Book description
Delhi, located at the crossroads of history, has been occupied,
abandoned and rebuilt over the centuries. It has been the capital of the
Pandavas, the Rajputs, Central Asian dynasties, the Mughals and the
British, and is best described as a melting pot of these vastly varying
traditions and customs. A galaxy of experts come together to offer fresh
perspectives on the capital city. Originally part of The Sir Sobha Singh
Memorial Lecture series organized by The Attic in collaboration with the
India International Centre and the Indian National Trust for Art and
Cultural Heritage, this updated selection explores Delhi's living
syncretic heritage. The essays illuminate unknown and fascinating
aspects of the city's history. We learn, for instance, how Sir Sobha
Singh transplanted Delhi's two foundation stones by bullock-cart in the
stealth of the night from Kingsway Camp to Raisina Hill. In a different
departure, archival records point to the fundamental ecological
miscalculation in the British choice of trees to line the avenues of
Imperial New Delhi. Place names, part of the cultural fabric of a city,
unearth a vanishing history of Delhi, while the contrasting history of
Sufi shrines draws attention to the spiritual masters, the pirs, and
their search for truth. This open-mindedness is reflected in the letters
and public proclamations issued from the Mughal court in the Delhi
uprising of 1857. These were emphatically religious, yet inclusive of
both Hindus and Muslims. In our time a different take on the reality of
refugee and resettlement colonies shows the blindness of the city's
civic planners, and reveals who was making and who was breaking the city
in the twentieth century. As the centre of political power for
centuries, many great artists, poets and musicians found patronage at
the royal courts of Delhi. The city has been home to a rich tradition of
classical music-both the Sufi traditions of Central Asia and the darbari
(courtly) style explore the development of the rich Delhi gharana
tradition, as well as the birth, growth, banishment and reinvention of
the language of Delhi over centuries. The many peoples who made Delhi
their home through the centuries have all contributed to the creation
and development of a sumptuous cuisine noted for its rich variety.
Celebrating Delhi takes you on a journey, both varied and unexpected.
