Delhi: Reflection of India

Known to be named after Raja Dhilu, a king who reigned in the region in the 1st century BCE, the city of Delhi wears many titles – the City of Djinns, DilwalonkiDilli, Life of the world. Although, dust and smog have taken space of sparrows and stars, the city continues to charm people with its rich heritage, history, culture, and opportunities.

It was during 8th to 12th Century, under the rule of TomaraRajputs, that Delhi first became the capital of a kingdom. British colonisers, after redesigning a part of the city, named it ‘New Delhi’ and declared it as the capital of Imperial India in 1911. It was formally inaugurated in 1931. Since then, there remains an obscure division of the city between old and new, which also reflects the architectural and cultural aspects. The trials and tribulations of the city, however, began from 1947, after being declared as the capital of independent India – with a major influx of population from the entire subcontinent. Thus, Delhi is a fusion of religions and cultures from across India along with coalescence of old traditional values and strong forces of modernisation.

Lutyen’s Delhi

The Rajpath, India Gate, RashtrapatiBhawan remain major attractions for tourists, students, and architects, for its history and unique hybrid-design (Indo and western classic) in the part of Delhi that was famously designed by Edward Lutyens, nearly a century ago. The parks around the India Gate, however are one of the favorite places for locals. They turn into a picnic place for residents and tourists by evening and one can spot children and elders playing all kinds of games, mingling with each other, enjoying the open horizon, the monuments, and the street food. Early morning rides to India Gate is a popularly treasured experience amongst high school and bachelor students for freshly brewed, hot tea from local stalls and beautiful sunrise.
Home to plenty of well-developed, large parks like Lodhi Garden, Sunder Nursery, Nehru Park, and reserved forest areas like Sanjay Van, the city has witnessed a rapid rise in development of small parks across various colonies and areas. Such small parks, now equipped with open gyms are managed by municipal corporations and have created a new culture of children visiting parks daily for play, and elders getting together for exercise, gossip and laughter.
There is much more to New Delhi than large complexes, malls, five-star hotels, government offices, and politicians’ residences. Famous for its Georgian-style architecture, the buildings of ConnaughtPlace in New Delhi, a sprawling circular market is a shoppers’ paradise, and a foodie’s haven, and receives fairly large footfallsevery day. Central Park in Connaught Place, where there was a time when movies and live cricket matches were displayed on screen, is now a place for college musicians and theatre groups.

Old Delhi

Old Delhi, with its origins dating back to the time of the Mughals,is not only home to incredible sites like Red Fort or Jama Masjid, but also busy lanes that lead one to ages old housing structures, shops and eateries. The hustle bustle in the interconnected lanes of old Delhi is different from that of usual city traffic.
Although, canals and tree-lined passageways of ‘PuraniDilli’ have disappeared and all that now remains are windowless hovels and dangling power cables, the place still offers a glimpse of its early days with the help of the names of areas and multiple lanes, such as Behram Khan Tiraha, GaliTanras Khan, and GaliBaradari Sher Afghan. Each name has its own story, dating as long back as to Tughlaqs and Mughals. One of such lanes in Chawri Bazaar is a lane called ‘Galli QasimJaan’ in area known as ‘Ballimaran’, which dearly holds the memories of the revered Hakim Ajmal Khan in form of famed HindustaniDawakhana and Sharif Manzil. Majorly lost in history pages as a co-founder of Indian National Congress and leader of Khilafat movement, Ajmal Khan remains alive in the stories of locals who have resided there for generations. Entitled ‘Massiha-e-Hind’, stories dictate that Khan would diagnose illness with only a look on the patient’s face. Perhaps, it is in remembrance of Khan that Ballimaran houses multiple medical clinics and diagnostics centres.
This part of Delhi is old not only in terms of its architecture, lane names, but also in its traditions and culture. Afzal Zabi, a resident of Chawri Bazaar for over 20 years now, said that he sees a reflection of pre-partition India in old Delhi. He notes that religion in the area is only for sake of their names, for every family and individual celebrates Diwali, Eid-ul-fitr, and Gurunanak Jayanti together, with equal pomp and show. During Dusshera-Diwali and Eid-ul-fitr, ‘Mela’ is hosted on the grounds of Red Fort and each and every lane of old Delhi turns into a festival spot for residents as they are lined with food stalls, toy sellers, and small rides for children. He says, “Independence Day, which has now turned to a holiday for most, is celebrated as a festival in their area – sweets are distributed, patriotic songs are played on speaker, sky is overcrowded with kites.”Even though, the streets of Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazar are over-run with stores of different kinds, locals remain in touch with its history, heritage and tradition.
Currently, Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi houses India’s biggest wholesale market where a shopper or a retailer will find anything and everything at dirt-cheap prices. On the surface, the place seems convoluted and difficult to navigate, but the market is meticulously divided into different sections in accordance with the products. Even inside the cloth market in Chandni Chowk, separate areas house shops selling different kinds of clothing or related products. Separate markets lie in the larger area for electronic items, medical equipment, books, spices, etc. One would see retailers carrying goods from the market in their trucks, vans, or by themselves through metro or bus. The crowd of Chandni Chowk market is an apt representation of the demography of Delhi – people of every age group, class, religion, region in large numbers.

Taste of Delhi

The city is inhabited by people from all religions and regions of India, who brought their own unique sets of history, culture and cuisines, making it the ‘mini-India’. Being the capital of India, the city houses administrative centres of each and every state for administrative purposes. These centres, mainly located in the Chanakyapuri region, have canteens that serve dishes exclusive to that particular state.From LadakhiLaphing at MajnukaTeela to Lucknowi and Hyderabadi Biryani near Jama Masjid, from Dosai at SaravanaBhavan to Rajbhog at Bengali Sweet House, Delhi offers it all.
A walk through old Delhi is incomplete without treasuring different kinds of delicious food that it offers. A shop named ‘Old Famous Jalebi Wala’ in Dariba Kalan in Chandni Chowk serves one of the most loved desserts of India, Jalebi, with sweet sugary syrup and fresh rabri. Daulat ki Chaat in Kinari Bazaar, Natraj Dahi Bhalla in Kucha Mahajani, Qureshi Kebab Corner near Jama Masjid, all kinds of stuffed paranthas in Parathewaligalli, etc. Inspite of the unending varieties, Delhiites majorly survive on shikanji, golgappe, kulhad lassi, kachori, pakode, chole bhature, and momos.In a peculiar, yet enthralling manner, foods served in Delhi are known to be a combination of its authentic flavor and the flavor of Delhi. Throughout history, Delhi is known to have been bruised seven times and rebuilt eight times. The City continued surviving against all odds and now stands as the main political, cultural and commercial empire of India. There were a total of 14 walled gates that protected the cityin the beginning. Five of them, Ajmeri Gate, Lahori Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Delhi Gate, and Turkman Gate still stand tall bearing evidence to the resilience and strength of the city. The people here have created a culture of their own from the bits of culture brought into the city from across the nation, and this culture is continuously evolving because it remains exposed to modernisation, new architecture, and globalisation as it is the centre of India.