'Sheher Mein Gaon': A compelling articulation of the many tangled issues of Delhi's 'urban villages'

If you’re at all interested in the history of Delhi, chances are you have heard of the “seven cities of Delhi”. Of how some of the most ambitious rulers sought to assert their claim to the throne by building massive citadels and cities of their own. From Lal Kot to Tughlaqabad, Firozabad to Shahjahanabad and New Delhi, these “cities” (not all historians agree on their number – there were very likely more than seven Delhis) have been discussed and described time and again. Their establishment, their layout, their evolution, their socio-cultural and economic make-up have been studied by numerous scholars.

The concept of a city

What of Delhi’s villages, though? The villages of Delhi rarely find anything beyond a fleeting mention in the city’s chronicles, whether factual or fictitious. They are tucked away, hidden behind the towering facades of palaces and skyscrapers, grand monuments and sweeping flyovers. Yet – as Ekta Chauhan writes in her book Sheher Mein Gaon: Culture, Conflict and Change in the Urban Villages of Delhi – perhaps to understand Delhi’s villages, we need to first re-examine our concept of a city. Chauhan quotes historian Sohail Hashmi as saying that “there are no cities without migration”. Chauhan goes on to add: “He elaborated that...

Read more