Old Delhi

April 18, 2008-Friday
We went to the Indian International Center this evening to hear a number of people speak about Shajahanabad, otherwise known as Old Delhi, which--because it has so many remaining ancient structures--is deserving of World Heritage status, even though it's a whole section of the city. To add to the struggle here to feed everyone, another of India’s great struggles is how to deal with the physical remains of its history. I am pretty sure there are more existing ancient structures in Delhi alone than there are in Rome today. The Architectural Society of India is charged with maintaining over 4,000 monuments “of national importance” throughout the country and only a few of these sights (primarily The Taj Maja)l produce any substantial income. Shajahanabad is one of these sights because it contains the famous Red Fort, built by Shah Jahan in the 17th century. Today it is a World Heritage Site. Within its walls royal courts, kitchens, stables, mosques, markets, nobleman’s quarters, king’s quarters, women’s quarters (totally separated), and servant’s quarters functioned side-by-side. In fact, the Red Fort was its own small city, a brilliant combination of open and built, utilitarian and decorative space.


In 2004 the Indian Army moved out of the Red Fort, and since then it is slowly becoming a more well-known tourist destination. A number of experts spoke about the elegance, intelligence, narrative history, and what’s been done to preserve it. The speakers included professional architects, a lawyer, and William Dalyrimple, a popular author of many books on ancient and modern India. Norbert has followed him for several years and thinks City of Djinns is the best book about Delhi. (I’m still reading them, but City of Djinns is certainly really good.) Recently there have been two bitter court cases involving the shopkeepers that make up a row of shops leading into the Red Fort. Many of them have been there for over 100 years...a business passed down through the generations of a single family. It seems that there has now been an agreement between the preservationists and the shopkeepers to share the job of maintaining the space. However, ultimately the discussion came around to the even tougher question, how does a city preserve an intangible heritage, and should it even try? One thoughtful audience member pointed out, “It’s not laudable to try to master time.” However, clearly this packed event proved that there is plenty of concern about valuing the material remains of India’s history.


After a previous event, Norbert had been in email touch with Dalyrimple, who had suggested that we have a drink with him afterwards. We were a bit (dorkily) giddy about this, and ended up spending the evening with a him and a few others, ending the night at a famous kebab joint talking about what its like to divide one’s life between Delhi and London. It sounds like he’s found an manageable balance between West and East.