Yeh Sheher Nahi Mehfil Hai

Exploring Delhi on foot.

May 08, 2023

What can I say about Delhi that hasn’t been said before? I’m not sure. I don’t know enough history to wow you with facts you didn’t know. But I have walked the city, my city, a fair bit, and still have a lot left to explore.

For those of us who have grown up here, or grown into the city, there is a tendency to romanticize it. The stately architecture of the Mughal monuments and Lutyen’s Delhi; the public parks that come alive in spring and winter; the mouth-watering street food - from momos and chaat to chhole-bhature and kebabs. And yet, the city seldom lets you ‘settle.’ It is ever-evolving, with myriad hues and moods, but few residents will identify as ‘dilliwalas,’ often regarded as an insult rather than a matter of pride. The city inhabits both heart and hatred, and perhaps it’s the romanticization of it as dilwalon ki dilli that allows long-term residents to cope with everything else it represents.

“...the people who move through the streets are all strangers. At each encounter, they imagine a thousand things about one another; meetings which could take place between them, conversations, surprises, caresses, bites. But no one greets anyone; eyes lock for a second, then dart away, seeking other eyes, never stopping...something runs among them, an exchange of glances like lines that connect one figure with another and draw arrows, stars, triangles, until all combinations are used up in a moment, and other characters come on to the scene... ”

― Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Delhi is so many things at once — a microcosm of diverse cultures, identities, and spaces. It is brutal, like its extreme weather, but also resilient, like its people. There’s a certain level of aggression in the air, human interactions often lack authenticity, and misuse of power is common. But then you walk into a bed of Semal flowers in spring, watch Amaltas flowers take over the city in peak summer, are occasionally blessed with delightful weather, and you can’t help but soften and marvel at the beauty that is this city.

I grew up in Delhi, so for me, it’s home. It has seen me in different phases of life, holds countless memories, has given me friends, kept me company in empty moments, and made me me. No matter where I go, Delhi is where I return.

“You take delight not in a city's seven or seventy wonders, but in the answer it gives to a question of yours.”

― Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

One of my early newsletters (#3: Whereabouts) covered some hidden wonders of the city. Since then, I’ve done a handful of organized walks led by Delhi-lovers in an effort to see it through their eyes, but also explore areas I hadn’t visited in a long time or never before. In this newsletter, I touch upon some of these places and experiences.

The Forgotten Summer Palace

Walking the streets of Mehrauli feels like walking through any other urban village of Delhi - and there are so many. Narrow kuchcha lanes, remnants of old monuments at the most inconspicuous places, a little bit of history, a little bit of mystery.

“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.”

― Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Mehrauli is one of the seven medieval cities that make up present-day Delhi. It is home to Qutub Minar but has many other monuments worth exploring, including the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Zafar Mahal, and Dada Badi Jain Mandir.

I visited Adham Khan’s tomb and Zafar Mahal with Anas Khan of Unzip Delhi. Anas does heritage walks every weekend, and if not for him, I may not have visited Zafar Mahal. Hidden in the inner alleys of Mehrauli, it is the last summer palace of the Mughal era. It was built initially by Akbar and later Bahadur Shah Zafar ll, and currently lies in ruins. Apparently, Zafar loved this place so much that he wanted to be buried here, next to the famous Dargah of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki. He even wrote a couplet about it while imprisoned in Rangoon (now Yangon) before he died:

Kitna hai badnaseeb Zafar
Dafn ke liye
Do gaz zameen bhi
Mil na saki kuye yaar mein

Although there isn’t much to see here, it still makes for a nice place to spend a quiet afternoon as it has little footfall. The intricate carvings on the walls of the Mahal reminded me of the Paigah tombs in Hyderabad (I wrote about this in issue #11) and it was lovely to see something similar in Delhi.

Persian Mysticism and Ancient Ruins

A more popular part of Mehrauli (outside the Qutub Minar complex) is the Mehrauli Archeological Park. It consists of over 100 historically significant monuments (only 40 of which have been restored so far), including the Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb and Rajon Ki Baoli, both of which I explored with Delhinama, another heritage walk initiative.

Jamali, an alias for Shaikh Fazlu'llah or Shaikh Jamali Kamboh, was a renowned Sufi saint and poet during the Lodhi and Mughal dynasties. The name ‘Jamali’ originates from ‘Jamal,’ which means beauty in Urdu, and his poetry was steeped in Persian mysticism. Kamali was an unknown person, believed to be his disciple and lover. The Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb contains their graves and folklore has it that visitors have heard whispers and sounds of slaps, thereby deeming the place haunted.

Not far from the Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb is the beautiful Rajon ki baoli. It is named after the caretaker of the well - Rajon - by British officials for easy reference. The baoli (stepwell) lies defunct, sometimes used by children from nearby settlements to study in peace or hang out in the evening. I happened to visit it in the monsoons, and it looked magnificent, with lush green trees and moss on all sides.

Winter Feasts in Purani Dilli

No Delhi exploration is complete without visiting Old Delhi and learning about the city through its food. Last winter, I did a food walk with Delhi By Foot. From Japani samosa (which looks like a fan) and Kuliya chaat (tomato with gol gappa fillings) to Jain Fruit sandwich, I tasted street snacks I had never heard of in my 30 years of living in Delhi! The usual suspects followed - that is, copious amounts of nahari, kebabs, butter chicken, rabri, and shahi tukda - and by the end of the night, I felt like I had eaten enough for a week!

I did another walk with them during Ramzan last month and got to experience my first iftari feast at Jama Masjid. I could not have asked for better weather that day, with light rain setting the mood for the evening. There’s something so beautiful about a community gathering to break their fast together, as the sun sets quietly in the distance. Although I only fasted between brunch and dinner that day, the date, khoya samosa, and pakodas that were part of the feast hit different that evening!

The Hidden Wonders of Batla House and Zakir Nagar

My favourite Ramzan experience, however, was with Saleha, who does food walks in Jamia Nagar. Through her, I discovered the hidden gastronomical wonders of Batla House and Zakir Nagar - a neighborhood I have been meaning to explore for a long time. She brought together a small group of people who made for excellent company on an otherwise dull Friday night, and I’m itching to go back to devour all those delicacies again!

Jamia Nagar is home to many people and cultures and caters to all their needs. One can find a variety of good-quality food at cheap prices here and it is far less commercial and touristy than Old Delhi. I enjoyed the nahari, galawati kebab, mutton burra, and butter chicken here a lot more than what I had near Jama Masjid, though the highlight of the evening was Nagori chai!

Of Friends, Forts, and Flowers

As much as I like going on organized walks to discover new places and meet interesting people, nothing beats exploring a place at leisure with friends. No agenda, no hurry, just a random stroll.

Many weekends ago, a friend told me he had visited Feroz Shah Kotla Fort in the hope of meeting the djinns. I realized I’d never been there and my only association with the place was the cricket stadium next to it. So a few weeks later, I set out to explore the fort with another friend. It was a fine Saturday afternoon — flowers in full bloom, golden hour sunlight adorning the fort, and parrots chattering their way through the evening sky. There were no whispers from the djinns, and without a guide, we didn’t learn much history associated with the place, but it was a memorable evening.

The complex contains an Ashokan pillar made of sandstone that dates back to the 3rd century BC, the Jami Masjid, a baoli (stepwell), and gardens. After a few rounds of the rather well-maintained complex, we sat on the roof of one of the structures overlooking the gardens to catch up on life. Just the act of enjoying a heritage monument not as an artifact but as a place in the present brought it alive for me. And this is perhaps my favourite way of experiencing the city and its history.