Originally Posted by
GUWonder
I am sort of familiar with Old Delhi -- appreciated it from some perspectives but never really liked it for that is where the beggars were always grabbing me back then when going to buy books there.
It is actually more tolerable as a tourist now than it was thirty years ago.
I can't say I disliked it. There was no way to get to College without going through old Delhi--Red Fort, Kashmiri Gate or both. There is one dish I have never eaten, heard or seen except in Bhagirath Palace, originally Begum Samru's palace. My Pakistani friends know what it is though.
Beggar's grab your arm at many busy traffic intersections. Their aggressiveness can be disconcerting to someone not used to it. My three yr old son was terrified of catching leprosy and horrified at little kids no bigger than him in size begging.
Nai Sarak is still a good place to buy books. Many years ago there used to be a flee market, "Kabadi Bazaar" on the road leading to Jama Masjid, were you could buy anything from rags to electronics parts. We went there to buy condensers, inductors/coils, lenses and such. I remember making a telescope, a microscope and a small radio from parts I bought there.
My memories of IIC are limited to going there for talks. We spent a lot more time in Sapru House, AIFIACs and Jaipur House.