Delhi - 1985 - 1987.
THIS BLOG COMPLETED ON 25 November 2020.
Irrespective of the date when the map was made and the blogged, It has been published backdated, to maintain historical sequence.
These backdated blogs are written as much to record our travels and places seen all those years in the past, as they are to present a photographic record of the growth of Ajeet and Anuj through those early years.
Screen Shot - Delhi - 1985 - 1987.
This is a screenshot of Delhi - 1985 - 1987. This Screenshot is just to give you an overall picture of the placesand the tourist's attractions we visited during our stay in Delhi. But these details cannot be accessed here.
Full details and description about them and the information/write up about tourists attractions visited by us can be accessed in "interactive" google map.
For Interactive map go here.
Link for the album with photos of Delhi - 1985 - 1987. trip is given below
https://photos.app.goo.gl/TqAsrvM5qEeABXHj9
This album shared from the main 7ALBUM.85/4-10/86 and 8 Album 11/86-8/88 @
&
Delhi - 1985 - 1987.
We were posted at Delhi between 1985 -
1987.
Two trips done by us during our stay in Delhi have
been written about in my blog “1986 Trips”.
So why this travel blog stretching over a period
of two years?
Travel Blog is about seeing new places of
attractions and interest. Most of the places of attractions in Delhi were seen
by us when we had gone to attend Air Force Day Investiture Parade in 1983.
This blog is about some new places and sights we
saw spread over a period of our stay between 1985 -1987. Hence a separate blog.
Initial stay in Delhi was in the House of S/L Ganesh, We were together in 101 sqn way back in 1966-67. He was an Engineering Officer. He was going on leave for two months. No one wanted to leave unattended house in Delhi due to fear of theft and robbery. In such cases, some portion of the house was offered to brother officer who was waiting for allotment of a house. for two months at least it was a win-win situation for both. So for those first two months, we stayed in quarter no B-32, Moti Bagh.
Rail Museum was within walking distance,
In retrospect, it is really surprising that
during our two-year stay except for Rail Museum, we did not revisit even once, any of the places seen
earlier in 1983.
This could be because we were forced to stay in Noida. Air Hq was 25 Odd kilometres form house and I and all the officers of AF, Army and Navy staying in Noida had to travel almost 50 odd kilometres every day.
To add to this I only had a scooter and it was not practical going all over Delhi for all 4 of us on a two-wheeler. We still managed to see some new places between 85 & 87.
One may wonder at the wording "we were forced to stay in Noida"
The reasons behind this are given below.
Defence Services were given land at cheaper
rates by Govt of UP, to build housing for defence personnel. As a result, the first projects to
come up were Jalvayu Vihar and AWWA in 21 and 24 sectors respectively. These were
for officers and men of Air Force/ Navy and Army respectively. Hundreds of
officers, including air rank officers, had taken a loan and bought flats in these projects. All under the assumed premise that rents will pay for the EMI
and they would have a house of their own when they retire. However, Noida of The 1980s was a cluster of villages. Considered a place back and beyond. A backward
place without proper market or good schools. There was only one convenient road
with only one Yamuna bridge connecting Delhi and Noida. Respective service head quartes
were about 25 odd kilometres.
Houses in these Service Hq sponsored projects were
lying vacant. No one posted to Delhi and waiting for allotment of quarters was
willing to rent a house in Noida for reasons given above because of the hardships of staying in Noida
would entail.
In the absence of rental income, those officers
and men, including air rank officers of all the three services were finding it
extremely difficult to pay the EMI’s and survive. There was hue and cry. Resulting
in a collective decision by all three services. A dictate was issued – if
you want a house go to Noida or stay in mess. Faced with this, almost every
officer waiting for a house moved into MES acquired house in Noida.
We were allotted quarter no F/23 in F block, Sector 21 Noida. This was a model house, first to be made ready as a showpiece to prospective buyers. AVM and Mrs Nair and Sree Kumar were our neighbours.
I took leave for a few days to get Ajeet and Anuj admitted to the only KV in Noida. There was no problem with Ajeet's admission. 3rd standard in which Anuj had to be admitted already had 40 students. Officially that was the limit of a class. I was told that Hazaratgang KV had a vacancy in 3rd standard. There was no question of sending Anuj to that place. For the next few days, I was spending maximum time in KV. One day a clerk told me that one student of 3rd standard was leaving the school as his father was posted out. He told me to come once school leaving certificate to that student was issued. I was on the spot as that fellows school leaving certificate was issued and I submitted an application for admission of Anuj. It was given. I was so happy that I took a packet of sweets and gave it to that clerk who had helped me!
One we settled down and things became a regular routine, one of the first place we visited was Appu Ghar.
Appu Ghar.
After having settled down we had time to think of other things.
India had hosted the 1982 Asian games. That was also the year Black & White TV had come to India.
A live elephant named Appu was the Asian Games mascot.
To commemorate the Asian Games, the First amusement park was named Appu Ghar and inaugurated in 1984.
Those days Appu Ghar was the talk of the town. Being the first Amusement park with state of the art games, slides and other attractions. It was a must-visit place in Delhi those days.
We also visited it.
There were a large number of attractions for children and adults to enjoy. Memory fails me to recount all the attractions visited by us.
Today there is no trace of Appu Ghar anywhere as the leased land was taken back by the government for the use of the Supreme Court Of India, Pragati Maidan Metro Station and other departments.
India Gate.
One of the places we had not seen in 1983 was
India Gate, the iconic monument at the end of Raj path facing The Rashtrapati
Bhavan. Did visit it a couple of times. It is a memorial for all those Indians in
defence forces who were killed in world war I. Their names are engraved on the
surface of the Gate. I have never seen anyone even glancing at those engraved
names L
Priti’s friend Priya was also with us. She was
wife of FL GV Kumar who as an equipment officer was with us in Sulur.
The outing was enjoyed by all.
Rose Garden. Noida.
On the road from Delhi after crossing the bridge on Yamuna Canal, just before entering Noida proper, a very beautiful rose garden was created and maintained by the Noida administration. We visited that garden quite f few times, On two occasions I had carried a camera with me. Our photos taken on both occasions are given here in one lot rather than making two entries.
Now there is not even a trace of that garden.
A beautiful place is lost forever.
26 January illumination,
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
On the 26th of January, every year Rashtrapati Bhavan and the building blocks offices of central ministries facing Vijay chowk are illuminated with thousands and thousands, millions of light bulbs. It is a beautiful sight to see Rashtrapati Bhavan and its complex of buildings illuminated. But if possible one must not miss the moment when these get illuminated simultaneously.
As it gets totally dark a switch is thrown. Rashtrapati Bhavan and each and every surrounding building are lit up simultaneously in a single instant.
We had heard about it. So on 26 January 198,7 Mulayes and we did a trip to see the illumination of Rashtrapati Bhavan and its complex of buildings. Every word we had heard was true. Truly a sight to remember and travel 25 kilometres in biting
cold of Delhi.
AP Express. New Delhi Railway Station.
It was now time to leave Delhi.
In February 1987 we were posted to the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad.
The exact date when we left Delhi has been lost in the past.
Photos taken onboard AP Express when we left for Secunderabad have been preserved.
