Heritage For Community Social Moulding and Value of the Past

On any weekend, if Delhi’s weather favours their plans, swathes of people can be seen at the heritage sites enjoying their picnic and the company of their loved ones. It does not matter whether the place is the sunset spot at Hauz Khas, spacious and green Lodhi Gardens or the Sunder Nursery having a perfectly fitting name to describe itself. The article aims at familiarizing the reader with the sites which have been serving the community for generations being a part of their intimate aspect of life and memories. We would also look upon the relatively new attempts through Heritage walks and food walks which reveal the charm of these sites to all those who might miss it on their own.

Heritage, Movies and People  

In an old, black and white movie ‘Tere ghar ke samne’, an evergreen song called ‘dil bhanwar kare pukar’ was popularised for being filmed inside the Qutub Minar. In the song, Dev Anand and Nutan can be seen playfully enjoying each other’s company while climbing down the stairs of the Qutub Minar (Anand, 1963). Although the trivia was nothing more than a rumour and the scenes were not shot inside the monument, it shows how the heritage sites act like a character themselves in very personal and prized anecdotes of people. Delhi, being with such a long history makes this even more obvious. While searching for picnic spots in this crowded city,

when one finally decides to go to internet for help, places filled with remains of antiquities will be the first to be recommended. Taking Sunder Nursery for an example in the annual list of World’s greatest places in 2018, the Time magazine has named Sunder Nursery as a mustvisit place among iconic spots from 48 countries, “A horticultural haven with restored Mughal-era monuments and water-features” (Verma, 2018). The Nursery has 9 Mughal era structures, out of which 3 are world heritage sites. From young couples enjoying the gentle breeze and sweet warmth of sun to groups of friends hanging out together and even families having a great time in the premises. All of these are common sights in this place and obviously Sunder nursery is not alone. Hauz Khas has been the place for passing time and enjoying the sunsets from Mughal times. Bahadur Shah Zafar, during the mutiny used to come near the Hauz often to spend and enjoy time away from the fighting and war 

(Dalrymple, 2007). The area around Hauz Khas is still a mainstream place to visit, as it has a whole lane filled with clubs, cafes, Laser tag game stations and very famous ‘Social’ Cafe, making it popular among the youth. Movies like “Tamasha’ and ‘Rockstar’ feature the cafe and the Hauz Khas fort as a meeting place for the protagonists (Ali, 2015), (Ali I. , 2011). Even though all the places mentioned above are of much relevance in our lives, most of us still do not understand the actual reasons, logic and more importantly the beauty behind it. 

This is what the heritage walks are trying to reveal. 

A Walk Through The Past

The recently popularised heritage walks are more than just nerdy weekend plans. These walks make us acquainted with the aesthetics which are standing right in front of us but we still can’t see and embrace it. Through a number of different platforms and organisations people are trying to learn about the place they live in by guided tours. From Enroute Indian History to Unzip Delhi, the heritage walks are full of history enthusiasts trying to grasp every last-minute detail in a heritage walk familiarizes the person with the thinking at work behind the beautifully carved and laid stones, which make the structure stand (Heritage Walks In Delhi, n.d.). Just for instance, anyone who has been to the Iltutmish’s tomb in Qutub Complex or even the Humuyun’s Tomb would have noticed lotuses. These lotuses are present in far many places like the Red Fort, Purana Quila, on the outer carvings of Qutub Minar and even on Moti Masjid built by Aurangzeb. Now the valid question is what is lotus which is offered to the Hindu deities doing in these places? The answer to this is even if the architects and their plans and designs came from outside of the subcontinent, the masons were still

Indian, and in places like a mosque, or a tomb or even around the calligraphic carvings of Quran on the Qutub Minar the sculptor decided to embed his revered symbols of purity, that is the lotus and this is how two completely different cultures meet and influence each other. Things like these, no doubt, can be noticed on one’s own but to understand and embrace them is the main task. This knowledge is catered to you by the exceptionally knowledgeable and informed men and women who are guiding your heritage walks.

After all that we have discussed by now, we know the role of heritage in our anecdotes, stories and memories as they are a part of it. Sites like Mehrauli, Hauz Khas, and Sunder Nursery offer an escape from the fast-moving city life and give the visitor a sense of rest. The monuments and structures have been a part of everyone’s life in different ways, for someone it could be a birthday celebration spot and for yet another individual it might be a perfect date place to enjoy the company of their loved one in peace.

Works Cited 

Ali, I. (Director). (2011). Rockstar [Motion Picture]. 

Ali, I. (Director). (2015). Tamasha [Motion Picture]. 

Anand, V. (Director). (1963). Tere Ghar Ke Samne [Motion Picture]. 

Dalrymple, W. (2007). The Last Mughal. Delhi: Bloomsburry Publishing. 

Heritage Walks In Delhi. (n.d.). Retrieved from Enroute Indian History: 

https://enrouteindianhistory.com/ 

Verma, R. (2018, october 12). Sunder Nursery In top 100 PLaces to Visit. The Times of India 

Images – https://mrandmrs55.com/2018/07/04/dil-ka-bhanwar-kare-pukar-lyrics-translation-lets-learn-urdu-hindi/