Defence Colony is a posh locality situated in South Delhi

South Delhi

South Delhi is an administrative district of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India.It is bounded by the Yamuna River to the east, the districts of New Delhi to the north, Faridabad District of Haryana state to the southeast, Gurgaon District of Haryana to the southwest, and South West...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Besides its central location from most parts of the city of Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, the locality is immensely popular among all Delhiites for the exotic varieties of cuisines that it has on offer. Among the numerous restaurants and other food joints that dot the Defence Colony market, Sagar Ratna that offers authentic south Indian cuisine

South Indian cuisine

South Indian Cuisine is a term used to refer to the cuisines found in the four southern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.-Similarities and differences in "Four states' cuisines":...

 is perhaps among the most popular. Moets and Kents are two other food joints that have been in Defence Colony market for a long time and are thus very popular not only among residents from the vicinity but also those from far flung areas. also famous is the momos of def col.

Getting there

Defence Colony is easily accessible by all means of public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

 including autos, taxis, buses as well as the Delhi Metro

Delhi Metro

Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region of India. It is one of the largest metro networks in the world. The network consists of six lines with a total length of with 142 stations of which 35 are underground...

, which commenced services adjacent to the area in October 2010. Thus, if you are looking to get to Defence Colony by the Delhi Metro, hop off at the Lajpat Nagar

Lajpat Nagar

Lajpat Nagar is an affluent suburb of the South Delhi district of Delhi. It is named in honor of Lala Lajpat Rai, also known the Lion of Punjab, and is today most known for the Lajpat Nagar Central Market...

 station and cross the road using the overhead bridge as Defence Colony is on the opposite side of the road.

Notable Residents

Defence Colony is notable for being the residential abode of many Indian stalwarts that include ex Miss India

Miss India

Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India, one of the most recognized contests to produce international beauty queens in the 90s, which annually selects three winners to compete globally. It is organized by Femina, a women's magazine published by Bennett, Coleman & Co...

 and renowned former actress Nafisa Ali, Odissi

Odissi

Odissi, also spelled Orissi , is one of the eight classical dance forms of India. It originates from the state of Orissa, in eastern India. It is the oldest surviving dance form of India on the basis of archaeological evidences. The classic treatise of Indian dance, Natya Shastra, refers to it as...

 dance legend Sonal Mansingh

Sonal Mansingh

Dr. Sonal Mansingh is an eminent Indian classical dancer and choreographer of Odissi dancing style; who is also proficient in other Indian classical dancing styles including Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, and Chhau.-Early life and background:...

, writer Rana Dasgupta

Rana Dasgupta

Rana Dasgupta is a British-Indian novelist and essayist. He grew up in Cambridge, England and studied at Balliol College, Oxford, the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud in Aix-en-Provence, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison...

, artist and socialite Anjum Singh, business tycoons like the Diwan Saheb family, to name only a few.

Concerns

Residents of the locality have often complained about the "nallah" (drain) that cuts across the colony, right through its center. Although efforts are underway to cover the drain with concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

, those efforts have only been partially successful.

Summary

The few issues notwithstanding, Defence Colony continues to remain one of the most sought after areas to stay in Delhi, not only among resident Indians but even more so among expats

Expatriate

An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...

staying in Delhi.