A column on Delhi's hidden parks and a fun thing to do around them.

From outside, all that's visible of the Christian cemetery near Khan Market is the tops of trees. These are encased within a red brick wall punctuated by florists, their buckets filled with pink and white lilies, gerbera daisies, China roses and forget-me-nots as blue as the (sadly) cloudless sky. Walk in through the large wrought iron gates and you'll smell the incense immediately, mingling with damp earth in a lavish, luscious fragrance. 

Carefully laid pathways criss-cross the length and breadth of the cemetery and are moss covered, with little stone benches placed strategically under the shade of beeches and peepals. And although the place is deserted today, there’s no doubt that it’s cared for devotedly.

We wander through the well-tended graves, past a pretty Frangipani that watches over Angela Raphael, mother and wife; further in, Ruth Leonore Malik rests in a tomb fashioned after a four poster bed, with pillars constructed at every corner and vines climbing around.

A bit morbid? Perhaps. But it's also undeniable pretty, a space of eternal sleep in a city that never seems to rest.

Getting there: Christian cemetery, Prithviraj Road, near Khan Market, 7 am to 7 pm, entry free.

Just Around the Coroner

And if at the end of an hour in a cemetery you feel the urge to, um, reproduce, we suggest you walk down Pandara Road to the Masjid Nursery recommended to us by the sous chef at Smokehouse Grill. Here is where Hanisha Singh buys the seeds for her own potted herb garden at home, little sachets that will sprout basil, thyme, dill and parsley, as well as pretty terracotta earthenware to pot them in. There's also tall bamboo and baby bonsais, and everything you need to start up a balcony garden - plant stands, earthen pots, potting soil, organic manure, seeds and saplings. Plus, they do home delivery!

Getting there: Masjid Nursery, Pandara Road, 23381808, seed sachets for various herbs priced between Rs 100 and Rs 150, entry free.