Images of Delhi : A Literary and Humanistic Geography of Post-independence India

The main objective of this book is to analyze prominent literary images of Delhi in post-independence India. The author has probed into a number of eminent writings in Hindi, English and other languages. The author's methodology, a humanistic and phenomenological approach, allows exploration of experiential dimension of writers’ and their characters in various genres of literature. An inquiry into perceptions and imagination in literature enriches the understanding of place, space, time, and seasons, the concerns central to geography. The Perceptions of the metropolis of Delhi interestingly vary between authors and their characters. The images of Delhi in plethora of literary works show a wide spectrum of colors. The images evoke feelings of reverence, love, adoration, dislike, indifference or neutrality. Experiences vary from places of beauty and grandeur to utterly ugly environments. Natives express different views and attitudes toward the city of Delhi from those of expatriate writers. Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 About the Author 11 1 Humanistic Study of Urban Images 12 Literary Contributions to Geography 16 Exploration of Imaginative Literature by Geographers 17 Philosophical Framework 18 Evocation of Urban Images 20 Conceptual Framework 22 Conceptual Framework Facet One 23 Conceptual Framework Facet Two 23 Notes 25 References 27 2 Delhi: Evolution of an Urban Region 29 Delhi: Mughal Period 30 Delhi: During the First Independence Movement 31 Delhi: During Colonial Times 33 Delhi: Post-Independence Period 34 Notes 35 References 35 3 Images of Delhi in Indo-Anglian and Hindi Literary Works 37 Indo-Anglian Authors (Indian Writers Whose Works Are Primarily in the English Language) 38 Hindi Authors (Indian Writers Whose Works Are Originally in the Hindi Language) 41 Notes 46 References 47 4 Delhi: As an Idea 49 Post-Independence Delhi: A Mixed Emotional Response 50 Idea of Delhi Among Expatriate Literature 54 Naipaul’s Dark and Wounded Delhi 55 Buckhory’s Sacred Call of Delhi 57 Mehta’s Tranquil Delhi 59 Santha Rama Rau’s Delhi: The Home 59 Recapturing Expatriate Experiential Dimension of Delhi 61 Notes 62 References 64 5 Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) and Adjacent Regions 65 Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad): The Traditional City 66 Subzi Mandi 68 Qutub Road Bridge 69 Civil Lines: An Area of Bungalows and Gardens 70 Katra: Traditional Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) Business-Cum-Residential Area 73 Chandni Chowk: The Moonlit Square 75 Refugee Colonies: Experiences of Refugees from West Pakistan 80 G. B. Road and Chaori Bazaar: Red Light Districts of Delhi 85 The Many Facets of Old Delhi: Shajehanabad 88 Notes 89 References 91 6 New Delhi and Neighboring Colonies 93 New Delhi: Symbol of Power, Sprawling Suburbs, and Westernized World 94 The World of Nouveau-Riche Colonies 97 The Office World of New Delhi: The Domain of Bureaucracy 101 J. J. Colonies, Slums, and Pavement Life of New Delhi 104 Connaught Place: The Center of the City 108 The World of Government Employees’ Colonies 112 Seva Nagar: City of Serving People 114 New Delhi’s Kaleidoscopic Vision 115 Notes 116 References 120 7 Four Authors and Their Perceptions of Delhi 122 Abstract 122 “No Matter; Delhi Is, After All, My Delhi!”—Manohar Shyam Joshi 123 “Dedicated to the City of Delhi”—Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’ 127 Delhi and Moscow—(1945) 130 Delhi, by “An Unknown Indian”: Nirad C. Chaudhuri 134 Indigent World of Delhi of Uday Prakash 138 References 143 8 Epilogue 144 Abstract 144 Literary Geography and Me 145 Empowerment of Place 146 Literature and Media as a Catalyst 146 Possible Future Research Dimensions 148 Glossary 150 Bibliography 150 Index 153