CHARLOTTE TOTTENHAM

Our train pulled in to Amritsar Junction at first light and I awoke to the sound of coolies and rickshaw wallahs battling for the attention of the passengers. I shoved my way, elbows first, off the train and towards the exit of the station. Here I was greeted by a breed of Cycle Rickshaw that was new to me, one which involves a precarious balancing act, as the chair is just a solid dome atop a cart. After an ungainly struggle, two of us were seated, determinedly clutching o

To add to Delhi’s cosmopolitan vibe, Serendipity describe themselves as ‘Mughal meets Morocco via Mexico City and NYC’. Located in leafy Chhatarpur, a rural suburb of Delhi, their boutique Concept Store has an impeccable collection of handicrafts, furniture and clothing collected from all over the globe. Serendipity is housed in a sprawling Haveli, which has been expertly and tastefully restored by creator Kuldeep Kaur. With large airy rooms, a beautifully decorated courtya

As someone who spends a great part of her time fussing about finding good coffee, Delhi can present a bit of a challenge. All too often I am greeted with the poor excuse for a cup of coffee that is half a teaspoon of Nescafé in lukewarm water. Sadly, despite the numerous plantations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over 80% of the beans grown in India are exported. Numerous cafés and restaurants in Delhi have cottoned on to the delight that is good coffee, but until rece

In India it is impossible not to notice the countrywide obsession with phones and technology. The question asked by friends is not ‘what phone do you have?’, but, ‘what smart phone do you have?’! Of course there is no denying that this is a worldwide phenomenon, but this nation still has 70% of its population living on less than $2 a day (ie. below the UN poverty line). Even in villages and small towns, artel, aircel and vodafone billboards are ubiquitous, and everybody has a

This week I met up with Dharamveer, a charming and intelligent guy who is one of seven co-founders of Zostel, India’s first hostel chain. He praised his co-founders and chatted about the fact that together they make the perfect team. India is currently a country full to the brim with budding entrepreneurs, but as Dharamveer said to me, ‘everybody can have an idea; it’s the execution that matters’. Zostel really have got this execution element so right. Having begun their re

One of the trying aspects of life in Delhi is that it can be hard to escape the deafening noise. The constant clamour of traffic competes with the guttural, somewhat alarming caterwaul of the vegetable wallahs who noisily ply their trade. Rickshaw wallahs determinedly slap their passenger seat with shrieks of ‘mere saath chalo’ (even when you are clearly heading in the opposite direction), dogs bark and children’s playful cricket games resonate through the streets. As horns

Republic Day in India this year was a very ambitious affair. Barack Obama came to Delhi to meet up with his new bosom buddy Narendra Modi and India put on an immensely impressive parade on Rajpath that far surpassed the carnival of previous years. What struck me most this Republic Day were Modi’s admirable efforts to promote India as a noteworthy competitor on the world stage. Modi seems to have truly captured the hearts of the population; I heard him described as ‘my Prime

William Dalrymple is a busy man. Alongside others, he masterminded and now directs the Jaipur Literature Festival, which is held annually in the Pink City and attracts such literary Gods and Godesses as V. S. Naipaul and next year, Margaret Atwood! I first discovered his writing and work when I moved to Delhi some years ago, when my mother gave me his second book, City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi. As an homage to both moving back to Delhi and returning to the Lit Fest, I have