India Gate – An alternate evening

Nestled in the heart of New Delhi and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, India Gate is one of the grandest war memorials in the world. With about 13,300 names of servicemen embellishing it, the monument serves as a commemoration for all soldiers who lost their lives for the British Empire during World War I. Long after it was unveiled, post the Bangladeshi Liberation War, India Gate went through certain elemental evolution, to include a structure called as Amar JawanJyoti. With a reversed rifle,topped with a war helmet and surrounded by four interminable flames, this remarkable shrine became India’s ‘Tomb of the Unknown’.

It is often said that a resident of the city is never a true Delhiite unless he has spent at least one evening in the gardens of India Gate. Spread over a sprawling 76 acres, the beautiful India Gate lawns are an immensely popular location for weekend getaways and restful breathers.

Everybody visiting the place post 6pm comes across people from all walks of life; transcending physical, social, and economical barriers. With a massive wave of motorcycles and cars descending upon the boundaries of the memorial each evening, the night life at India Gate becomes better and livelier with every passing hour. Ice-cream, gol-gappa, bhel-puri, chaat vendors as well as balloon and toy sellers swarm the grounds on a nightly basis, servicing the hundreds of children and families that come to enjoy their vacations. India Gate, really, is not only an alternative to the polluted, cemented roads of Delhi, but also to the gradually de-foresting city.