Delhi was once a
paradise,
Such peace had abided
here;
But they have ravished
its name and pride,
Remain now only ruins
and care.
- Bahadur Shah Zafar
Last month I read two contrasting books about Delhi. The
first one was Twilight in Delhi (Rupa,
2007-first published in 1940) by Ahmed Ali (1910-1994) and the second one was Perpetual city-A short biography of Delhi (Aleph,
2013 by Malvika Singh). The former is already established as a classic and
should be on the must read list of anyone who is interested in understanding
the history of the heritage city. It beautifully captures the way of life in
the erstwhile city of Shahjanabad (what we now call as Old Delhi) in the period
before India’s independence. Ahmed Ali (who was one of the four contributor’s
to the path-breaking collection of short stories-Angarey which lead to the establishment of All India Progressive Writer’s
Association) wrote the book in 1939 and it was first published by Hogarth
Press, England with strong support of literary giants like E.M. Forster and
Virginia Woolf. And after reading the book it is easy to understand the reason
behind their nod. The story revolves around the life of a typical feudal
gentleman, Mir Nihal, and his family which stays in a large house in one of the
bylanes of Mohallah Niyaryan in Shahjanabad. The focus is around the marriage of Mir Nihal’s youngest son Asghar
to Bilqeece against his father’s wishes and
her subsequent succumbing to an epidemic and its aftermath but it is the
description and capturing of the finer nuances of the daily life of that era
that elevate the book to a classic. Like all classics, its pace is gentle and
those used to fast pace narratives would find the going slow. But the key is to
persist and soon you will soon find yourself completely absorbed in the trials
and tribulations of Mir Nihal and his extended family. At one level, the novel
makes you sad as well as post-partition that way of life all but disappeared. There
may still be proponents of activities like ‘flying pigeons’ and ‘kite flying’ left
in old Delhi but these are more of a novelty now rather than a part of the
daily routine as it used to be earlier. The book is interspersed with couplets
by masters like Ghalib, Mir Taqi Mir, Bhadur Shah Zafar and Hafiz and this adds
to the flavor of that bygone era. Also it is one of the few books which have a
description of the procession of coronation of King George in December 1911
when the capital was shifted to Delhi from Calcutta. Mir Nihal sits on the
stairs of Jama Masjid and look at the procession coming out of the Red fort lamenting
the decline of the Mughal Empire and cursing the ‘Farangis’.
After Twilight in
Delhi (TID) ,Perpetual City by
Malvika Singh (publisher –Seminar) was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe the
disappointment was on account of comparison
with TID at a sub-conscious level or maybe because the format of the series (~ 125 pages in A5 size)
is such that it is difficult to do full
justice to the rich history of the
capital.It is a part of a series of brief biographies of various cities
published by Aleph (other cities covered include Caclutta,Bombay,Chennai and
Patna) and the author is a well know authority on Delhi (having authored 3
previous books on Delhi).The book is her personal account of stay in Delhi
(where her parents moved from Bombay in the 50s) and it begins where TID ends.
The author has inter-woven her personal experiences over the years with the
changes she has seen in the city and the prominent personalities she met. Being
herself an eminent citizen of Delhi (she is married amongst the
First Families of New Delhi-to the grandson of Sir Sobha Singh who
constructed most of the landmark buildings of New Delhi),the book has an
upper-middle class skew but still people who have been staying in the capital
post the 50 s should be able to identify with the vignettes of daily life in the city described in the book (The Steakhouse and the
Bookshop in Jor Bagh, Greens caterers , Ginza restaurant , Super bazaar, MR stores ,Coffee house in Connaught
place and not to forget the only bookstore-Galgotias) and how the city
gradually changed over the last 50 years.Many of these prominent landmarks
disappeared over the time (Super bazaar) but many survived the onslaught of
time (The Book shop) or diversified in a
different field (Galgotias) to keep up with the times.Also the flip side it
that being from such an eminent family she had access to various official
functions of the state including those for visiting foreign dignitaries and to
all the political shenanigans and these add value of the book. I particularly liked her
description of the interior of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
So where does Delhi go from here? It is already the leading
metropolis in India. It is also a city which is continuously expanding and it
is inevitable that we embrace changes
which come along with this growth.But let us not forget its rich heritage and take all possible
steps to preserve the same and make the new generation aware of the legacy they
are going to inherit. Towards the end the author writes that “she looks forward
to passing on the experiences of her life to her grandchildren, as a
counterpoint to all-consuming,cold and impersonal internet of their present and
future.Both have a place.The best of both should be exploited and shared.” I
could not agree more with her.
