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Hindol
Year 3, No. 3

Editorial Team :
Chittaranjan Pakrashi, Jayanti Chattopadhyay,
Maitrayee Sen, Ajanta Dutt, Nandan Dasgupta

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October 2011

E-46, Greater Kailash-I,

New Delhi-48
ohetuk.sabha@gmail.com

ISSN 0976-0989

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Artists:
Raja Ravi Varma
Bimal Dasgupta
Shanu Lahiri
Pulak Biswas
Jyotirmoy Ray
Photo Credits :
Madhumita Dasgupta
Arjun Dasgupta


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The only definition that can be given

of morality is this:
that which is selfish is immoral,
and that which is unselfish is moral.
Swami Vivekananda
'Karma Yoga'

This issue of
HINDOL
is sponsored
by

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The Bengalis of Delhi

(Beyond Durga, Rosogollas & Fish)

78 Jyotirmoy Ray

Delhi - The City of Birds

85 Sumita Sengupta

Book Review

Translations of Tagore Songs

48 Ajanta Dutt
49 Maitrayee Sen

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The section on Delhi (July, 2011) is delightful - a melange of
memories, literary references and architectural history. Perhaps you
could keep a slot in every issue for a piece on Delhi - it will not be
at all difficult.
With best wishes,
10.8.2011

Narayani Gupta
New Delhi

In the letters to the Editor (July, 2011), one gentleman has made
some remarks, presumably targeting my Ghare-Baire essay (April,
2011) among others, about the absence of novelty and freshness in
articles on a particular novel or story which read like examination
answers. That is a bit humbling since I thought I had said something
new about an old text. Of course, the aforesaid gentleman claims to
have read Rabindranath and criticism on Rabindranath so thoroughly
and so many times that he has achieved a final and complete
understanding. Enviable feat!
Shirshendu Chakraborty
11.8.2011
New Delhi

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I think I have constructed the Poem on the most rigid principles and
even a French critic would not find fault with me. Perhaps the
episode of Sita's abduction (Fourth Book) should not have been
admitted since it is scarcely connected with the progress of the Fable.
But would you willingly part with it? Many here look upon that
Book as the best among the five, though Jotindra and his school
call the Book III - Promila's entry into the city - "The most
magnificent."

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When Raama fights and is
victorious in Lanka, Seeta does not
see it; she is a prisoner in the Asoka
forest. She has to be content with
listening to reports of the battle and
of the prowess of her lord. But
Jataayu's devotion and heroism
Seeta saw with her own eyes in the
Dandaka forest. Unarmed, he
opposed the Raaakshasa who had
all his weapons and armour, and
humbled his pride at the cost of his
own life. Jataayu's battle with
Raavana is more important than
the battles at Lanka.
PHOTO : ARJUN DASGUPTA

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PAINTING : RAJA RAVI VARMA

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SKETCH : PULAK BISWAS

48

...
days that are so far from now, when we swung beneath the boughs
our swing entwined with blossoms thus was wrought
these moments of passing time, these small and fragile memories,
when you woke up were they the dreams you sought?
Have you forgot, have you forgot, have you forgot?
in the breeze of yesterday, it was there for you to see,
delirious joys from my heart, revealing my thoughts of thee,
in the layers of the sky, strewn about ever so free,
was your matchless smile that I have sought;
Have you forgot, have you forgot, have you forgot?
the path on which I did alight, oh it was on a full moon night,
the moon had 'risen on the horizon
a meeting thus did happen, between our two selves there and then,
will that wondrous hour ever come back againthe moon had 'risen on the horizon
but now I know, there isn't time - no more,
and I alone will have to bear our parting pains evermore;
this rakhi that I tie to your heart-strings as before,
let it remain upon you forever caught;
Have you forgot, have you forgot, have you forgot?
(Translation : Ajanta Dutt)

M, 1418

49

+ ...

SKETCH : SHANU LAHIRI

into this enchanted garden

this quiet abode of my heart
come Thou
the joyful
the ever radiant one
turn Thy tender loving gaze upon me
So that I may forget all my pains and sorrows;
and abide in my aching heart
ever longing for Thee
fill my nights and my days
with Thy grace, Beloved
and make meaningful this futile life on earth
let my heart brim over
with the divine strains of thy eternal melody
and my life resonate to that glorious music
night and day
forever
(Translation : Maitrayee Sen)

M, 1418

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Indian Years
I was greatly pleased with my first impressions of Viceregal
Lodge and grounds which were only strengthened by time...
The gardens and views were lovely, especially the rose garden
and herbaceous border. For these I give full credit to Lady Minto,
who had planned them all.

M, 1418

55

56

Simla is an extraordinary place built on a hogback ridge with
bungalows on the sloping sides. There was only one main road
along the ridge and on this road were collected all the Government
buildings, the church, hotels, shops, schools, etc. The officials
inhabited very comfortable houses on the slopes. Locomotion
was very restricted and no motor-cars or carriages were allowed
except for the Viceroy, Commander-in-Chief and the Governor
of the Punjab. The rest of the Simla world went in rickshaws....
There was a great deal of tennis, polo and other matches at
Annandale, but at the same time it was a place of hard work
in the Government offices, and I do not think the Government
of India would be able to carry on unless they were able to go
to Simla or elsewhere for the hot weather.

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Ugrasen Ki Baoli : Getting there: Turn into Hailey
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PHOTO : ARJUN DASGUPTA
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M, 1418

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60

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M, 1418

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62

Nizamuddin Baoli : Getting there : The entrance is from Lodi Road, very near the
Blue tiled mosque at the Humayun's tomb crossing.
PHOTO : MADHUMITA DASGUPTA

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M, 1418

Ferozabad Baoli : Getting there : Coming from Delhi Gate towards ITO, watch out
for the entrance on the left. There are adequate signages.
PHOTO : ARJUN DASGUPTA

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M, 1418

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64

Hindu Rao Baoli : Getting there:

Follow the metro line from the
Kashmere Gate station beyond Tis
Hazari (one station) and take a right
on Rani Jhansi Marg. The road will
wind up at Hindu Rao Hospital after
crossing Fatehgarh Memorial and
Ashoka Pillar on the right.
PHOTO : MADHUMITA DASGUPTA

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M, 1418

Gandhak Ki Baoli : Getting there: Approach Mehrauli village keeping Qutab Minar
on your left. After the Bus terminal, take a left into the village. The Baoli is about a
hundred metres on the left, with biryani shops on the right.
PHOTO : ARJUN DASGUPTA

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M, 1418

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66

Rajon Ki Baoli (Sukhi Baoli) : Getting there: A few yards beyond the Gandhak Ki
Baoli take a left (it would be good to ask for the turn towards Jamali Kamali) into the
Archaeological Park. The park starts beyond some hutments with a dirt track which
soon becomes a pathway. There is no signage saying this is the Park, but there are
signages showing directions for the monuments. The Rajon Ki Baoli is about 400
metres from the main road. You can also enter the park from the Gurgaon road side
but it's a longer walk.
PHOTO : ARJUN DASGUPTA

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M, 1418

Ramakrishna Puram Baoli :

Getting there: Coming down
Ring Road from AIIMS
towards Dhaulan Kuan turn
left after Bhikaji Cama Place.
After the crossing, turn right
into Sector 5 through Gate no.
5. The road curves right. After
turning, keep your eyes peeled
to the left.
PHOTO : MADHUMITA DASGUPTA

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M, 1418

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68

Red Fort Baoli : Getting there:

There are adequate signages once
you have crossed the bazaar at the
mouth of the entrance.
PHOTO : MADHUMITA DASGUPTA

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there: There are adequate
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entered the Fort, which lies
adjacent to the Zoo.
PHOTO : MADHUMITA DASGUPTA

M, 1418

69
Subhadra Sen Gupta
Safdarjung Enclave,
New Delhi

The Bengalis of Delhi

(Beyond Durga, Rosogollas & Fish)

The gentleman in a thin lucknawi kurta-pyjama leans back in a

ratty cane armchair and recites a couplet in chaste Urdu in praise
of the kababs from the back lanes of Ballimaran.

Another man taps out the tobacco from his pipe into an ashtray
and with a reminiscent smile says, "Hmmm... the best pineapple
fresh cake I've ever had was in 1942 at the Davicos restaurant in
Simla."

The matronly lady, greying hair pulled back into a severe bun,
wipes her turmeric stained hands on her crumpled dhonekhali sari,
pops a paan into her mouth and exclaims, "Aha! The hilsa from
the Padma River! You can't imagine how delicious it tastes when
steamed in mustard and green chillies."
Different though they may sound, they do have some things in
common. They are all Bengalis and they are all settled in Delhi. In
the wedding cards of West Bengal these families are always
specifically categorised as 'Probashi Bangali' - those living sort of in
exile, outside the hallowed borders of Amar Bangla.
You may have noticed that the three are waxing ecstatically lyrical
about food. Whatever your Bengali friends may say about their deep
involvement in culture, however passionately they may argue about
politics or the weather forecast, if you want to touch the Bengali heart,
just talk eloquently about food.
The Bengalis of Delhi - 'Bongs' for short. If you try to put them
into a stereotypical slot of a thin man clad in dhoti-kurta and glasses

M, 1418

70

The Bengalis of Delhi

haggling over fish in a terrible Bengali-accented Hindi, a big

proportion won't fit the bill. The Bengalis have retained many common
cultural and ritualistic traditions but the contrasts in lifestyles, social
inclinations and especially their attitudes towards the city can be
surprisingly diverse.
One of the easiest ways to track down the presence of Bengalis
in a locality is through the celebration of a Durga Puja. The first Durga
Puja was held in Delhi as far back as 1842 by one Majumdar of
Rajshahi, full name unknown. While Bahadur Shah Zafar reigned over
a dying Mughal empire from the Red Fort and Ghalib was composing
ghazals in Gali Qasim Jaan, some Bengalis were praying to Durga
somewhere in the Old City. So Bengalis were among the citizens of
Delhi who were swept up by the Uprising of 1857.
The first wave of Bengalis into Delhi did not bring Rabindra
Sangeet and rosogollas with them. Instead they came with a rare
temperament of adventure and enterprise. In the 19th century, leaving
Bengal was disapproved of for both social and religious reasons. You
could lose your caste and be ostracized for your act of rebellion but
still a generation of young men ventured into North India primarily
as professional administrators and teachers. The best among them were
employed in the royal durbars of Rajasthan. For instance, one of the
roads of present day Jaipur is named after Sansar Chandra Sen, who
was an illustrious Diwan of the royal house of the city.
It was the next generation of Probashi Bengalis who really spread
across North India. The younger sons of these court officials who could
not inherit their father's positions and other family members moved
out to other towns as professionals - as doctors, lawyers, bureaucrats
and teachers. The dilapidated bungalows with huge, unkempt gardens
that stand crumbling in the sun in Kanpur and Allahabad still contain
remnants of these families.
The first wave of Bengalis into Delhi settled in the galis of Chandni
Chowk, and at Daryagunj, Ajmere Gate and Timarpur. Among them
Hem Chandra Sen was the first of a long line of Bengali physicians
in the city and he was a remarkably enterprising man. He established
The Indian Medical Hall, Delhi's first medical store and the IMH Press,
which celebrated its centenary in 1983. The road on which they both
stood is named after H.C. Sen and at the Fountain, just across the

M, 1418

The Bengalis of Delhi

One of the Mutiny Memorials in

front of the G.P.O. (On the way from
Red Fort to Kashmere Gate)
This was a gate to the British
Magazine that was attacked during
the 1857 Uprising. The upper tablet
"placed here by the Government of
India" commemorates the British
personnel who died defending the
Magazine. Apology on the lower
tablet added by the independent
Government of India:
'The Persons described as Rebels
and Mutineers in the above
Inscription were Indian Members of
the Army in the service of the East
Indian Company trying to overthrow
the Foreign Government.'
A similar apology tablet appears at
the Fategarh Memorial (right) near
the north campus of the Delhi
University, where the word found
objectionable in the original
inscription is 'Enemy'.
PHOTO : MADHUMITA DASGUPTA

square from the press is Annapurna, the oldest Bengali sweet shop in
Delhi.
With each succeeding generation these Bengalis lost touch with
Bengal and merged deeper into the life of Delhi. For them it was more
important to assimilate into the culture of Shahjahanabad than turn
nostalgic about the banks of the Ganga at Tribeni. Intermarriage with

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71

The Bengalis of Delhi

other probashi Bengali families also played a part. There is a story,

may be apocryphal, of one such wedding in which when the baraat
arrived, the groom came riding a white horse!
The present generation exhibits a proud and possessive air about
the city. They are Dilliwallas first and Bengalis later. Their Hindustani
is chaste and idiomatic while their spoken Bengali is often sprinkled
with Hindi and Urdu words. When they go to Calcutta they find it
difficult to comprehend the street slang of Tollygunje but they have
no problem in exchanging banter with a rickshawalla in Hauz Qazi.
With remarkable loyalty they all congregate once a year at the
Durga Puja of Kashmere Gate. It is the oldest puja in town and
celebrated its centenary in 2010. Kashmere Gate has a slow motion,
serene, zamindari air and they don't play raucous Bengali film songs
on the mike. The members of the Bengali Club of Kashmere Gate
who organise the events can often trace back three generations of
involvement with it. In the pandal the men at the bookstall and the
sweetshop know the
families by name and at
the food stall the
fragrant biryani is
cooked by the chefs of
Chandni Chowk in
giant, battered handis.
Many of the families
have shifted to South
Delhi but they travel
across the city every day
to be at Kashmere Gate
for the morning anjali
and the evening arati.
After all, to belong to
the Bengali aristocracy
of Purani Dilli is a
serious matter.
In the 1910's when
Dr. Aprokash Chandra
Sen was probably
BIMAL DASGUPTA

72

M, 1418

The Bengalis of Delhi

visiting his patients in a horse drawn buggy, another wave of Bengalis

arrived in Delhi in the administrative baggage train of the British. This
was after the capital of the Angrez Raj had been shifted from Calcutta
to Delhi in 1911. They were the babus - the back bone of the British
government at the Central Secretariat, railways, postal services and
they were settled in the rows of white washed squares built around
Gole Market in Lutyen's spanking new capital city of New Delhi.
It must have been a drastic change from life in Calcutta and there
was also the yearly uprooting of hearth and home that couldn't have
been easy. For in the winter months the government would operate
from Delhi but every April the whole unwieldy apparatus would be
shifted to Simla. The Purani Dilli Bengalis still call them "ShimlayDilli" in an affectionate but slightly disparaging reference to this
vagabond existence. They were acceptable after a while but they were
not really Dilliwallas you know...
For the "Shimlay-Dilli" lot life was centred at Irwin Road, Albert
and Havelock Square; window shopping at Queen's Way and watching
films at Regal and Odeon. Their ties with Bengal were stronger, with
families dutifully going back on home leave. This was the time when
Delhi developed the habit of judging you by the locality you lived in.
You just had to mention that you were living at Dalhousie Square and
the listener immediately knew your salary, designation and probably
even the colour of the curtains in your living room!
For the vanishing generation of these people the summer months
in Simla remain in memories as idyllic walks on hill paths, of
rhododendrons, strawberries and apples plucked off trees. Eyes turn
nostalgic about "Chhoto Shimlay", strolling on the Mall, Jakko Round
and Scandal Point. Staying at cutely named houses like Prairie Lodge
and Rose Cottage. There was even a Lover's Lane where I presume
good Bengali maidens did not venture.
In my family, which was proudly Purani Dilli, my aunts studied
in Hindi at the Indraprastha School and breakfast on Sundays was aloo
sabzi, bermi and halwa. The "Shimlay" people were much more
assiduous about retaining their Bengali culture. The girls obediently
sang Rabindra Sangeet and the mashimas were deeply into mishti
making. Bengali books and magazines were available at Gole Market's
Saraswati Book Depot. The men all dreamed of ICS sons and

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73

74

The Bengalis of Delhi

emulating their burra sahibs ordered three-piece suits at Connaught

Place. There was a definite influence of English lifestyles epitomised
later by the writer Nirad Chaudhuri, whom the people of Kashmere
Gate remember as an eccentric Bengali sahib who stepped out in natty
suits even at the height of summer.
In the beginning the lifestyles of the Old and New Delhi families
were quite rigidly demarcated. The Dilliwalla ladies shopped in the
kuchas, katras and Faiz Bazaar and went for puja to the Tis Hazari
Kalibari and the Satya Narain temple across the road from the Red
Fort. Their children saw movies at Ritz and Moti and went to the
Bengali Boy's and Indraprastha Girl's schools. The Shimlay ladies
shopped at Great Eastern Stores and Mahamaya Bastralaya in Gole
Market, prayed at the Hanuman Temple on Irwin Road and the Kalibari
on Reading Road and their children went to Raisina, Union Academy
and Lady Irwin schools.
By the 1950's, in the free air of an independent nation, these strict
social boundaries were merging. People moved, the Shimlay families
forgot about going home to Bengal after the men retired, and instead
built houses in Karol Bagh. Their children, born and bred in Delhi,
married into the Old Delhi families, like my mother did. Then they
all turned and sneered together at the new Bengali entrant into Delhi
- the Bengalis who would settle in Chittaranjan Park in what was then
a remote corner of South Delhi. For families who thought Nizamuddin
and Lodi Road were too far into the wilderness, Chitto Park was totally
beyond the pale of the Delhi-Bengali civilization.
In this latest influx there was a new element. The earlier two
invasions had been predominantly of West Bengalis. So now we
happily added the "Bangal" and "Ghoti" social skirmish to the brew.
The antipathy between the two groups, which is an accepted thing in
Bengal, was now carried into Delhi. The difference in language, food
habits, traditions and even temperament are quite discernable. Chitto
Park for a superior Sen of Faiz Bazaar or a Ray of the Fountain was
on the other side of a social chasm, and the feeling was heartily
reciprocated.
Some sociologist should do a paper on this Great Bengal War. For
a West Bengali the eastern kind are "Bangals", supposedly rough, rustic
and without culture. For the East Bengalis their opponents are "Ghotis"

M, 1418

The Bengalis of Delhi

Kashmere Gate : View from what used to

be inside Shahjahanabad

Kashmere Gate (Rear)

Not very long ago, even

during the 1970s, traffic
used to pass through
these two gates. Today it
is a protected
monument. The
inscription (right) "is
placed here" by the
British Government "as
a tribute of respect" to
the dead and wounded
soldiers, including
Indian men, fighting
during the assault on
Delhi on 14th
September 1857.
PHOTO : ARJUN DASGUPTA

- effete, soft and irresponsible. (By the way 'ghoti' means a pot and I
still don't know why they were anointed with that odd name.) The
language they speak seems to reflect this too. The lingo of the east is
harsher to the ear and earthier than the mellifluous rounded vowels of
Calcutta. Food habits differ too. The Bangal understands and cooks
fish with a depth of creativity no Ghoti can match. You just need to
wander in the fish markets at Chitto Park and you'll sense the passion.
The cooking is heavier on chillies and tangier with mustard.
Temperamentally the Bangals are supposed to be more energetic
and harder working compared to the quieter natured Ghotis who have

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75

76

The Bengalis of Delhi

a deeper affinity to the softer pleasures of music, art and theatre and
a lesser capacity for entrepreneurial action. After the Partition these
differences were also mirrored in other communities of Delhi. The
Purani Dilli Mathurs reacted with the same horror at the arrival of the
Punjabis as a Majumdar from Hanuman Road did to Chitto Park - it
was the invasion of the parvenu.
Battle lines have a habit of fading. It is so with the Bengalis of
Delhi. For the generations born after Independence, Delhi is their
home. They can't go nostalgic about Khulna or Dacca. The fishermen
singing bhatiali on the Ganga or the acting of Uttam Kumar doesn't
bring sentimental tears to their eyes. They are merging smoothly into
a more cosmopolitan life. A mixture of Hindi and English is common
lingo, tee shirts and skinny jeans are preferred to tangails and the song
playing on their ipods could be Lady Gaga or Indian Ocean. Some
even have the courage to admit that they are not madly enthused by
Rabindra Sangeet.
However some things will remain Bengali forever. If two Bengali
families come into a locality they will form an association, plan a
Durga Puja and build a Kalibari. Let the number grow and so would
the associations and pujas. One of the greatest pleasures would always
be arguing vociferously about esoteric matters with endless passion any topic will do actually. They will always love books, every Bengali
house has stuffed bookcases and parents scrimp and save to buy them
for their children. They will love or hate Mamata Banerji, milder
emotions are not part of their make up and their touchy pride will
always make them spring up in indignation at imagined insults,
something that totally puzzles the more laid back Punjabis.
At the oldest Bengali temple in the city, the Tis Hazari Kalibari,
there are marble squares embedded on the floor engraved with the
names of old Bengalis who contributed to the building of the temple.
The lettering has faded under the feet of a century of devotees. Like
them the Bengali has merged and mingled into the city and become
an accepted part of its life.
(Subhadra Sen Gupta writes fiction and non-fiction for both adults
and children, often around history. She also writes travel books. A
modified version of this article was earlier published in the Indian Express.)

M, 1418

The Bengalis of Delhi

Percival Spear came to India in 1924 and joined St Stephen's College as a

lecturer of history. He left St. Stephen's in 1938 to join government service
before returning to Cambridge in 1945. He passed away in December 1982.
India Remembered was published in 1980. In one part, he recounts his
memories of the various groups of students, including the quintessential
Bangali:
Our students like the staff, were a representative collection. We had a strong
contingent of Muslims from both the city and Punjab Next in
prominence were the Bengalis. They were numerous because of the Bengali
families working with the Government of India. With their flowing dhotis
their vivacity and their chatter they made a picturesque group. They were
prominent because of the rather brittle brilliance of many of them and their
tendency to flock together in groups. While the Muslims were conspicuous
on the playing field, the Bengalis sustained the college cultural activities. It
used to be said that where two Muslims were gathered together there would
be a feast, where two Jats, a quarrel, and two Bengalis, a Bengali club.
Their other characteristic was their clannishness. With a few conspicuous
exceptions a Bengali would usually be found with other Bengalis. They
were tenacious of their own culture and way of life, their dress, their diet,
their clothes, their music, literature and art. They were leaders in thing
cultural, especially anything dramatic or anything to do with Tagore. Thus
Shakespeare qualified as a poet and dramatist, like Tagore, and Wordsworth
as a nature mystic, like Tagore. But this same Bengali consciousness also
kept them rather apart from the rest of the college to whom their enthusiasms
implied a shade of cultural disdain for other traditions. As a group they
were therefore charming, stimulating, provocative but rather apart; they
were never very popular in the college society as a whole.
Many Bengali students came from families temporarily stationed in Delhi
on government service, the Delhi-Simla community as they were called.
But another section came from the city of Delhi itself and belonged to the
remarkable Bengali migration of the nineteenth century. As Bengalis led is
western education they also led in the new western skills. When the demand
for these arose up-country only Bengalis were at first available. For all
their alleged timidity and lack of enterprise they went in thousands
throughout the north as far as Peshawar on the frontier. They came as school
masters, college lecturers, railway officials, as telegraphists and minor
officials and above all as doctors and lawyers.. in my time many of these
families were in their third generation and many had acquired the local
culture without losing their hereditary one..

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77

78
Jyotirmoy Ray
Chittaranjan Park
New Delhi

Delhi - The City of Birds

Amongst the warm blooded animal species birds are one of the
few groups that can live in a large variety of conditions and on different
kinds of feed available in the habitats throughout the world. Their body
temperature is 38 degrees Celsius but they can withstand temperatures
ranging from as high as 60 degrees Celsius to as low as minus 40
degrees. Some species living in extreme cold climates migrate
seasonally to warmer areas. The anatomical structure of birds, of which
feathers are the most distinctive feature have also evolved over
geological ages to complement their lifestyle and their choice of habitat
or changing habitat, as the case may be.
This has led to their broad classification by bird watchers into
groups other than the usual scientific Order of Families and
Subspecies. One such classification is that of Water Birds, Wading
Birds and Perching Birds. Water Birds spend a lot of time in water
bodies: the sea, rivers, lakes and ponds; Wading birds prefer the sea
shore, river banks, and the edges of lakes and ponds; and Perching
Birds live on trees and Shrubs.
Another way to classify birds is by their choice of habitat: those
that live in a particular geographical area throughout their life are
called Resident Birds. Some birds, however, leave their home during
winter and fly over long distances to nest in warmer areas and to escape
the rigors of cold, limited daylight and dwindling food supply. They
breed, raise their chicks and then fly back to their homeland. These
birds are called Migrants and Passage Migrants, the latter name

M, 1418

Delhi - The City of Birds

applying to birds that change their area of migration within their flight
path. There are also some birds that like to leave home for just a short
while to visit adjacent regions, where they are known as Visitors.
The Union Territory of Delhi at an average altitude of 216 m above
sea level, is located on a narrow strip of the Indo-Gangetic plain. The
Aravalli ridge and the River Jamuna, running across the entire tract
from north to south, are the two most prominent features of this
Territory. For the purpose of bird watching, naturalists focus on an
area with a radius of roughly 48 Km around Delhi.
The abundant greenery of Delhi both in the residential areas as
well as in the enclosed city parks, the semi wild, partly afforested
terrain of the ridge and the Jamuna River's low sandy banks and the
edges of other water bodies, the mudflats and swamps, the open
archeological sites and ruins and the rows of roadside trees offer a
congenial habitat for avifauna in large numbers of all varieties even
in this highly urban environment.
Delhi has about 150 kinds of Resident birds. Many of these birds
are of the perching variety. They are mostly seen in the residential
areas. While some of the resident birds are water birds, others are of
the wading kind.
Besides this, more than 150 species of migrant birds fly in from
outside Delhi, constituting a spectacular combination of water, wading
and perching birds of an astonishing range. Winter brings to Delhi
the maximum number of Migrants, followed by spring and the long
months of summer and autumn.
There are of course Visitors as well but these are fewer in number.
In all, Delhi is home to more than 400 species of birds. I can
think of no other capital city in the world (except perhaps Rio de
Janeiro) that is fortunate enough to have so many varieties of birds.
Delhi is truly a paradise for bird lovers - a comment frequently made
by some of my Indian and overseas friends interested in the world of
these feathered bipeds, as birds are sometimes referred to by
ornithologists.
For me, settling down in Delhi came with its own baggage of
worries and pleasures. One of the things that I have come to love about
the city is the chance to wake up each morning to the call of the
perching birds. I realized this right at the beginning of the first October

M, 1418

79

80

Delhi - The City of Birds

Tailor Bird
after my return. On my first morning, I had the most pleasant surprise.
I woke up early to the call of an Indian Cuckoo (Koel) resonating
from a distant park. It was accompanied, as if in an orchestra by the
synchronized chirruping of a bunch of Sparrows and the sweet notes
of a Magpie Robin from the neighboring garden. By the time I came
out to the verandah, to my surprise I found Tailor Birds hopping over

M, 1418

Delhi - The City of Birds

the railing and twittering to their hearts' content amidst the foliage of
my potted plants. That prompted me to look around their nest. There
is a Tree of Sorrow (Harshingar, or Shiuli in Bengali)) at the edge of
a small park nearby, whose white, orange stemmed flowers fall on
the ground throughout the night, so that each day it can roll out its
soft petalled carpet to greet the morning light with fresh fragrance,
redolent of life and beauty. And it was there that I spotted the nest.
Hanging on the upper branches of the tree was a tiny conical shaped
nest made of leaves with the signature stitch marks of the Tailor Bird.
As I walked along the winding path in the park, bordered by a
variety of trees and shrubs, I observed that some of the trees like
gulmohar, silk cotton and laburnum were shedding their leaves, as they
normally do in autumn. As I trampled over these dry leaves the
crunching noise, alerted a flock of birds at a slight distance. Disrupted
from their early morning feed in a grassy area, they beat a hasty retreat
and noisily scattered off in different directions. That presented another
entrancing sight of wings and colorful feathers in front of my eyes. A
pair of Hoopoes with their conspicuous fan shaped crests, long slender
bills, black and white zebra markings on their wings, which were
pecking the ground nearby, searching for insects, flew away to a
neighboring silk cotton tree (Semul) and sat on its bare branches.

Hoopoe

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81

82

Delhi - The City of Birds

Several kinds of
mynas clustered in a
group, among them the
common Indian Myna,
the Brahminy Myna,
the Pied Myna, the
Bank Myna took off
from the ground and
flew away over the
neighboring
roofs
towards the rising sun.
There was a lonely,
male Indian Robin, too,
of sprightly mien,
blackish brown in color
Red Whiskered Bulbul
and with a cocked tail.
It took cover in a nearby bush as I approached.
By the time I came back to my house, I found to my surprise the
scenario had changed in the greenery of my verandah. I heard the
joyous notes of the
bulbul in different
frequencies. As I rightly
guessed, the different
notes came from two
different subspecies of
bulbuls - one with a
crimson patch below its
tail called the Red
Vented Bulbul and the
other,
the
Red
Whiskered Bulbul with
crimson whiskers and a
pointed crest. They were
pecking at half eaten
fruits from a thorny bael
tree. Soon a flock of
Jungle Babbler
Jungle Babblers flew

M, 1418

Delhi - The City of Birds

towards my Verandah, but spotting me there immediately flew away.

They are a very restive bunch and particularly noisy.
As I was following the flight path of the babblers I noticed another
group of birds clutching on to the TV cables. Silhouetted against the
blue sky and trying to grab flying insects in their beaks in graceful
sallies, those birds with glossy black plumage and long forked tails
could not be anything other than the Drongoe. This species ride on
the backs of the cattle in ploughed fields and pounce on insects
exposed in the furrows. They often mimic the calls of other birds.
A crackling sound from the laburnum tree drew my attention. A
pair of green Alexandrine Parakeets were in a courtship mood, rubbing
their necks against each other. An onlooker enjoying this interesting
scene with rapt attention was a squirrel perched on the same tree trunk,
a few meters away.

Drongoe

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83

84

Delhi - The City of Birds

White Eye
The finale of this morning's bird watching experience was the
sudden appearance of a pair of tiny greenish yellow birds with
bespectacled eyes called the White Eye. They slipped in and out of
a network of small branches in the bougainvillea bush and then sat on
a leaky tap to sip water droplets. Reluctant to disturb them, I quickly
retraced my steps from the verandah. My first morning in Delhi was
one of the most unique days of bird watching in my life.
No doubt for nature lovers, Delhi is quite an ideal city to cultivate
and develop the engaging hobby of Bird Watching.
(Jyotirmoy Ray is a retired consultant engineer.
All sketches by the author)

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85

The Delhi that No-one Knows

Forgotten Delhi
R.V. Smith
R.S. Sethi
Chronicle Books; Page 145, Price : Rs. 350 Vitasta Publishing, Page151, Price : Rs. 325

Two books on the "forgotten" Delhi

Sumita Sengupta
"We are pleased to announce to Our People that, we have decided
upon the transfer of the seat of the Government of India, from Calcutta
to the ancient Capital of Delhi..." proclaimed King George V on
December 12, 1911, a hundred years ago, in front of a motley crowd of
the who's who then, at a meticulously planned coronation Durbar held
in north-west Delhi. Delhi has been the Capital city ever since.
Delhi's tryst with power and the ruling class has always made
interesting reading and forms a major part of our country's history.
The many architectural ruins and heritage edifices that dot Delhi's
skyline today stand as mute witnesses of different dynasties that
occupied the city as their seat of power through ages. Two books, Vitasta
Publishing's Forgotten Delhi by R. S. Sethi and Chronicle Books' The
Delhi that No-one Knows by R.V. Smith record Delhi's history through
these structures; some of them are only relics of their past, yet no less

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86

Book Review

magnificent. For booklovers and for those who are in awe of Delhi,
picking up these two books would be worthwhile to revisit that Delhi
of yore as our Capital city completes its hundredth year.
Both the books cover more or less the same tombs, heritage spots
and havelis, with similar details of the interior and exterior of the
structures, with some information on the Nawab or the Sultan during
whose rule the structures were erected along with a bit of popular stories
that are associated with the structures, if any. It is quite amazing to
note how two individuals coming from two different backgrounds could
conceive of similar books around the same time - Sethi's book was
reprinted in 2010 while Smith's book came out for the first time in
2005 with the third reprint in 2011. The difference in treatment, at a
first glance, appears to be that while Sethi starts his book from the
relics of Old Delhi in the Walled City, Smith does just the opposite,
starting from the other side of the town, from South Delhi.
Of course, as one reads the books one finds many more differences
in writing styles as well as in the treatment of the subject. The first
book is written in the form of a diary as the sub-title itself states, "From
a Heritage Walker's Diary," complete with the mention of date in the
beginning of each chapter. The writer R.S. Sethi has been an IAS, a
bureaucrat holding high positions in the government. R.V. Smith is a
journalist and a columnist. Like Sethi, he too covered most of the places
on foot. And as evident from the two books, there has been a reflection
of their personal styles in their writings - Smith's work has more
narratives than that of Sethi. When the subject matter is the same, a
comparison between the two books is inevitable. Sethi is not a writer,
and any inadequacy on that score is understandable. But one wishes
that the publishers had spared more time proof reading to avoid jarring
words like ` "while returning back" on page 98 or "As you one enters
the Purana Quila" on page 69. Also, repeated use of the phrase "state
of total neglect" doesn't make comfortable reading.
Yet, there is no doubt that Sethi has been as thorough in his work
as Smith is. There are interesting snippets in Sethi's book that attempt
to make up for the shortcomings - how many of modern day Delhi-ites
have actually visited the Lothian Cemetery? Or for that matter are
people aware of that little known detail of Mughal king Aurangzeb's
crowning? Sethi notes while visiting Shalimar Bagh's Sheesh Mahal,

M, 1418

Book Review

"It was at the Sheesh Mahal where Aurangzeb was crowned Emperor
of India on 31 July 1658, after he had deposed his father Shah Jahan. It
was then that he adopted the title of Alamgir or `World taker.'
Interestingly, the date and time of the coronation was fixed by an
astrologer, something that an orthodox Muslim is quite opposed to."
There are many such small bits in the book - there is an ancient
tower in Hauz Khas which most of the local residents wouldn't even
notice, that is called Chor Minar where there are several holes on the
wall. Sethi writes, "It is said that severed heads of thieves used to be
placed in those holes for public exposure." And if one has ever
wondered why Mongol Puri in Delhi is so called, this book has an
explanation - the residents of that area still have `Mongol' features!
The Delhi that No-one Knows is more anecdotal and interesting to
read. After all, history has story embedded in it. And Delhi's historical
sites are not just beautifully crafted structures; the stories lying within
those structures bring them alive in a reader's imagination even after
so many years. Even though Smith is not a great storyteller, his narrative
is more interesting, lending a special attraction to his book. Starting
from Qutab Minar, the once imposing tower that is emblematic of Delhi,
the book enables a reader visit the numerous historical spots and
rediscover its ancient history. The sites are not described according to
chronology of history, but according to the location, making it easier
for any tourist to follow in the author's footsteps and re-live Delhi that
remains in hiding behind the skyscrapers and malls and the teeming
population. In fact, it will be a good idea for people out to re-discover
their own city to just pick up The Delhi that No-one Knows and set out
sight-seeing. Given the dearth of knowledgeable tourist guides at
monument sites, the book will definitely be of great help.
Through the civilizations that grew and perished in Delhi, the city
has evolved and represents a complex character today. The stories
confined beneath the relics of ancient structures may be different than
that existed in Lutyen's Delhi whose foundation was laid a hundred
years ago, but both are same in nature. The Capital city has always
been the hot bed of power politics and struggle for it, and that still
continues. These two books only re-affirm this eternal character of
Delhi.
(Sumita Sengupta is a freelance journalist)

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87

88

This issue of
HINDOL
is supported
by

E Meditek (TPA) Services Ltd.

Gurgaon

Zafar aadmi usko na janeeyega,

Woh ho kitna hi sahib-e-fahm-o-zaka.
Jise aish mein yaad-e-Khuda na rahi,
Jise taish mein khauf-e-Khuda na raha.
Bahadur Shah 'Zafar'
(1775 - 1862)
the last Mughal Emperor

Zafar, do not regard him a man, howsoever wise may he be,

Who in his revelry disregards the Lord, and in his frenzy fears Him not.

G ,
- , , ijM

M, 1418

Bharat Lama
ANAMIKA ADHIKARI, SCHOOL STUDENT

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This unusual image of Goddess Durga is by SITA RAY, a 1959

graduate in Fine Arts from the Delhi School of Arts. She has held
numerous solo exhibitions of her works in Delhi, Calcutta, Tokyo,
Kobe and Osaka. During her long stay in Japan she got the opportunity
to train under the great masters Gyokusei Jikihara and Ryuji Tanaka in
various Japanese styles, which have since been reflected in her works.
She passed away in Delhi on 30th October 2007.