india gate

last evening, mother nature gifted some respite to dilli walas as, it was a relatively nice weather to venture out, so i went to india gate.
for as long back as i can remember, india gate has always stood as a towering architectural reminder of two things- one,as a majestic symbol of british imperial rule over india and secondly and perhaps more importantly,as a grim reminder to the futility of war.

and yet at the same time,i have always felt baffled, regarding the symbolic metamorphosis of this colonial piece of architecture,from colonized india, to sovereign independent india... (we have witnessed quite an activity there- a-la rang de basanti style minus the dramatization of course)

earlier( like when i was in school) india gate was associated with the main structure, the amar jawaan jyoti, the handsome guards, and ofcourse the mandatory reading of the names of the jawaans as far up as possible.
but yesterday, it seemed...nay,it felt very different.i dont know what is about this place that seems to have caught the fancy of delhites. i mean, the place was so crowded that it almost seemed to loose out its charm to me.now it is more about the lawns, the pheri waalas, eatables and the other knick knacks on sale.
may it is because, delhi has so very few places which offer options for some nice, affordable family evening outs.