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A review by inkandinsights
City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple
5.0
In one year of his stay in Delhi, William Dalrymple has chronicled the history of Delhi that is spread across millennia.
The writing style is surprisingly simple and engaging. It is not easy to weave the timeline of a city like Delhi with accurate facts (especially when authentic sources are rarely available), weave it with stories, and then carefully present it in lucid writing.
William Dalrymple has done us a favor by retracing a history that we are proud of but never take care of. The beauty of the book is that it travels back in time. From the religious sentiment-induced collision to the first holy war, this book travels back in time while keeping the present as a constant.
I wish at least one chapter from this book is included in school history lessons.
About the book:
The City of Djinns is a journey through the long-drown and time-layered history of Delhi. As long as our knowledge of history stretches, Delhi has remained the capital city. The Pandavas, the following line of Indian kings, the Mughals, the British, and the Indian government found no replacement for Delhi as a capital.
Despite the numerous invasions, the city has never been deserted - it has been conquered several times but never owned by anyone for too long. Everyone who sat on the throne tried to build a Delhi of their own. The many architectural remnants that are strewn across the city are a testament to the many hands that Delhi passed through. It is sad that these historical artifacts are not cared for and are let to decay with the marching of time.
Despite the many passing of rulers, Delhi and its djinns continued living their living with a toehold in its history and its present.
Delhi is indeed a city of djinns - those souls that can never leave the city even when rulers, religious masses, and changing times press an invisible force to outcast them. These djinns are not just invisible creatures, but people whose history and customs have woven an inseparable connection with the city.
Mr. and Mrs. Puri, the landlords of William during his one year stay, Henry Smith and Bert Brown, Marion and Joe Fowler, Shaykh Nizam-ud-dinn, the fakirs of Old Delhi - they are all djinns in human form that can never leave Delhi because they have been in love with it when the city was at its prime in cultural and imperial glory.
Delhi must have some hidden charm that made even the Britishers who came as traders who later became conquerors fell in love with the city and its culture. They married, had children, wore Indian clothes, smoked Indian hookah, and turned Delhiites in their hearts. The remnants of British rule can still be found in Delhi in the form of dilapidated bungalows that are now largely used as government offices.
Delhi is not a part of India's history. It is the apex of Indian history and government. The City of Djinns is a brilliant piece of work by William Darlymple. Everybody should read it.
The writing style is surprisingly simple and engaging. It is not easy to weave the timeline of a city like Delhi with accurate facts (especially when authentic sources are rarely available), weave it with stories, and then carefully present it in lucid writing.
William Dalrymple has done us a favor by retracing a history that we are proud of but never take care of. The beauty of the book is that it travels back in time. From the religious sentiment-induced collision to the first holy war, this book travels back in time while keeping the present as a constant.
I wish at least one chapter from this book is included in school history lessons.
About the book:
The City of Djinns is a journey through the long-drown and time-layered history of Delhi. As long as our knowledge of history stretches, Delhi has remained the capital city. The Pandavas, the following line of Indian kings, the Mughals, the British, and the Indian government found no replacement for Delhi as a capital.
Despite the numerous invasions, the city has never been deserted - it has been conquered several times but never owned by anyone for too long. Everyone who sat on the throne tried to build a Delhi of their own. The many architectural remnants that are strewn across the city are a testament to the many hands that Delhi passed through. It is sad that these historical artifacts are not cared for and are let to decay with the marching of time.
Despite the many passing of rulers, Delhi and its djinns continued living their living with a toehold in its history and its present.
Delhi is indeed a city of djinns - those souls that can never leave the city even when rulers, religious masses, and changing times press an invisible force to outcast them. These djinns are not just invisible creatures, but people whose history and customs have woven an inseparable connection with the city.
Mr. and Mrs. Puri, the landlords of William during his one year stay, Henry Smith and Bert Brown, Marion and Joe Fowler, Shaykh Nizam-ud-dinn, the fakirs of Old Delhi - they are all djinns in human form that can never leave Delhi because they have been in love with it when the city was at its prime in cultural and imperial glory.
Delhi must have some hidden charm that made even the Britishers who came as traders who later became conquerors fell in love with the city and its culture. They married, had children, wore Indian clothes, smoked Indian hookah, and turned Delhiites in their hearts. The remnants of British rule can still be found in Delhi in the form of dilapidated bungalows that are now largely used as government offices.
Delhi is not a part of India's history. It is the apex of Indian history and government. The City of Djinns is a brilliant piece of work by William Darlymple. Everybody should read it.