Nitya Choubey

I’d say there’s a sprawling sense of wonder when it comes to Delhi’s green spaces. With any urban city, it's inevitable that the landscape will eventually, increasingly fall prey to mass concretisation and towering buildings. But in Delhi, the parks and gardens fight back. You'd be hard pressed to find the kind of green we have here: manicured and wild, punctuated by bursts of springtime flowers, or let be.  A lot of this stems from Delhi's own history: the Mughals, and their undying love for planned gardens. It's a marvel that they've endured over so many centuries, enjoying the same kind of fierce loyalty they would've back then – from emperors wandering their lawns in the sixteenth century to locals enjoying afternoon picnics today. Weekends are often planned around Sunder Nursery. Joggers will go out of their way to make sure they catch the morning light in Lodhi Garden. Only a handful of gatekeepers know about the ducks that glide over the lake in Sanjay Van. Every single garden or park is profoundly different from the other. Hell – let me put it this way: parks are an intrinsic part of Delhi life. Where else are you going to be able to pass a honking great mausoleum or stepwell in the middle of your morning walk? Here's my guide to the very best ones.

Delhi's keeping it intimate this week... almost. A rager of a metal and heavy music gig lands towards the end. There's plenty to show up for and plaster your ears to. Mahesh Kale brings Abhangwari to Bharat Mandapam on Friday, all devotional gravitas and classical Marathi vocals, in case your Thursday-night hangover needs some spiritual cleansing. Saturday's more scattershot: Jasmine Sandlas at Yashobhoomi for those who want their Punjabi pop loud and their venue larger than some municipalities, Abhijit Ganguly cracking jokes at The Comedy Theatre for the Hauz Khas crowd, and Gaurav Gupta doing the same at Kamani for the slightly more sedate South Delhi contingent. Sunday brings Aashish Solanki's Telling Lies, presumably not about his taxes. And if you'd rather skip the attack on your ears altogether, Pulp Bazaar's zine and art exhibition at Pulp Society is still up through the month, for anyone who wants something nice without a ticket price attached.

Delhi in July is no joke (except for the literal onslaught of format-pushing comedy shows across the city). There’s a glimmer of hope for patches of rain, but you wouldn’t tell it’s just a glimmer from everything that’s going on across the city this month.  Theatre and art are holding their own. Rajat Kapoor's darkly comic Macbeth – Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, and enough meta-theatricality to give a literature professor a headache. Taj Mahal Ka Tender and Krishna Katha are doing their own interesting things a few doors down. Art that wants you to stay for hours, talk without filling your mouth with too much theory, and patiently flip through pages. Music fills in almost everything else. Jasmin Sandlas for the chaos. The Nizami Brothers for their devotion. Abish Mathew for the people who need their comedy to occasionally break into song. And you’ve got a few interesting organic markets and festivals too. But yes – the comedy scene is this month's real story. The familiar names are back – Abhishek Upmanyu, Urooj Ashfaq, Manik Mahna – but so is something harder to name: a restlessness with the standard one-person-microphone setup. This month has dating shows that pull strangers from the crowd, breakup comedy built on audience participation, and a two-hander from Delhi's own open-mic alumni.  Here's everything happening in Delhi this July.

'Before you can spot a tiger in the Sundarbans, it spots you.'With that, our tour guide from the state's forest department brushes away any and every unrealistic expectation tourists (myself included) had of spotting the elusive Royal Bengal tiger here in the delta. The area's home to one of the largest populations of these tigers – some 200 or so—but they're camouflaged in the wilderness so perfectly that they're almost impossible to spot.The Sundarbans is a curious place to visit, in any case. The world's largest continuous mangrove forest, the area spans over a thousand square kilometres of coastline across the Bay of Bengal delta, shared between India and Bangladesh. Most reckon that the unique tidal system, estuarine fauna, and of course, the Royal Bengal tiger absolutely deserve its UNESCO World Heritage Site status.But I'd say there's more to it than that. There's a timelessness about the place. Every couple of years, the forest – and the sparse human settlements around it – get washed away by chaotic cyclones. Huts, animals, even coast guard posts, all swept away in the blink of an eye. Yet the forest, its animals, and its people rebuild themselves each time, again and anew. Photograph by Nitya ChoubeyA checkpost at the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve The best time to visit the mangroves, I'd say, is between November and February, when the weather isn't wringing bucketloads of sweat out of you. A two-day trip is what most people settle for, but if you want a full feel of t

From the moment I sat down with Batool for our first heart-to-heart, I felt like hours had passed. In reality, it had only been a few minutes. She’s a fluent talker – something I truthfully wasn’t too surprised by. Batool, you see, was born in Old Delhi, where people love trading in mostly two things: spices, or stories. She picked the latter.  Today, the trans-feminine public historian and conservationist loves nothing more than wandering the bylanes of all of Delhi, sniffing out the best, most delicious stories behind Delhi’s ample heritage.  Her love for history began in the eighth grade. It was the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, actually, who drew her in. That fascination eventually led her, in 2015 to land a job as a heritage and culture guide with the High Commission of Canada in India. From there, the city stopped being just a backdrop. ‘Delhi doesn't give you time before falling in love with its culture and heritage,’ she says. And it’s the public oral history of the capital, much against its written academic avatar, that flaunts greater inclusivity and nuance. Yet, it was hard for Batool to pick up authentic queer stories across Delhi. Mainstream heritage walks have a habit of brushing off queer history, while academic record-keeping’s contested and jumbled. But the sheer number of stories that lurked below the horizon kept Batool’s interest piqued, and in March 2021, she led her first-ever queer heritage trail in Delhi.  For this guide with Time Out Delhi, Batool pulled

Delhi in June is an endurance sport. The mercury has already kissed 45 degrees, and there's no relief in sight until the rains decide to show up. Has the city slowed down? Kind of. No major gigs this month, barely any outdoor festivals, and certainly no park-coded events or picnics.  That doesn’t necessarily mean June’s dull. Sure, you’ve got to shift everything back indoors and time it closer to dusk, but I see it as a chance to check out the quieter stuff the city has to offer in a month where loads of folks pack up and leave for Europe or the hills. Art, comedy, underground listening events. And this month, there are plenty of those.  Take the comedy scene: an impressive lineup of comics is descending on Delhi this month: Biswa Kalyan Rath, Manik Mahana, Gursimran Khamba, Raghuram. Also – theatre! So yeah, bust out the sunscreen, slap on your sunglasses, and make your plans. Here are some event picks worth stepping out into the heat for. 

It’s an exceptionally rare day when a film isn’t being screened somewhere in Delhi out of someone’s good will. Tickets to screenings at many of these beloved spots are free or nominal; often, even in the city’s busiest or oddest hours, they draw seriously dedicated viewers and intense conversations. You really don’t have to wait for a classic old film to be digitised online or prove yourself as a buff to be let into some exclusive club. Chances are what you want to watch – and what you didn’t know you wanted to watch – are being screened, like, yesterday, with friendly people at their helm. For years now, we’ve been staying till credits roll in spots and clubs across the capital. This guide rounds up some of the best.

As its capital, Delhi’s one of the most-visited cities in India. With that comes the obvious slew of world-class hotels – some of the very best in the country – but the thing about hotels is that they’re often located in the busiest junctions of the city. Even the budget ones have a habit of turning up on main roads or are cloistered thickly around the usual suspect neighbourhoods in central or south Delhi. And sure, this makes for a convenient tourist experience, but if you want to root around for something slightly more authentic at the same price or less, then Airbnbs are worth exploring. The Airbnb culture’s been slowish to take root in the city, but the best ones have come up in neighbourhoods that are lived in by real residents for generation after generation, making for an organic experience that shows you a side of Delhi you’d only be acquainted with if you’d lived in the city awhile.   How did these Airbnbs make it to the list? It’s true that lots of good Airbnbs in Delhi are concentrated in Hauz Khas Village, and offer views of the 13th century fort that the neighbourhood’s best known for, but I’ve put together this guide to show you cool picks across other neighbourhoods, too. Every Airbnb on the list’s been handpicked after in-depth research on customer ratings, feedback from the Time Out Delhi team, lists of amenities, location, and of course, general aesthetics. The article has affiliated links to other sites, which have zero influence over our editorial judgmen

Hot. As hell. I know. Counter-point: Delhi rarely offers this many once-in-a-while things in the same thirty-one days. And a good chunk of our offering this May actually ensures you’re indoors or in the shade.  The month’s teeming with things of all kinds: book sales, moving heritage events, a long streak of comedy shows, theatre based on decades of literature reprints, headbangers in the club and classical music, several art exhibits, sports, calligraphy. Ambition, much? Doesn’t stop there. That Ye concert that made headlines (and memes) all over the country for its delay? That’s this month. So is an officially ordained tomato-throwing festival. So, while we obviously understand that urge to screw off to the hills, don’t sweat coming back (other than literally). Here’s what we’ve got.

After bidding farewell to nylon full sleeves and denim jackets, Delhites are wrapping themselves in everything loose and breathable. It’s getting hotter outside – though not hot enough to avoid gorgeous urban parks just yet. From Lodhi Gardens to the Aravalli ridges, April is all about a variety of blossoms.  Right before an unbearable summer, Delhi knows that April is its last chance to loiter. And so, the capital has taken its April quite seriously. There are a lot of interesting performances lined up at Delhi auditoriums alone. There’s also a jazz festival and some pretty cool concerts. Also, a load of out-of-the-box events to look forward to: a drag show musical, Japanese relay and a comic rock band performance. Check it all out below!

It’s March, and Delhi’s weather is arguably at its most gorgeous. The heat’s made a slightly earlyish appearance (or has it? Summer always feels like a slightly unwelcome prospect following a perfect spring) and everyone’s ditched the sweaters and jackets. March also, incidentally, means it’s time for Holi! One of Delhi’s favourite festivals, because we love getting down and dirty. Ahem.  The biggest ticket event (literally – entry is bloody pricey) this month was supposed to be Ye’s India tour, but he's heading to Delhi in May instead. Fear not: other big performers include Punjabi rapper Honey Singh, as well as a great lineup of comedy shows: Aakash Gupta, Anubhav Bassi, Prashasti Singh, and loads more.  It’s a big month in terms of general activity too: Ramzan is on, of course, which means certain neighbourhoods around Chandni Chowk and Jamia will be abuzz with loads of activity after dark. There will, obviously, also be loads of Holi parties (catered as well as BYOB) around the city. Our guide tells you which ones are worth your buck.

It’s a relief to shrug off a rather long and sluggish January. The sun’s coming out, the weather’s near-perfect, with cool mornings, bright afternoons, and evenings that are begging for bar crawls. And February may be the shortest month, but in Delhi this year, it's completely action-packed. The calendar’s stuffed to the brim with theatre, sport, music, culture, and ROMANCE (or did you forget about Valentine’s Day?), making it one of the most reliably busy months to be out and about. The big-ticket item this month is, of course, the T20 World Cup, with multiple matches in Delhi. The music scene’s alive and well too – The Lumineers, Armaan Malik, the India Jazz Project, the HT City Unwind (the GOAT Lucky Ali returns) and the Sufi Heritage Festival (featuring big draws Daler Mehndi and Sona Mohapatra) all in a single month. The Pride Parade and the Delhi Literature Festival are also big crowd pullers, along with the ongoing Bharat Rang Mahotsav, which kicked off in late January and features plenty of theatre productions through the month. We simply cannot forget the Surajkund Mela, which brings artisans from across and beyond India under one roof, selling some of the most unique things money can buy. You’ve also got the big V-Day bonanza starting mid-month, with loads of bars and restaurants hosting special events and offering hefty discounts, so make sure to catch those. But all in all, like we said, February’s weather is too good to be true – so don’t miss this chance to grab

One of the more well-known parks of Delhi, Deer Park is a hotspot for two reasons: because it forms a natural, wooded outcrop of the intensely popular Hauz Khas Village, and because it’s home to several absurdly adorable deer. Because it’s so large, it’s got something for everyone: a manicured bit with lawns and flowerbeds perfect for picnicking; a densely wooded section with trails that are preferred by walkers and joggers; a rose garden; several tiny Sultanate- and Mughal-era monuments (Bagh-i-Gumbad, Kufhe Walla Gumbad, Kali Gomti); a tiny water body section shared by rabbits and ducks; and, of course, the aforementioned deer enclosure.  The park touches three neighbourhoods: Hauz Khas, Safdarjung Enclave, and Green Park. On the Hauz Khas side, the park’s connected to the Hauz Khas District Park from the inside, which features a massive lake, a view of the Hauz Khas Fort, and a little alleyway leading to countless restaurants, bars, and cafes.  Time Out tip: Avoid bringing your vehicle if you’re entering from the Hauz Khas side. It’s a pain to navigate the tourist spot, especially in the evenings.         

Sanjay Van is one of Delhi’s largest green spaces – a sprawling, almost hulkish forest that straddles Vasant Kunj and Mehrauli – two neighbourhoods that are constantly abuzz. The forest, then, is a lovely contradiction, because it’s one of the least crowded spaces in Delhi.  The area – a protected forest, by the way – actually forms part of the residual Aravalli ranges, and the terrain reflects that lineage. No two trails look alike. Some stretches are flat and easy while others will slope sharply uphill, dip into uneven paths, or wind around water bodies. Giant rocks left behind by the Aravallis jut out of the earth in several places, and loads of natural water drains zig-zag through the forest. You can imagine the wildlife here, then –  silverbills, flycatchers, parakeets, cuckoos, egrets and sparrowhawks. The massive acreage allows you to shape a nice day out of it – a picnic in one of the clearings or by Neela Hauz lake (with some duck watching to go with!), cycling through the winding trails, a bit of a hike, even.  Time Out tip: Remain watchful of monkeys and stray dogs, even though guards patrol the area. They’re usually harmless if left undisturbed, but carrying a wooden stick can help keep them at bay when needed. Rough walking shoes advised.  Entry The main entry point is near the Qutab Institutional Area in Mehrauli. 

Sunder Nursery's arguably the most popular outdoor space in all of Delhi. A 90-acre heritage park located adjacent to Humayun's Tomb and across the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, the nursery's served a bunch of different purposes over the centuries. What began as a garden – Azim Bagh – built by the Mughals in the 16th century was transformed into a nursery by the British during colonial-era India in their attempt to cultivate a range of different species of plants. It was finally opened to the public in 2018 after extensive renovations in its current, full glory. You'll find traces of every bit of this history in the park today: all of the 15 monuments inside date back to the Mughal era, of which six are UNESCO heritage monuments. All of them – including the Sunder Burj, Sunderwala Mahal, Lakkarwala Burj and the tomb of Mirza Muzaffar Hussain – sit comfortably within the landscaped sections of the park, instead of being cordoned off. Some are large, central, and lit up at night. Others are tucked into the woodsier corners of the park. The entire space, in fact, harkens back to the Mughal pleasure garden: central fountains, paved walkways, symmetrical lawns, shaded paths. The site, by virtue of it sitting inside the larger Humayun's Tomb complex, is incidentally a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  You'll find traces of the nursery too: the entire left wall of the space has thousands of plants on offer, with some bulbs and seed varieties starting at a throwaway ₹15. There's some sort of r

Jahanpanah is equal parts forest and park, spanning 435 acres of lush woods. It’s a jogger’s paradise, honestly: no screechy children, no picnicking adults, and a veil of silence interspersed sporadically with the sound of nature. The forest’s been a bit of a local secret, partly because it straddles a bunch of residential neighbourhoods, including Greater Kailash II and II, Alaknanda, Masjid Moth, Chirag Delhi, Govindpuri, and a little bit of Saket. Most entrances are unobtrusive and not too easy to locate. For this reason, the forest has a slightly mysterious, dark charm. It’s very densely forested in a way that, say, Sanjay Van perhaps isn’t – it feels much more like a wood than a jungle, if you know what I mean. The temperature drops by a couple degrees once you’re inside, and many of the paths aren’t paved. Vast sections of the forest also remain unlit at night.  Much of this is to protect the wildlife: birds including kingfishers, parakeets, hornbill, mynah, indian tree pies, babblers, bulbuls and sunbirds, and animals like the nilgai and jackal. It’s a rare treat to sometimes find a nilgai peeking out at you from behind some thick foliage. Because of the rich biodiversity, you’ll find that the park is shut during afternoon hours to give the animals a break.  Time Out tip: The tracks are winding and it’s not terribly hard to lose your way here, so keep your wits about you and perhaps don’t venture here alone after dark. Also keep in mind that this isn’t a touristy park;

The Laugh Store comedy club’s a giant of the Delhi comedy scene. The ‘Hall of Fame’ right outside the club displays the pictures of A-listers who performed over the last decade: Kenny Sebastian, Akash Gupta, Manik Mahna, and many many more.  The 100-seater venue’s got a superb sound system, theatrical lighting, and a stage best suited to open mics. It’s got two outlets: one in Dwarka, and the other in Gurugram, but I’d say the latter’s more happening. Food and drink are available at affordable prices, and they’ve got a good happy hour menu too.

Founded in 1972 and going strong, Akshara Theatre’s evolved in identity multiple times over. Originally a traditional theatre space, it now hosts all kinds of performances: standup shows, classical dance, workshops, television interviews, you name it. Their billboard’s always chockablock with posters telling you exactly what’s happening that week.  The space includes a modest indoor theatre, a decent-sized amphitheatre, and two other indoor performance spaces, as well as a library, a shooting and editing room for television, and a classroom that hosts theatre classes and workshops, all in a single acre of land. Don’t go by size: Akshara’s a behemoth on the Delhi performance scene. It’s a beautiful space too, with vaguely brutalist metal and stonework that makes the venue feel cool and airy even on the hottest summer day.  Time Out tip: You’ll find loads of tea and snack stalls right outside the theatre – especially handy since there’s no food or drink served inside.

The forests of Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra don't slow down when it rains. If anything, the monsoon is when the jungle clocks into lush overdrive.  Making the most of the season, the tiger-rich reserve, in collaboration with the Ran Mangli Foundation, is organising a five-day training programme deep inside the forest. Called 'Naturalist in Me', the programme is open to anyone between the ages of 16 and 60. While the program runs monthly, the coming batches (June to August) are built heavily around the monsoon.  Most people notice the greenery. A naturalist, though, notices everything else. Imagine being able to identify a bird without seeing it, recognising an animal from its footprints, or naming a flowering tree on sight. That's exactly what the programme sets out to teach. What to expect? The monsoon means mushrooms sprouting overnight, muddy trails with fresh footprints, and forests echoing with frog calls. Participants get hands-on experience with conservation tools and techniques, including setting up camera traps and checking the overnight footage the next morning. The focus is on sharpening your senses around nature: touch, smell, and sound. Birders will find plenty to love, too, while butterfly enthusiasts can spend time tracking species until they get the perfect snap. Once the sun goes down, stargazing sessions take over. And because this is an Indian forest, expect local tales and folklore to be part of the experience. By the end of the programme, you'll ha

Books, books, and more books to be had at dirt cheap prices at this latest book sale in Delhi! The Penguin Book Fair's Delhi edition returns for a five-day chapter from July 8 to July 12, with the popular tote concept back in action.  At the fair, instead of picking books individually, you can purchase a tote, fill it with as many original Penguin titles as you can fit, and take it home. There’s just one rule: the bag must be zipped closed. Choose from three tote sizes, each with a certain capacity – the Lilliput bag for ₹1,500, the Hercules bag for ₹3,000, or the Goliath bag for ₹6,000. This last one comes with a surprise gift.  Whether you're the kind who demolishes a book each week or you're raising a tiny human who's just discovered the alphabet, there's a shelf for everyone. That's what makes this fair such a difficult one to skip. Why go? Because discounted Penguin books are a dangerous temptation. Expect special fair-only prices on select titles and bundle deals. Entry is free, so you can wander the aisles, judge books by their covers (a little), and linger over titles without a salesperson popping up every three minutes. What to expect Award-winning fiction and non-fiction, timeless classics, and thousands of bestsellers, all under one roof. The fair also brings authors to the stage for conversations, readings, and audience Q&As. There's a good chance you'll leave with a signed copy. Born in London in 1935, Penguin has since grown into one of India's biggest publishin

Our neighbours Tibet and China, and parts of the Himalayas, got back a little closer to India with the reopening of the Lipulekh Pass, just as dates for the next Kailash Mansarovar Yatra near. India and China resumed cross-border trade and travel through the Lipulekh Pass, reopening a high-altitude route that had been on pause for six years. On June 26, the first batch of 26 traders from Uttarakhand crossed into Tibet’s Taklakot market in Purang county (essentially the OG pop-up market in the region). Why’s Lipulekh Pass important? Located near the sacred Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, the Lipulekh trek is where trade and pilgrimage have coexisted longer than most modern borders. The pass is one of the few routes taken by pilgrims to reach the Kailash mountain range in China. Most crossings through the pass happen during the seasonal window starting from July until September. More on Lipulekh Pass At over 5,300 metres, Lipulekh is one of three official India–China trade points, alongside Shipki La and Nathu La. All these routes went dark after COVID and the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. The good news is they’re now slowly making a comeback.  Lipulekh is situated in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand and includes dynamic tourist and trade points like the small village of Dharchula. For seasoned trekkers, it’s a bucket list item because of its intense weather and terrain combined. The trek from Gunji to Nabhidang to Lipulekh Pass is quite adventurous. But the same pass is conduc

Travelling light just got lighter on the wallet. IndiGo has launched a new budget fare called 'IndiGo Lite, designed for Economy Class passengers who travel like monks on weekends, i.e., with minimal baggage. Booking began on July 1, available only via IndiGo’s website, app, or contact centre, with travel commencing July 15. The ‘Lite’ category will be rolled out across all non-stop domestic and international routes, and will include one-way, round-trip, and multi-city journeys. What are the baggage rules? The rules are simple: one cabin bag of up to 7kg, an auto-assigned seat (no choice), and a base fare that undercuts the airline’s own range of options. Everything else, from checked baggage and meals to Fast Forward priority, can be purchased separately whenever you feel your trip needs a little more indulgence (or a little more luggage). IndiGo says the idea is to let travellers 'pay only for what they need'. With this latest addition, IndiGo’s ‘6E Ways to Fly’ portfolio now reads like a buffet of budget options: Saver, Flexi Plus, IndiGo UpFront, IndiGoStretch, Stretch+, and now Lite. Rivals such as Air India Express already offer cabin-baggage-only fares, and IndiGo has joined the pack. Now the only thing weighing you down should be deciding what makes the cut for that 7kg bag. 

After weeks of surviving one heatwave after another, the monsoon has finally arrived in the national capital. Satellite images show a thick blanket of dark clouds stretching across Delhi-NCR and neighbouring regions, but you don't need satellite imagery to know it's here, because rain poured across parts of the city overnight on July 1, gleefully announcing the monsoon's arrival. By Thursday morning (July 2), the skies had fully committed to the bit. Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad were drenched by moderate to heavy showers, bringing a much-needed drop in temperatures after days of relentless heat and humidity. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) says dense cloud cover has spread across Delhi, parts of central Haryana, Punjab and eastern Rajasthan. From July 2 onwards, the forecast reads like peak monsoon: generally cloudy skies, spells of rain, thunderstorms, lightning and strong surface winds across Delhi-NCR. What will the temperature be like? Maximum temperatures are expected to hover between 32°C and 34°C, a welcome downgrade from the scorching 51°C recorded earlier this week. The IMD expects monsoon activity to remain active across northwestern India over the next several days, meaning temperatures are likely to stay relatively stable through the week.  What's the IMD predicting? As the weather system strengthened through Thursday morning, the IMD upgraded its warning for parts of Delhi-NCR to a red alert, warning of intense thunderstorms, heavy ra

City commuters just got a new reason to miss their train at the Patel Chowk Metro Station. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has opened the Delhi Ridge Interpretation Centre, designed as a crash course on the Delhi Ridge – one of the capital's biggest and most important green belts.  Inaugurated on June 30, the centre's got exhibits and info panels that walk you through the Ridge's ecological significance, history and ongoing conservation efforts. The initiative, by the way, comes straight from the Supreme Court's desk. What to expect? The museum is split into six zones that play out like the ridge's life story. The first zone kicks things off with historical maps from the 1920s and 1980s to the present day, showing just how dramatically Delhi's landscape (and the Ridge itself) has shape-shifted. Next up is natural heritage zone with a digital storytelling board taking you on ecological journeys through the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. There's also a holographic fan throwing up 3D visuals of the Ridge's flora and fauna.  The third zone gets a little more serious. It dives into the challenges threatening the Ridge while spotlighting the conservation, restoration and community-led efforts to protect this urban jungle. Backlit panels break down everything from legal safeguards to ongoing preservation tactics. The fourth zone is where the science nerds can expect the most fun. Interactive kiosks showcase how scientific research, digital technology, environmental monitor

Strawberries and cream is a long-held Wimbledon tradition. Each year during the two-week tournament, more than a million farm-fresh strawberries are served to attendees. But Centre Court isn't the only place serving the Championships' most iconic snack. Delhi's legendary 120-year-old kulfi brand, Kuremal, has teamed up with the All England Lawn Tennis Club to create a limited edition Strawberries and Cream kulfi!  Where can I eat this? The limited-edition Strawberries and Cream kulfi will be available from June 23 to July 12 (the tournament period) at all four Kuremal outlets across the capital: Connaught Place Bengali Market Hauz Khas Chandni Chowk What's the tradition about? It all goes back to the very first Wimbledon tournament in 1877. Britain's strawberry season happened to perfectly coincide with the championship, so the fruit naturally found a spot on the menu. Over the years, strawberries and cream became so synonymous with Wimbledon that it's almost impossible to picture the tournament without them now. But in India, strawberry season begins around mid-November and peaks in December. By the time summer rolls in, the fruit has all but vanished from markets, which makes this Wimbledon-inspired kulfi feel like a seasonal crossover.

Two of India's airports just landed two spots on the World's Most Beautiful Airports List 2026 – a list compiled by the prestigious Prix Versailles: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) and Terminal 2 of Guwahati's Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA). Both saw their first appearance on the coveted global list. Here’s how they got there: Navi Mumbai | Maharashtra, Central India The airport’s Terminal 1 stays with you for its striking lotus-inspired design, blended with futuristic architecture, public art and, most importantly, functionality. These petals are not decorative; they are modelled to channel wind and light. Navi Mumbai International Airport is one of India’s most ambitious plans that's bound to grow, because the design is technically modular and based on the notion of expanding. Guwahati | Assam, Northeast India Over in Assam, Terminal 2 of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport has earned praise for its bamboo orchid-inspired theme. The species is the region's most iconic flower. The terminal’s biophilic, sustainable design ups its functionality massively, and through visual nods representing the Northeast's culture and its breathtaking natural landscape, the airport feels like a destination in itself. There’s more. Prix Versailles will announce three overall World Title winners from this year's shortlist soon. What’s Prix Versailles? The annual architecture and design awards, presented at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, celebrate a

A rare oriental hornbill has turned up in the capital's sprawling Lodhi Garden... and it appears to be helping raise another bird's chicks! Following this saga, WWF India is launching the Delhi Hornbill Nest Monitoring Project. This is a two-month-long citizen science initiative to observe and document the nesting behaviour of the Oriental Pied Hornbill.  Who's volunteering? Avid joggers, flamboyant picnickers and heritage walkers. Basically, any Delhi summer resident can join the programme. The first orientation was held on June 6. By June 9, the first batch of citizen volunteers was out in the field. You can still join, though. Log in to the volunteer portal of WWF India and fill in details about how much time you can give to the project per week (the minimum is four hours). The project concludes on July 31, by which time Delhi's expected to have enough data on the hornbill's nesting success and cavity use, along with some nerdy facts on other cavity-dependent wildlife. All you need is an interest in birds and nature, however newfound, plus some basic bird-identification skills. You could always ask around and train yourself.  The best way to observe the hornbill Carry your binoculars, a water bottle and a cap. And wear comfortable shoes. A tiny advisory: They don't bother you, and you don't bother them back. Meaning: no playback calls, no flash photography, and maintain a safe distance from nests. Passionate birdwatchers are keeping the exact nest location discreet to avoi

Long before it became Hyderabad's go-to excursion destination, the iconic collection of the Salar Jung Museum lived inside Dewan Deodi. This was the ancestral palace of the royal Salar Jung family of Hyderabad's Old City. The palace dazzled visitors with glittering chandeliers, cavernous halls and the famed Aina Khana (Hall of Mirrors), where European glassware and decorative arts sparkled. Today, it only survives in old photographs and memories. This year, the Salar Jung museum celebrates its 75th anniversary, marking not just one of India's greatest museums, but also the spectacular palace that first housed its collection. The platinum jubilee celebrations are expected to feature exhibitions, lectures, cultural programmes and scholarly conferences. Meanwhile, ambitious modernisation plans are also on the table, including upgraded galleries, conservation facilities and world-class visitor amenities. The museum's history The museum owes much of its existence to Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, better known as Salar Jung III. After a brief stint as Prime Minister of the princely Hyderabad State, Jung the Third stepped away from politics in 1914 to swap governance for a far more expensive hobby: collecting absolutely everything. Persian manuscripts, furniture, weapons, clocks and European sculptures from around the world, all of it. What helped was a network of agents and dealers sourcing objects from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. By the time he died in 1949, Jung III had amassed so ma

The universe may have just booked the biggest light show of 2026 for India. A powerful solar storm is racing towards Earth, and scientists say it could trigger dazzling auroras. Yes, the Northern Lights, in India! What’s the science behind it? The Sun recently unleashed a fast-moving coronal mass ejection (CME). In simple words, it's a giant blast of charged solar particles fired into space. When these particles slam into Earth's magnetic field (or atmosphere), they can spark geomagnetic storm forms of greenish neon lights that create auroras. For this particular episode of aurora, NASA and other space-weather forecasters have raised the possibility that northern lights could be visible much farther south than usual! Where in India should we be looking? Don't expect the Mumbai and Delhi skylines to look like Iceland suddenly. If auroras do appear, the best chances are in northern regions with dark skies and minimal light pollution. Places such as Ladakh and other high-altitude northern locations remain the strongest contenders. Experts suggest that some northern Indian areas could witness faint auroral activity, but only if luck remains on our side. The best time to catch the light is between 10pm to 2pm at night. And before you ask: yes, India has seen this before during major storms in 2024 and 2026. Unusual auroral displays and red sky glows were reported over Ladakh.  

Remember when a Dharamshala road (or bus) trip meant leaving Delhi at least 12 hours in advance, surviving a parade of trucks, and eating at questionable dhabas, only to still arrive at some ungodly hour? In September, that's set to change. A new network of four-lane highways across Himachal Pradesh's Kangra region is expected to slash travel time between the capital and Dharamshala from the current 10-12 hours to roughly six. These upgrades are also expected to significantly reduce travel times across several stretches of the route. For instance, the journey between Palampur and Chandigarh is projected to drop from nearly six hours to just three-and-a-half hours. Better, safer connectivity The upgraded corridor will create a much faster route into the Kangra Valley through the strategic four-laning of National Highway 503 (NH-503). This approximately 99-km corridor, now managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), is expected to improve connectivity between Mehatpur, Una, Amb and Ranital. And some long-standing 'geometric deficiencies', including sharp, dangerous turns that have statistically slowed traffic, are being engineered out of the route altogether. The new Dharamshala–Dehra four-lane corridor, which includes the Riyund Bridge and twin tunnels near Tarsuh village, will allow travellers to bypass bottlenecks such as the congested Kangra Bazaar bypasses and the sinuous terrain around Purana Kangra and Daulatpur. To what extent can Dharamshala host touris