The history of Delhi dates back more than five thousand years. The city’s imperial past has witnessed the rise and fall of large dynasties. Several emperors have left their mark on this vibrant land and established magnificent forts and tombs. What are we doing to preserve this heritage? Rakhshanda Jalil’s recently launched book gives an insight into Delhi’s lesser known historic ruins.
Rakhshanda Jalil is the media and cultural coordinator at Jamia Millia Islamia. The book is titled “Invisible City: Hidden Monuments” and is published by Niyogi Books. It was launched earlier this month at renowned writer Khushwant Singh’s residence in Sujan Singh Park in New Delhi. The launch was a quiet and private affair and was attended by Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Khushwant Singh and Sheila Dikshit together released the book. Khushwant Singh has written the foreword for the book.
The book has been written after extensive research by Jalil over three years. Rakhshanda Jalil’s book throws light on the “little-known, seldom-visited and largely-unheard-of” parts of Delhi’s heritage. Through the book, the author attempts to bring to the foreground the various neglected monuments of the national capital and the fact that these testaments of Delhi’s rich architectural and cultural past have not been cared for.
The Hindu quoted Jalil as saying, “Neophyte New Delhi has been quick to discard most of these monuments on the rubbish heap of history, choosing to validate a bare minimum with a name, an identity and a place of visibility. Where it was possible to make the law look the other way, many of these monuments were razed to make way for colonisation and development. Regarded as no more than inconvenient piles of rock, many have been pulled down and built upon.”