aRTICLE | Culture of Delhi
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 Pooja Upadhyay| Reporter
t 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
40 May 2022 | www.urbanupdate.in
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, fivestar 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
