Intending to give Delhi an image overhaul, Choudhury — who was wooed by a Frenchman in her younger days — said it will be designed as a one stop shop for fun and a haunt for jet setters. Plans are already afoot to set up night bazaars, and all-night cafes. Unlike Dilli Haat, which has the stamp of babudom, Choudhury wants upmarket stuff.

Mrs. Choudhury said the Tourism Ministry should organise special evenings over dinner at the monuments. She feels barring entry to these monuments should be dumped to enable people to visit monuments at night. “Why can’t people visit historical sites during a full moon or simply order dinner in Humayun’s Tomb?” she asks. So a visit to the Qutub Minar need not necessarily be a conducted tour by ill-informed guides but an elegant evening that would capture the ambience while recounting history.

But Delhi will not be robbed of its traditional character. Underlining plans to revive the lost glory of Chandni Chowk and India Gate, Choudhury said that buggies on Rajpath would be a common sight. The sound and light shows would be fine-tuned too. “I see no reason why we cannot recreate the era. I want to see the man selling potato chips dressed in period costumes,” she said.