In this age of globalization, as the world is fast becoming a global village, tourism has gained a new dimension with tourists in sizeable numbers flocking to visit other countries. India with its medieval monuments has a lot to offer these tourists. Little wonder, Delhi, a medieval Indian city, the national capital of India, has plenty of sites, attracting tourists. It has medieval buildings, built by magnificent Mughal rulers such as Qutab Minar, Humayun Tomb, Shahi Jama Masjid and majestic Lal Qila (Red Fort) as well as the monuments which can be described as temples of development. To cap it, the internal tourist traffic too has flourished.

The global economic slowdown doesn’t seem to affect the growth of Indian tourism sector as the foreign tourist arrivals in the country is expected to touch 10 million by 2010 from 5.08 million in 2007. This will result in a near doubling of foreign exchange earnings from tourism from 10 billion $ in 2007 to Rs 16 billion $ by 2010, as per an estimate by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Other Tourism Activities

The Corporation provides several other activities for tourists:

• Azad Hind Gram - a rural tourist complex with amphitheater and a museum in the memory of the freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose
• Four Coffee Homes - run by the Catering Division of DTTDC are located at prime locations in Delhi.
• Dilli Haat - a market providing items for sale directly by the craftsmen from different parts of the country at one place, recognized as an art, crafts and cultural centre of Delhi, which was visited by approximately 16 lakhs visitors in 2001.
• Musical Fountain - located at Ajmal Khan Park with water cascades synchronized to coloured lights, each show lasts 20 minutes.
• Sound and Light show (Son-et-lumiere) - takes place at the Old Fort and projects the Fort’s history realistically through weekly one hour shows in Hindi and English covering the history of Delhi over a period of 5000 years.
Other activities include boating at nearby lakes and arranging for parasailing and mountaineering activities in India.

Click below to listen to an interview of Kalpana Palikawala Deputy Director Ministry of Envirnoment & Conservation

Like the cats, Delhi had seven lives ...”. The current life is the immediate legacy of the British Raj. It was during the period of the British subjugation of India that New Delhi was constructed in 1935 and since then its forays from the walled city or Old Delhi remain unbridled. In fact, the construction activities got an impetus as India gained Independence way back in 1947. After two decades, migration from the Indian cities and countryside got an unwarranted boost amidst lot of opportunities for livelihood here.

Click below to view the video of Tourist opinons about landmarks in Delhi

This city, on the bank of river Yamuna, with a lot of fountains and gardens, a gift to India by the Mughal rulers, always longs for lungs in the form of forest, gardens and ponds, declining fast in the wake of urbanization. Said ul Jab, a forlorn sleepy village, in proximity to the famous Qutab Minar, tucked away in South Delhi.

Its name was Said ul Ajaib. A sufi saint, perceived to be having miraculous or benediction power used to live here in the vicinity of a mosque and a dargah (built over the grave of a revered religious figure). In the wake of development and increasing demand for housing dwellings the builders and unscrupulous colonizers too had their praying eyes on the land in this village. However, the authorities in the Delhi Tourism, a body of Delhi state government wisely decided to develop a barren rocky areas as a park. This park was named as ‘Garden of Five Senses’. It is a recent development as the new millennium was ushered into.

Braving all the odds, such as lack of water and fertile soil, the garden has been developed. It has as many as three restaurants but mostly catering to the tourists, hailing from the upper middle class strata of the society. A number of modern sculpture have been erected to add to the beauty of the garden. No wonder, this latest addition to the list of gardens in Delhi, has come up fast as a favored spot on the Delhi tourist map.

Tourists’ views on Said ul Ajaib:

• “Its very peaceful & romantic to be in the Garden of 5 Senses” Naresh - Delhi.
• “Its a nature’s gift to Delhi” Faizan - Faridabad.
• “Unnatural elements in the lap of Nautre” Rakesh - Jammu.

Constant endeavours are made to conserve the history by the Archaeological authorities as the monuments like humans are prone to decay; they too have to face the vagaries of the weather; they are also subject to vandalism at the hands of hooligans.

To view the Video of artisans working at Humayun Tomb click below:

“Until such time as our monuments can defend themselves, why don’t you defend our monuments”, says Aamir Khan, a Bollywood Actor.

A joint effort of: Anil Maheshwari, Fowzan R Mulla, Sadiq Pathan, Lahtaw Zau Raw, Tara Gyapak