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Region Specifics
Delhi
New Delhi, the country's third largest city, is the capital
of India and originally a creation of the British Raj with
plenty of official buildings from which to administer the
empire.
Old Delhi was originally the capital of Muslim India, and
its mosques, forts, monuments and bazaars are still the
most striking features of this historic city.
Art and Culture
Dancing is one of the most important forms of expressive
art in India. Originally, dancing was a sacred ritual performed
in temples, its purpose being to relate stories from the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The dancers were known as
devadasis.
Over time, dancing moved away from temple rituals to what
is today classical Indian dance with its combined forms
of rhythm, expression and drama expressed through the dancers'
eyes, hands and facial expressions. To fully understand
the story, it's helpful to have some knowledge of Indian
myths and legends.
Dance and theatre performances are held at various venues
in and around Delhi, and troupes often take shows on tour.
The Shri Ram Centre stages shows throughout the year and
is just one of many fine performance venues in Delhi.
To view fine arts and sculpture, the Lalit Kala Akademi
exhibits displays of contemporary Indian art.
For film buffs, India is the home of the largest cinema
industry outside Hollywood. 'Bollywood', as it's known,
produces some excellent films and a trip to India would
not be complete without taking in a movie. In Delhi, there
are cinemas around Connaught Place including the Odeon,
Plaza and Regal. For imported films on world release, there
is the British Council on Kasturba Gandhi Marg.
Newspapers and Magazines
British, American, Australasian and European newspapers
and magazines are available through the Concierge and at
certain newsvendors throughout Delhi.
There are some excellent English-language newspapers published
in Delhi. The Times of India and the Hindustan Times are
both very popular and contain the high priority news values
associated with the world's best press. The lighter Mid
Day is a tabloid daily published as a late-afternoon edition.
There is a considerable variety of English-language magazines
published in India. Frontline, India Today, The Week, Sunday
and the Illustrated Weekly of India are just some of the
best titles.
Magazines listing the latest in entertainment news include
First City and Delhi Diary - a booklet published especially
for tourists.
Climate
Delhi's climate is particularly favourable between November
and March with temperatures averaging 21° to 30°C
(70° to 86°F). From April to June, temperatures
can reach 38°C (103°F).
From July to September, the monsoon brings daily rain showers,
but these are normally in the afternoons for brief periods.
During the monsoon, Delhi receives three-quarters of its
annual rainfall of 715 mm. Directly after the monsoon, October
is normally the driest month and temperatures average a
warm but pleasant 33°C (90°F).
Time
India has just one time zone - Indian Standard Time (IST)
- which is GMT / UTC plus five and a half hours.
Weights and Measures
India officially uses metric measurements; however, imperial
measures are still used in many transactions.
Electricity
The electric current is 230-240V, 50HzAC. Indian sockets
take three round pin plugs and although similar to standard
European sockets, are slightly larger.
Converters and adaptors should be purchased before leaving
home.
