Delhiwale: The miracle of the windows

Something magical unfolds when sunset meets the city’s skyline and we have found out just the right place to catch all the action

That chandelier on the first level is rarely lit, making us feel that we’ve somehow strayed into a palace in decline.

At Pragati Maidan Metro station you can peer at the cityscape through huge openings that are like giant windows without panes. (Mayank Austen Soofi / HT Photo)

We are inside Pragati Maidan Metro station, where sometimes we head upstairs to catch a train to Noida. But today we are here for a unique visual delight — peering at the cityscape through huge openings that are like giant windows without panes.

What we spy are the immense greens of New Delhi, with high rises such as the PWD headquarters jutting out — a reminder that our ancient national capital can be starkly modern with not a dome in sight.

And then, there are those railway tracks running along this landscape. Here we sometimes we spot the familiar red coaches of the Rajdhani Express rocketing by.

The city view disappears the moment you step away from the windows to savour the sky (but be careful and don’t fall down on the Metro rail tracks).

On clear evenings, the sunset plays out the palette of some melodramatic impressionist painter. With darkness now clutching the skies, the moon makes its expected appearance as romantic couples huddle by the parapet.

They’re usually less interested in the dramatic views than we might be. But they do infuse another line of beauty to the darkening night.