<p>There is a place in Chandni Chowk which people throng round the clock, all through the year. It is Lal Kuan. </p>.<p>Located a couple of kilometres from the Chandni Chowk Metro Station, it is popular because it sells kites loved by the young and the young-at-heart. It also has utensil-making shops and restaurants that dish out delicacies. <br /><br />Shops like Bade Mian’s kheer shop and Shyam Sweets are landmarks. Bade Mian’s shop has been serving kheer, cooked in the most traditional way, for over a century now while Shyam Sweets, run by Sanjay Aggarwal, serves piping hot bedmi poori and aloo curry, and yummy samosas and kachoris. <br /><br />Why the name ‘Lal Kuan’? It means ‘red well’ — a well that is no longer in use. The bazaar is surrounded by the Jama Masjid, Mori Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Kashmere Gate and Daryaganj. <br /><br />Anwar Khan Ghauri, a resident of Lal Kuan and general secretary of the International Council of Reorganisation and Reconstruction (India), throws more light on the subject of the well. “The well was constructed by a few wrestlers who practised here. They practised on the red earth, but the well is no longer functional. Lal Kuan also has Zeenat Mahal, the tomb of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s wife,” he says.<br /><br />According to Anwar, most of the shops are owned by Hindus, while the residents are Muslims. “But this area is totally neglected by the government. There is a fraud going on in the name of democracy. There are electric wires hanging everywhere but the authorities don’t care!”<br /><br />S P Malik, who owns a shop in Lal Kuan, says: “Two communities live here very peacefully. We celebrate each other’s festivals.”<br /><br />Another highlight of Lal Kuan is the Sharma Ji Spice Shop. Customers queue up for fresh and aromatic spices all day long. It is widely believed that chefs from famous hotels and restaurants in Chandni Chowk come here for their special masalas.<br /></p>
<p>There is a place in Chandni Chowk which people throng round the clock, all through the year. It is Lal Kuan. </p>.<p>Located a couple of kilometres from the Chandni Chowk Metro Station, it is popular because it sells kites loved by the young and the young-at-heart. It also has utensil-making shops and restaurants that dish out delicacies. <br /><br />Shops like Bade Mian’s kheer shop and Shyam Sweets are landmarks. Bade Mian’s shop has been serving kheer, cooked in the most traditional way, for over a century now while Shyam Sweets, run by Sanjay Aggarwal, serves piping hot bedmi poori and aloo curry, and yummy samosas and kachoris. <br /><br />Why the name ‘Lal Kuan’? It means ‘red well’ — a well that is no longer in use. The bazaar is surrounded by the Jama Masjid, Mori Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Kashmere Gate and Daryaganj. <br /><br />Anwar Khan Ghauri, a resident of Lal Kuan and general secretary of the International Council of Reorganisation and Reconstruction (India), throws more light on the subject of the well. “The well was constructed by a few wrestlers who practised here. They practised on the red earth, but the well is no longer functional. Lal Kuan also has Zeenat Mahal, the tomb of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s wife,” he says.<br /><br />According to Anwar, most of the shops are owned by Hindus, while the residents are Muslims. “But this area is totally neglected by the government. There is a fraud going on in the name of democracy. There are electric wires hanging everywhere but the authorities don’t care!”<br /><br />S P Malik, who owns a shop in Lal Kuan, says: “Two communities live here very peacefully. We celebrate each other’s festivals.”<br /><br />Another highlight of Lal Kuan is the Sharma Ji Spice Shop. Customers queue up for fresh and aromatic spices all day long. It is widely believed that chefs from famous hotels and restaurants in Chandni Chowk come here for their special masalas.<br /></p>
