahead, go down and enjoy a bit of the Old Delhi charm
in the heart of South Delhi.
