The best thing about walking is that you can move at a leisurely pace, and observe and feel what is happening around you with details. You can walk fast, slow, or take a pause, matching your rhythm with the rhythm of your surroundings.
Chandni Chowk is a potpourri of history, literature, business, and cuisine. It has perhaps the highest density of historical stories per square inch of area. During the Mughal era, Chandni Chowk was the hub of life, literature, and business. After the partition in 1947, it witnessed the struggle grit and determination of people who migrated from Pakistan after losing everything there.
They chose to settle in the areas of Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazaar, Nai Sarak, Khari Baoli, and countless of streets and lanes now popularly called old Delhi.
Till 15-20 years back businessmen and their families resided in houses above the shops. All the streets were lined with businesses on the ground floor and residences above.
This building looks like one where shops are lined on the ground floor while residential quarters are on the first floor.
This must have been a beautiful building in its times. The top floor seems to have been built later.
This area being one of the costliest in the country, new constructions are replacing the old ones.
Every inch of space has been used for business. If someone is carrying a bag, he would have to turn sideways or adjust to take it through the staircase on the first floor.
The situation has gradually changed. New generations are moving out to more affluent and modern societies. The upper floors now have been taken over by either offices or workers who work in these businesses.
It is 7.15am when I come out of Chandni Chowk metro station. People are already having their first cup of tea which is a compulsory morning ritual for most of us in India.
Morning sun has just come out and the golden domes of Sunheri Masjid right in front and Gurudwara Sis Ganj adjacent to it are shining with its reflection.
Sunheri Masjid
There is already a crowd of worshippers seeking blessings at Gurudwara.
True to their ever-helping spirit, volunteers from Gurudwara are organizing free medical assistance and medicines for the needy and there are quite a few.
A volunteer is applying medicine.
Volunteers give medicines free of cost.
Our ancient Indian tradition builds in us a feeling of ensuring no one in the world goes hungry. I saw people giving tea with biscuits at one place and breakfast at the other.
Breakfast being given.
I never thought so many people would benefit from the generosity of volunteers. The volunteers must have risen very early on a Sunday morning to prepare tea or meals and transport them here to serve people. Our ancient wisdom termed this as service to people and one who can serve considers himself lucky to be in a position to serve.
I sought blessings for them and moved on. It was nearing 8 a.m., the area had started stirring up with a buzz of people, and some were still sleeping on pavements.
They are the labourers who have migrated to Delhi from villages of distant states with the hope and dream of fulfilling their family responsibilities. Most of them shift goods from one place to another. As the lanes are narrow but business transactions are high due to this area being a center of wholesale business, laborers are employed for loading unloading, and movement by hand-pushed trolleys like the one shown below.
Then there are others who ply rickshaw, the common mode of public movement in these crowded lanes.
This is back-breaking work, and work they have to do to earn a meagre livelihood. Perhaps pavements are beds too many at night. Perhaps they are the ones who get the benefit of free medical or food volunteer ship that I saw a few moments ago.
These are the people who complete an important segment of the business cycle. To see their hardships and their resolve to continue enduring them for their families puts a heavy load on my heart. Being a wholesale market where high volumes are traded at low margins must be compelling cost cuttings wherever possible.
I silently prayed for them and proceeded towards Gauri Shankar temple.
The nearby sweet shops are already open.
and so are flower shops.
In India, we offer sweets and flowers to the deity while praying for all-around happiness and prosperity.
Perhaps Gods would be more pleased to see poor people being fed. In our ancient wisdom, we believe that service to people is the best and most effective prayer to the almighty.
Like always in the last few centuries, the majestic Red Fort from a distance, watched the everyday drama of war, bloodshed, treachery, and now the daily saga of sweat, and hard work of people.
There were lots of people inside on this beautiful sunday morning to offer prayers.
Now it was time to join our heritage walk. Mr. Alok Puranik and Ira Puranik of” Delhi walks- Kaafila e dastan “were eagerly waiting for the group.
For the next 150 mins, we walked through the streets of Chandni Chowk covering Gurudwara Sisi Ganj, Begum Samru Haveli, Sunhari Masjid, and Mirza Ghalib Haveli. Mr. Puranik and Mr. Manu kaushal narrated a beautiful medley of history and literature and kept us spellbound.
Thou shalt take care of thee and thee shall take care of thou. God protects us and we protect God.
I always wondered about the source of motivation for these crisscross cable systems. It is very difficult to find out from where power is coming and where it is going.
Nature took a long time to create this magic of intertwined stems. Seeing this I was reminded of similar-looking Criss cross wire and cables as seen in the photo above. Someone has put a panel also here. Now, who is charging what? In India, we have the habit of putting everything on God, when no answers seem available.
Meanwhile, as we walked, shops were getting ready to open. This is the famous jalebi shop.
Double-storied shops are common due to the paucity of space.
Meanwhile, the tea shops continue doing brisk business.
No wonder India consumes 1.2 billion kilograms of tea per annum.
The streets slowly wake up to a lazy Sunday morning.
Residential lanes in olden days had gates which were shut in the evenings for security reasons.
Sunday is the business day for the street market as the main shops are on weekly off. By 9.30 am the electric goods market stirs up.
As diwali is approaching light shops are ready with fancy offerings and people are there to purchase.
By 9.30 am crowd starts building up.
Streets have started filling up.
Diwali time is the shopping time. Markets are full of vibrant colors.
By 11.30am cycle rickshaws join pedestrians and traffic is starting to jam
within half an hour four wheelers join the fun and now streets are getting jam packed.
See the hordes of people thronging this cloth shop. It takes years to build a trust of this kind.
It is almost noon now and the entire area has now transformed from a heritage old city to jam-packed business district.
Most of the European countries designate such an area as a city Centre and reserves it for tourism, walks, cafes, food, etc. The compulsions here may not allow this. A mix of heritage tourism and business may work here.
It was time for me to leave. Is this 5-hour walk a simple passing of time or rather a wastage of time? For me, certainly not. There are some things which have no answer just feelings. For me history is where my elders lived, history is from where we came, and history is why things are as they are. For me, this walk is going back to my roots, and I felt so happy and fulfilled.
Nice Post.
Very well each & every picture is described and photography is too good… going through your walk experience… it took me to our history. Keep it up. Looking forward for your another episode