I have now divided my time between London and Delhi for over twenty years, and the Indian capital remains my favourite city. Above all it is the city’s relationship with its past which continues to intrigue me: of the great cities of the world, only Rome, Istanbul and Cairo can even begin to rival Delhi for the sheer volume and density of historic remains.
Crumbling tomb towers, old mosques or ancient colleges intrude in the most unlikely places, appearing suddenly on roundabouts or in municipal gardens, diverting the road network and obscuring the fairways of the golf course. New Delhi is not new at all; instead it is a groaning necropolis, with enough ruins to keep any historian busy through several incarnations.
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Interesting
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Read the book. It’s a stunner. There’s so much than what our history books told us.
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Surely will try. Reading Mughals is always fascinating. I recently read Audrey Truschke’s Aurangzeb. True. Our history books tell us so little. Best wishes 💐
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Wow. Another exciting book to devour. 😛
I need to check that out soon.
While we are at it, have you read Dalrymple’s Kohinoor?
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Love the description of old Delhi legacy and the traditional appeal that stays with us. I’ve been to Delhi very less but still beauty of words makes the imagery of pose so vivid and powerful!
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It pains my heart to say that I’ve never been to Delhi. But after ‘A City of Djinns’ and now ‘The Last Mughal’, I just can’t wait. If you love this, you should read A City of Djinns.
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