'Can you smell the sweetness?': German Envoy shares glimpses of Delhi's Okhla fruit mandi

German Ambassador to India Walter J. Lindner on June 29 took to Twitter to share glimpses of the famous New Delhi’s Okhla fruit market or Mandi. Questioning “Can you smell the sweetness?”, Lindner shared his excitement with the “incomparable” mango season that will soon be attaining its peak in the country. In the post shared on Tuesday morning on the microblogging website, the German envoy shared images of fruit vendors standing next to their stalls full of mangoes and pineapples and said, “let’s not forget Okhla Mandi’s ananas wallahs.” Showcasing his love for mangoes, he referred to the fruit as “king of fruits.”

This is not the first time that the German envoy shared his version of life at the national capital. Earlier on June 28, he also underlined the “tough life” of Delhi cycle rickshaw wallas, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Again sharing pictures of the workers, Lindner wrote on Twitter, “Tough life, even more difficult during COVID: Delhi cycle rickshaw wallahs battle heat, chaotic traffic, competition, less customers & pandemic. Whatever job we have, let’s not forget the daily hardship of those citizens! Meet Nadeem, Mohammed, Laxman.”

Lindner visits kite market, Lal Kuan Bazar

Always appearing to take note of the rich culture and famous markets in New Delhi, Lindner on June 26 also shared his moments from Lal Kuan Bazar. Even though it is a wholesale market for hardware and hotel kitchen equipment, the market is mainly famous for kites or what the German envoy referred to as “heaven for kite lovers.” the market is also frequented by a number of renowned spice snd sweet shops. Notably, the lines of shops that sell kite are made by them. 

Sharing the colourful and vibrant glimpses of the market, Lindner wrote on Twitter, “Old Delhi, Saturday morning, Lal Kuan Bazar, famous heaven for kite-lovers. You’ll find all sorts of „Manjhas“ & „Charkhas“. Patangbaazi (kite flying) very popular among Dilliwallahs in Shahjahanabad (Walled City). High season Aug, when you’ll hear „lappet“ & “wo kata“ everywhere.” Before the Lal Kuan Bazar, on June 25, he also visited “Southex Books, one of few surviving antiquarian bookshops of India.”

IMAGE: @AmbLindnerIndia/Twitter