The center of India.... Delhi, Connaught Place

Connaught Place is the commercial centre of New Delhi. It was constructed by R.T.Russell in 1932. With its central round square and two concentric ring roads it was supposed to resemble the Royal Crescent in Bath, England. It is named after the Duke of Connaught, 7th child of Queen Victoria, who visited the town at the time of Construction

Under the central square is the busiest of all of Delhi's busy Metro Stations.At the moment it's a real mess. The whole place and all it's buildings are reconstructed due to the upcoming commonwealth games.

A part of the workers and their families sleeps in makeshift tents and shacks on the construction site. See also http://eisstahl.blogspot.com/2010/02/struggle-for-life.html 

  This is how it should look like afterwards....

Of course there are a lot of people who want to clean your shoes, but nobody dared to smear shit on mine before asking me. And only the last day somebody finally wanted to clean my ears with a rusty nail... I was almost glad he asked me and he showed an impressing book of recommendations in all possible languages of happy people with clean ears. I was not able to read the one he showed me, because it was in Hebrew, and I do not understand that language. Sometimes it is good to tell people you are Israeli. They usually leave you alone immediately.

  

There are actually some cafes on Connaught Place, and some are even quiet enough to read the books one has bought in one of the excellent book stores around the corner. Altogether I was pleasantly surprised  and could not understand all the complaints of other fellow travellers who apparently were constantly hazzled here. There were actually some people who tried to be helpful and explained the complicated adresses to me.