The majestic monuments, the magical lanes, when the sky wasn’t laden with smog and when the nights were heavy with stars, ‘Delhi …..that was’ was an exhibition of archival photographs of Delhi from a bygone era.
The exhibition transported visitors to a bygone era, offering a glimpse of a Delhi they had never seen before, with images from the 1940s to the 1990s.
The exhibition featured photographs from three archives – Habib Rahman, Madan Mahatta and Raghu Rai. The archives were explored to present images depicting the architecture, monuments, and lifestyles that are unique to Delhi, covering Delhi from the 1940s onwards and spanning five decades.
The month-long exhibition presented spectators with images of the Qutab Minar, the architectural wonder that Jantar Mantar is, the noodle-thin lanes of Old Delhi, and many such moments in time now in the past.
“Garche hai mulq-e-daccan mei in dino qadr-e-sukhan, Kaun Jaye ‘Zauq’ par dilli ki galiyaan chhod kar”
— Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq (1789-1854)
Originally in Urdu by the famous poet Zauq, the above couplet may be transliterated as, “..the seat of power may now rest in the Deccan (Southern India) along with all worldly comforts. But, still, who would want to leave the streets of Delhi?” Written almost two hundred years ago, these lines still hold true and embody what Delhi means to a true Delhiwallah. For a Delhiwallah there is no other place, which can even come close. Period. It’s often said that Delhi takes a lot to get used to — the babudom, loudness, boisterousness and now of course the added burden of being among the most polluted cities of the world. The exhibit gave the audience a gateway to a more charming, a bustling yet relaxed, a more magical Delhi.
“Personally, with centuries of family history in Delhi, I am the quintessential Delhiwallah, and no other city even comes close to Delhi. The only place that may be better than Delhi as it exists today is the city as it existed in the past, Delhi… that was. This exhibition features that”, shares Anubhav Nath.
