Walk through Kashmiri Gate today & the place is a thriving market for automobile parts, old shops selling all kinds of hardware, including guns! It is hard to imagine how it would have looked three centuries ago. I study in the same neighbourhood & every time I walk through it I wonder about its evolution. The traces of the past are everywhere to see: old lodges with colonial architecture, shops with English names, remains of some Mughal monuments. Our heritage walk this Sunday, gave me an opportunity to share my thoughts & questions with an enthusiastic audience. (more…)

‘Hauz Khas is so large that an arrow cannot be shot from one side to the other’ wrote Timur, who raided Delhi in the 14^th century. It is ironical that he defeated the Tughluq ruler & hastened the end of the dynasty, but was full of praise for buildings erected by the same dynasty. He camped at Hauz Khas, prayed in the mosque at Kotla Firuz Shah and wrote all about it in his memoirs.

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This Sunday morning was a spent rambling around the historic street of Chandni Chowk. Our heritage walks here focus on discovering discreet phenomenon which were responsible for shaping up this place the way we see it today. Shahjahanabad has seen affluence and as well as the crises of the Mughal Empire. Further, the creeping in of British influence is also evident in the Mughal capital city.  (more…)

Lodi Garden is quite a treat to explore. An easy walking terrain, picturesque monuments, birds & trees keep the senses engaged & if you are lucky, you might come across a hilarious photography session too! Our heritage walk here looks at the history of the buildings and the park.  (more…)

The ruins of Jahanpanah are a curious lot. Not much survives of the famed capital city of Mohammad Tughluq. A cluster of buildings in south Delhi near Kalu Sarai, locally known as Vijay Mandal, are believed to be the remains of Jahanpanah. Our heritage walk in this complex explores the stories of this city of Delhi.  (more…)