This will be a highlight....February 8th.

Hemant has managed to get us a tour of the Presidential Residence in New Delhi and as you will see from the message below, this is a rare and our timing is fortuitous.

"We did get ourselves finally confirmed for a Feb. 8, 9:30 am public tour of the Presidential Residence in New Delhi.  As Wiki says --- in terms of area, “Rashtrapati Bhavan” is the largest residence of any head of state in the world.  Indian presidents are apolitical, nominated by the Indian parliament to a ceremonial 5-year non-executive term.   (Life can be great for the couple in a 340-room modest home!)

We will need to be there at 9:00 am.  As per their instructions below – no Backpack, Camera, Video Camera and Mobile Phone inside the complex.  Passports are required along with the printout.  Also, our timing is impeccable.  They open up their Mughal Gardens only once a year to the public for about a month.  This year it is Feb. 6 thru Mar. 10 – thank our lucky stars but sadly no cameras!

The Presidential Residence

Here are some links which explain the place and some context. 

Additional reading:

History (Viceroy’s House):           https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtrapati_Bhavan

What will we see:                            https://rb.nic.in/rbvisit/visit_plan.aspx   (“Explore” tab, Circuit 1 which includes Main Building, Forecourt, Reception, Banquet Hall, Upper Loggia, Lutyens Grand Stairs, etc.)

Current President:                          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_India