I had heard of Lodhi Garden and imagined it to be a mughal garden or a place with sprawling lawns. A morning walk with INTACH surprised me with the various corners of the garden that had a completely different feel with some woodland, a rosegarden, bamboo thickets, and playgrounds. A day spent sunning in various parts showed me how it can be different things for different people.

The monuments are mostly tombs from the Lodhi period except one, that gives it the name Lodhi Garden. I was surprised to see the stunning plaster work in some. Not so surprised with the disfiguring, hearts and names drawn or etched in the walls.

The heritage walk focused on the tombs in the garden, their history and artchitecture. We were hurried from one monument to another so that we could spend more time on the structures. I decided to go back in, after the walk and take a leisurely stroll. The park around noon was full of school children. I thought it might be the lunch break for a school near by. Learned later that they were on a day long tour of Delhi. Lodhi Garden being the best part. They were enthusiastically trying out the fitness equipment, playing tag on the lawn, climbing and jumping from one of the tombs from the side that did not have steps, some quietly sitting under a tree or a bush eating the packed lunch they brought from home.

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The sky was a beautiful blue. Very rare in Delhi.

Slowly, office goers started coming in to enjoy their lunch break and to thaw in the sun. It seemed like each group had their own area where they like to sit everyday. Some people stretched out on the lawn to take a nap. Then it was time for the senior citizens in walking shoes ready to take on their daily exercise schedule.

I took advantage of the sunny day and decided to find a bench and work in the open instead of going to Khan market in search of a cafe where I was planning to work. It was for the most part a fantastic experience except once when a gust of wind kicked up a lot of dust and I had to scramble to close and protect my laptop. By this time I had explored half of the garden and worked a couple of hours. Now it was time to resume my original plan to walk northwards to exit the garden towards Khan market. I was delayed by the water body that is home to a lot of interesting birds. You can stand on the bridge and watch them feeding for hours.

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