‘Delhi is not about Lutyens’, it’s much more’

The revolt of 1857 was not just a turning point in the history of India, but it also shaped the city of Delhi, said Swapna Liddle, author of ‘Chandni Chowk: The Mughal City of Delhi’. Liddle, speaking at the Times Litfest Delhi on Saturday, went on to talk about the transfer of power from Agra to Delhi during the Mughal reign. “The Battle of Patparganj plays a significant role in the shifting of power to Delhi.It is highlighted by the fact that there is a memorial in Noida commemorating the battle,” Liddle pointed out.
Sohail Hashmi, a heritage walker who was among the earliest scholars to specialise in ethics and international relations, said Delhi has an undeniably rich history. In 1940, Delhi had a population of about 9 lakh. After the Partition, while one-third of the city’s population moved to Pakistan, over 6 lakh people migrated to the capital. Earlier, the most-spoken language here was Urdu but post-1947, it became Punjabi whereas now it is Bhojpuri and Maithili. This shows the multiculturalism of Delhi. This city always accepts people,” he said.
Highlighting the fact that New Delhi is not about Lutyens’ but way more than that, Liddle said that after the Partition, Delhi grew at an enormous rate. “The city was divided in districts and a lot of colonies were built after Independence. People migrated to the city to look for opportunities each day. This probably is because we failed to develop our smaller towns and the migration to metropolis compromised each other’s standard of life, said Liddle.
Hashmi highlighted the contribution of Sufi values and poet Amir Khusro’s works to enhance the culture of Delhi. “The Mughals built 13 gates in Delhi. A 14th one was later built by the British. Architecture was always the strong point of the Mughal Empire and it added to the development of Delhi as a city,” Hashmi added.