BACK TO THE FUTURE

NEARLY FOUR CENTURIES OLD, CHANDNI CHOWK, ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MARKETS IN THE CAPITAL CITY UNDERGOES A REVAMP

- PALLAVI PASRICHA

The blare of honking cars and auto-rickshaws has fallen silent; the ugly mesh of overhanging wires has disappeared underground; and red sandstone benches beckon me to sit down and soak in the view of the old buildings that line Chandni Chowk—arguably Delhi’s most historic market.

I ignore the row of rickshaws vying for my attention and duck into the newly-made central verge dotted with patches of greenery. It has taken three years to restore the heart and soul of the main thoroughfare that runs 1.4 kilometres from Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir to Fatehpuri Masjid. For the first time, I have a clear view of the sky (thankfully blue) and the majestic Red Fort as I step into the commercial heart of the city, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan nearly 400 years ago.

Road tiles and a row of bollards are fitted with red sandstone to keep in harmony with the 17th-century monument. Motorised vehicles have been banned from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., allowing pedestrians to stroll down a wide central verge. Come night, black poles with hanging lamps on either side light up the stretch.

“This city used to rival the likes of Rome and others in Europe. In fact, many travellers at that time described this as one of the best cities that they had seen,” says historian Rana Safvi, author of the book Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi.