Driving the length and breadth of the city everyday has made me cognizant of a bunch of things. Foremost, petrol is really very expensive. Then, there are hidden and apparent contradictions; rich meets poor meets lost, glossy malls hide colonies of deprivation, and that the reality for a majority of our city’s people is very different from the duck-feather padded bubble we live in. What I do consciously keep a look out for, mostly because I am fascinated by architecture, is the plethora of homes, buildings and addresses that stand out – some literally, others for remarkable design.

Now there’s a run-of-the-mill building – with windows, daunting walls, glass facades, pillars et all – and then there are iconic buildings – those that are testament to the era in which they were built, are ingenious in their construction, and are architecturally riveting. It’s not always easy for laypersons like you and I to declare a building iconic; I can only humbly appreciate a structure for what it is. But it does help when you can find a connect with people who’ve invested time in delving into the architecture of Delhi. Enter, Rahul Khanna, architect and co-author of The Modern Architecture of New Delhi {1928-2007}.

Flipping through his book is a reminder of how much there is to explore in our city if we chose to look, not just see. Him and Manav Parhawk have compiled a selection of buildings that are striking and have defined the architecture and design of the years they were built in. Some of them are familiar, and others we’ve probably passed countless times, but seldom noticed. Rahul’s picked 8 Iconic Buildings that should be in every Delhiwaala’s little black book.

But first, the basics.