Dilli my Dilli

Most of  us  know that Delhi is celebrating its centenary this year..Not that Delhi had no existence more than hundred years  before .It is an ancient city.Even during Mahabharata days ,Delhi was very much there.It was then known as Indraprastha,the capital of the Pandavas.I am not a historian and therefore not writing this piece from a historian's perspective.I am writing it as an ordinary citizen of this grand city,which has been home to me for more than seventy years. I have seen Delhi growing along with me since my childhood.
It was 12th December, 1911.On this day King George V gave a 
surprise to the Delhites.He declared,"We are pleased to announce that on the advice of our ministers tendered after consultation with our Governor-General  in Council, we have decided upon the transfer  of  the seat of the Government of India from  Calcutta to the ancient capital Delhi...."The construction work was  assigned to Lutyens and Baker,architects. Several sites were considered for the location  but . finally a decision was taken to  acquire the Raisina Hill in the Raisina village.(I read in the news paper that some of the descendants  of the original owners are claiming compensation from the Government.)It took twenty years to complete the New Delhi area like Rashtrapati Bhawan,India Gate, North and South Blocks and Parliament House.
I have vivid memories of Delhi,as a child. Delhi ,at that time was  restricted to Cannaught Place,and Rajpath areas.This  area  was known as New Delhi.Then there was Old Delhi,comprising Chandni Chowk,Fatehpuri and Sadar Bazaar  For .shopping  we used to go Chandni Chowk.There were no Karol Bagh or Sarojini Nagar markets. People used to be scared to go beyond Cannaught Place after sunset because these places were either jungles or agricultural land.We used to stay in Todar Mal Road.I remember that sometimes when we used to go to Kutub Minar, we used to cross Yusaf  Sarai, which was an ancient village.It was as if we used to go out  of station.After the partition of India in 1947 there was a complete transformation of Delhi. There was an  incredible influx  of displaced  persons. It was during this period that expansion of Delhi  took place.To rehabilitate  such a massive outburst of humanity, a special Ministry was formed,which was aptly named Ministry of Rehabilitation.Several colonies like Patel Nagar, Lajpat  Nagar,Kingsway Camp and many other housing complexes were  built on an emergency basis.Several colonies were constructed for Government employees.The result was that Punjabi culture became predominant.
             Delhi is an ancient city which has a mythological and historical past. It is built on the banks of River Yamuna,which is a holy river.I don't know whether it is a myth or reality but people believe that Lord Krishna used to have his 'leelas' on the shores of  the river. East Delhi ,therefore  is  known as 'PunyaBhoomi. Kutub Minar is a pre-Mughal monument.Mughal Emperors built many buildings  which are  of historical importance.The Red Fort, Jama Masjid,Humayun' tomb and many more buildings came up at this time.They are an exquisite sample of architecture.
                                                                    

Red fort

Purana qila

Delhi has changed drastically over a period of time..Old structures, old traditions and  old environments have given way to new  ethos. The Delhi landscape  is now dotted with high rise buildings.broad avenues,innumerable flyovers ,attractive road furniture  and state of the art Metro rail system.At night  Delhi looks like a fairyland.with thousands of lights glittering on the roads.Delhi is now comparable to any other metropolitan city of the world.
 Delhi has grown and it has not stopped growing.Its boundaries are ever expanding..I am confident that it will  soon reach  the pinnacle of glory. In spite of all the progress, Delhi has maintained its culture, I love you Delhi.You are my soul!!