In Search of Mater

Monday is the most dreadful day of the week and the farthest from 'Adventure Saturday'. But this Monday was different. Geared with our usual equipments, we (Nanya nd me) started out in search of the St. Stephen's High School. Yes, School! Established in 1854 by Rev. M.J. Jennings, it is the Mater of St. Stephen's College. All we had was a rough address and a vague idea where it was.

Starting from Vishwavidyalaya, we wriggled some space in one of the four bogies of the overflowing Metro. It's quite unfortunate that Nanya's head ends where the armpits of big bullies start! It's amazing how she manages without a gas mask. Thankfully, the air 6 feet above the floor is pleasantly cool owing to the good ventilation and air conditioning of the German coaches.

Chawri Bazaar

After being literally thrown out of the train in Chawri Bazaar, we frantically asked people the way to Kinari Bazaar, Shish Mahal and after a while - a way out of Chawri Bazaar. After several disappointing and confused answers, we decided to take the route through Nai Sarak to Kinari Bazaar where we treated ourselves to some good Ghevar and Rasgulla. The street food was too tempting but thanks to the monsoon and our over-protective mums, we decided to give it a miss.

Chhole Kulche at Nai Sarak

But our disappointment was short-lived, we figured that Kinari Bazaar and Paranthe-wali-gali are the same! And my growling stomach and Nanya's concern for my slim figure did the rest. We had our favorites - my gobi parantha and her rabri parantha. They were eternal delights! 

A short walk from the paranthe-wali-gali took us close to the Katra Kushal Rai which is supposed to house Shish Mahal where St. Stephen's College started its 130 year old journey. The excitement was heightening with every step we took. Just then we discovered a gali with a Jain Temple and beautiful houses. There stood a beautiful office of a very welcoming man. After some pleasant chats and strolls in his office, we were informed of the location of our destination. We promised to go back and share a sip of tea and a bit longer chat. 

The next gali housed the 'Shish Mahal'. We were a bit disappointed to see the grandness of the building. We thought we had seen better. Little did we know what was kept for us in store. The rooms in the ground floor were occupied by handloom traders. Noise of the sewing machines echoed through the haveli. With the permission of the traders we went up through the stiff stairs in search of the roof!

St. Stephen's School, Second Floor 

On the second floor, we were greeted by Nitin Jain, whose family owns the building for the last 100 years! He explained his plans to improve the structure and how things have changed over the years. The little dwelling which housed the 52 students of St. Stephen's School has turned into a massive four floor structure! After politely declining for an invitation for tea, we headed up for the roof. As we reached the third floor, we realized the way to the roof was locked! But Sunil Jain, cousin of Nitin Jain hosted our perfect evening. After warning us about some weak locations in the building, he offered us to take us to the terrace. 

View from the terrace of Shish Mahal

The view was mesmerizing. We could see almost all the important buildings in the 50 km radius - that's a whooping 7,500 square km! But the Jama Masjid stole the show.  With its imposing structure, it stood out in the crowd. Unfortunately Red Fort was hidden by the growing size of the buildings! 

After half an hour of chatting with the our host about Delhi and his pets - pigeons, we bid him farewell only with the promise to return soon. After a stroll in the camera market and Bhagirathi Palace and surprise visit by Vidhi, we ended our perfect evening. As I boarded the bus, I realized that I had no money. I had to dug deep into my bag to recover Rs. 15/- and had a smooth way back with a little glitch of the bus almost breaking down in the middle of the road and smoking vigorously from the seat right beneath me.