City Walk –Weeping Fig Way, Near Humayun’s Tomb
The tree-lined path.
[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]
The narrow dust track is guarded on both sides by the weeping fig (Ficus benjamina). The path is so small that you could walk its entire length in two minutes.
Situated in the semi-wild garden outside the entrance of Humayun’s Tomb, this tree-lined corridor is one of the most beautiful places in Delhi. It is like a city secret but it is not naturally secretive. Nearby in the grassy expanse, boys play cricket and picnicking families lounge. The trail remains hidden within the weeping fig, so named because its branches are said to hang down in the manner of a weeping person. The tree has wide aerial roots; it shoots out branches haphazardly from near its base; the twigs are slender, the bark smooth; there are circular scars around the stem.
Most likely you will not see a soul in the pathway. Its solitary nature frees us from the pursuits of city-life and gives us an opportunity to engage with our deeper feelings and thoughts, which remain dormant within us for most of our lives. (Indeed, from these elements we could weave an alternative world for ourselves, as rich and transforming as the world of a timeless novel.)
In the evening, as the sun begins to set and the sky becomes a solution of blue, red and orange, the track is bathed in the glow of the twilight hour, which resembles the color of the fallen leaves.
Some time later, as the dusk changes to the night, the atmosphere in the shaded corridor, too, changes. The friendly trunks dissolve into sad-seeming silhouettes, touching the heart.
Where Outside Humayun’s Tomb Complex Nearest Metro Station Jangpura Time Sunrise to sunset
A walk in the woods
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🙂