Kamla Nagar

- Nitin Gupta

The next door neighbor of Delhi, Kamla Nagar (Kamla Bein??) has been an all-time favourite of the students of the Delhi University. Apart from being a common place for hangouts, Kamla offers a plethora of opportunities to its visitors, be it food, apparel or even accommodation! With a PG here and a PG there, Kamla has a strong foothold in the market of the homesick accommodation seekers!

The vintage edifices, with the paint and the plaster peeling off, look like honeybee hives harbouring nuclear family setups in its tiny outlets. The squeezed up roads, spreading like the roots of a giant tree, twist and turn oddly to finally merge into one another or to ultimately bang into inconspicuous destinations. The far-fetched Bungalow road keeps bustling with polished traffic and multihued crowd from dawn to dusk and the commotion continues till late night.

Apparently, a working model of a self-contained economy, Kamla strongly goes by the dogma of self-sufficiency: a panacea for every trouble! Medicos, salons, ATMs, banquets, piazzas, eateries, bookshops, apparel, and footwear: you name it, Kamla has it. The Central Parking Complex, alias the Bada Gol Chakar, acts as a hub of hyper activity with shops all around, selling stuff of all kinds at relatively cheaper rates. And its younger counterpart, the Chhota Gol Chakar, attracts foodies from all over.

For the foodies, Kamla has got a pleasant surprise. Dominating the street food are BTW (Bittu Tikki Wala), Chache ke chhole bhature, Bille Di Hatti and Chache Di Hatti whereas the Gabbar Singh ka Adda is a craze among the North Indian curiosity seekers. For the pizza lovers, omnipresent fast-food chains of Dominos and Chicago Pizza come to the rescue. Catering to the needs of the southern flock is the Chennai Hot Café. Apart from these, there are scores of eateries, restaurants and lounges to roll out a sumptuous diet for one and all.

The festive season saw Kamla upbeat and wrapped in a new attire of festivity. Zealous vendors, festooned shops, blaring music, fastidious buyers and well-lit streets provide a wholesome shopping experience. With the Hawkers vying for every inch of the overcrowded roads, the fussy auto-riders banging into each other and the hoi polloi literally jaywalking, streets end up being a fish market, until the men in uniform challenge the road is mine mentality and reiterate it with a formal air!  

As the sun prepares to set and the birdies head for their homes, dark clouds veil Kamla but the life perhaps, starts afresh. The iridescent shops in the backdrop of darkness and bizarre mechanical sounds cast a magical spell and the time becomes the prime time for the nocturnal souls to step out. Finally, the late night galla time and the fun ‘n’ frolic gradually slips into the land of slumber and Kamla dozes off…