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Capital Vignettes — A Peep into Delhi’s Ethos THIS book is a collection of captivating and warm pieces by R.V. Smith that have appeared in various newspapers over the years. The writer has painted a compelling, lively potrayal of the social and cultural milieu of Delhi.
Reading this book may be a walk down memory lane for some readers and for others, it may be a peep into the moods of a Mughal city much before Lutyen’s Delhi emerged. Nooks and corners of the old city are steeped in history. Begum Samroo’s palace, the haveli at Lal Kuan, the house with a roof embedded with matkas, Sohan Burj, etc., capture the interest of the reader. The concrete jungle the Capital is now once boasted of wildlife. Peacocks, blackbuck, patridges, leopards and chinkaras`A0roamed freely here. Human habitation has made wildlife extinct. What is the ethos of an old city without music? A walk down the Walled City will take you past a shop where old gramophone records hang. You will find records of a bygone era. Noor Jahan’s ‘Aawaz de kahan hai’,,K.L. Sehgal’s ‘Gham diye mustaqil’ are all available here. In the book the reader gets to meet Suraiya, a die-hard fan of Gregory Peck. Her singing brought the compositions of Ghalib alive, though she bid adieu to mosiqui decades back. A visitor can actually hear Mallika Pukhraj sing ‘Abhi to main jawan hoon’ as Begum Akhtar casts a spell with a rendering of her thumri. Urdu poetry, qawallis, ghazals and other symphonies weave an intricate tapestry for the reader. The romanticism of Delhi is seen through the eyes of the writer. One can conjure Rouse Avenuue with its curvy road; a dainty lady perched on the handlebar of a bicycle as her knight pedals with great fury, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Eyes did most of the talking as girls who had made their escapades returned home "with a thumping heart while the boys made their way to an eatery". Religious bigotry did not mar relationships in the city, as all the residents were Delhiwallahs first and Hindus and Muslims later. It was a city with a style and curtsy of its own. ‘Waliehad-e-Shaitan’ was a rude word and ‘kamina’ was the strongest rebuke one could get. Delhi has undergone a lot of transformation over the years. The Beriwallah Bagh is an isolated pocket now, the sheep trail has disappeared and the bookshops of the Urdu Bazaar are turning into eateries. Smith takes the reader on a smooth ride through Delhi. The reader roams the Walled City with lovelorn poets enjoying mujras and dastans. He gets acquainted with the Mughals and glimpses the revolt of 1857. He tastes opium and savours the sizzling curries and kebabs while being charmed by the Victorian aura. Accompanied by Tony’s sketches, it is easy to visualise Delhi as potrayed by the writer. Written in a simple language, this book proves to be a good read.
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Written with feelings of
nostalgia, this anthology is overwhelmingly successful in retaining the
sights and smells of Delhi. The city boasts of familiar landmarks and
old buildings that have their own tales to tell. A visitor can walk down
the Chor Bizzare (pun intended on bazaar) and see all the mysterious
oriental wares on display. The great Mughal builder king’s
Shahjahanabad has a life of its own. A visitor can visit the Jama Masjid,
buy jewellery at the jewellery market of Dariba and sigh at the
grandeour of the old havelis. Taste paranthas at the paranthewali gali
or hear anecdotes of the Ghantewala’s shop where the royal elephant of
Shah Alam rang a bell and demanded for his share of sweet meats.