My days in Tihar jail: JNU and the Emergency of 1975

By Sohail Hashmi

Mrs Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, represented the Rai Bareli seat in the Lok Sabha. On 12th June 1975 she was unseated on charges of election fraud and misuse of state machinery in a landmark judgement by Justice Jagmohan Lal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court.  Fakhr-ud-Din Ali Ahmad, the then President of India, declared internal emergency on the 25th of June,  on the recommendation of a pliable cabinet presided over by Mrs G. The people of India lost all civil liberties for a period of 21 months.

Trade unions were emasculated, political opponents were arrested, newspapers censored, the only place where a semblance of freedom survived, for a short while, were the universities, most were in turmoil and were being singled out for special attention. Students unions were being banned and activists were being picked up and thrown in jail.

Finally we restart

Watch this space for things that will now begin to unfold on this site, about time, you would all agree, since all you have seen are some pieces that were posted ages ago. We hope to be a little more regular now and hopefully will also tell you why we were silent for so long.

 

Chandni Chowk

4  Chandni Chowk The walk begins at the Lal Jain Mandir, the digambar Jain Mandir dating bacvk to the time of Shahjahan and the Shiv Mandir built by Appa Gangadhar Rao, a Maratha chieftain on the late 18^th century. After a short introductory about Chandni Chowk and Landmark events at this busiest market in all of Asia if not in all of the world, talk about Moti Cinema, the venue of many crucial conferences during our struggle for freedom, when Moti Cinema was a Hall that doubled up as a Parsi Theatre Auditorium. We carry on to Begum Samru’s Palace,  now known as Bhagirath Palace,  walk past the Central Baptist Church  built 1814, the oldest Church in Delhi, Gurudwara Sheesh Ganj The site of the beheading of Guru Tegh Bahadur and three of his disciples on the orders of Aurangzeb.Next to the Gurudwara is the Sunehri Masjid, built by one of the nobles of Aurangzeb for a wandring sifi who began living next to the Kotwali, it is from the Steps of this mosque that Nadir Shah ordered the massacre of Dilliwallahs in 1739, right opposite is the Fountain built on the orders of Lord Northbrook, the location for heated debates between Arya Samajists and Christian missionaries and this is just the beginning we have Katra Shahenshahi, Punjab opticals, Ghantewala, Annapurna,  Natraj Dahi Bhalle Waala,Town Hall, Chhunnamal’s Haveli, Gali Qasim Jaan, Ghalib’s Haveli and much more the walk takes upwards of three hours, time taken to eat the large number of delicacies on offer not included.

Book Red Fort walk with Sohail Hashmi

Red Fort and the complex of buildings inside I do not need to expand on this but the walk tries to Link structures to events in History.

Red Fort

 

 

To book a private tour of Red Fort with Sohail Hashmi, send an email to mailsohail50 [at] gmail [dot] com.

To check when the next public walking tour of Red Fort is scheduled, see my Facebook page.

Check out other walks I conduct in Delhi, Agra and Mandu.

Jama Masjid

2 This walk begins at Jama Masjid, commissioned by Shah Jahan and completed in 1656, the mosque was to emerge as the design prototype for all mosques built in the sub-continent for several centuries thereafter. We carry on to Indraprasth Girls School, the first Girls school started in 1904 and carry on to inspect the well that supplied water to the Jama Masjid walk through Chhippiwada, earlier the area where fabric printers lived but now known for several old temples and some remarkable Havelis, we retrace outr steps and walk through the Fireworks Market before entering Dareeba Kalan, the market of the jwellersDareeba is also the place where you can shop for perfumes at Gulab Singh the famous Gandhees or perfumers of Dareeba. From Dareeba Kalan we turn left into  Dareeba Khurd (Kinari Bazar), the market of the lace makers and much else besides, Within Kinari Bazar is Hazari Mal the famous Khurchan and Rabri Sellers of Khurja and some distance ahead is the  heritage enclave known as Nau Ghara, inhabited by several families of Shwetambar Jains. Nau Ghara is also the site of a beautifully preserved late 19^th century temple. The walk concludes with a visit to Gali Paratheywaali  with shops that have been serving Paratha lovers from early 1870s. Beyond Gali Parathey Waali is Kunwarjis Namken and then Chandni Chowk, But that is another walk. We conclude with a short introduction to Chandni Chowk. This walk takes about Three Hours.

Turkman Gate

1 Turkman Gate one of the 14 Gates of Shahjahanabad and named after a thirteenth century Sufi known as Shams-ul-Arifeen Shah Turkman Byabani, the saint was a contemporary of Qutub-ud-Din Bakhtyaar Kaaki and Iltutmish and died in 1240 the same year Razia Sultan, the first Woman Ruler of Delhi was killed, Razia Sultan is also buried in the same locality as the Sufi, Mausoleum of Razia Sultan in Bulbuli Khana not too far away from the shrine of the Sufi, Mid way between the two mausoleums is the Kalan (Main, Major)  Masjid, popularly known as Kaali Masjid, because the stones had turned black due to moss collected over centuries. The mosque, a fine example of Pathan Architecture has been very badly repaired and restored, loosing much of its historical character. Beyond Razia Sultan’s Mausoleum at the edge of Sarak Prem Narain  are the ruins of Haksar Haveli. It was here that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s wedding party stayed when he married Kamla Nehru, Mandir Chauraasi Ghanta earlier known as Ghanta Mahadev is a little distance away inside Bazar Sitaram, incidentally Bazar Sitaram andSarak Prem Narain are named after two Kashmiri Pandits who were real brothers and lived in this areas as did the Haksars, the  Kauls and the Zutshis, all desendents of Kashmiri Pandits who had come and settled down in Delhi at the Invitation of Shahjahan. The Original Haveli of  Lala, later Sir, Sri Ram, the Haveli known as Kotwaal Walon ki Haveli used till recently as a Barat Ghar, Gali Magazine  where the rebels stocked their gun powder during 1857, we walk through Gali Akhare Waali and Chooriwaalaan, on the way walking past the Havelis of Bhaanamal and Dhoomi Mal and visiting the beautifully carved mosque built by Nawab Rukn-ud-Daulah, the Prime Minister of Akbar Shah IInd the walk ends with a traditional Delhi breakfast of Bedmi poori and Halwa Nagori at the famous Shyam Sweets at Bad Shah-Bula Chowk.

 

Delhi is Not Far

I am a Dilliwala. I invite you to come and discover this city of 7 cities with me, any morning of the year, unless it’s raining.

I do not have a fixed schedule and prefer to walk with groups not composed of total strangers. It is better that those who are walking together also know each other, this leads to a level of comfort and better exchanges.

I would therefore suggest that between 5-10 people, people who know each other and are interested in exploring the city, get together and I will conduct a walk for them. I have done walks with larger groups but my preference, especially within the walled city is for smaller groups. In other places, such as Mehrauli and Tughlaqabad, larger groups are also manageable.

I prefer to do my walks early in the morning; any day of the week is good, preferably beginning the walk by about 8 am in winter and around 7 am in the summer months.

Those walking should wear comfortable walking shoes (no heels please) and should carry drinking water with them. Preferably do not carry food items with you. You have to lug it around, it leads to littering and is a great incentive for monkeys.

Choose one of 16 walks and get in touch with me.

10. Ferozeshah Kotla

Ferozeshah Kotla (The 5th Delhi),  Built by Ferozeshah Tughlaq (1351-1388)structures worth seeing include the The Jama Masjid, the Baoli and the Ashokan Pillar, the last named was brought from near Meerut and installed here, by Ferozeshah Tughlaq. It was the text on this pillar written in the Brahmi script that was deciphered by the British archaeologist Princep. This led to the discovery of Ashoka the Great, before the deciphering of this text we had no inkling that a King like Ashoka existed.

9. Purana Qila

The Puran Quila Complex including Khair-ul Manazil Mosque built by Maham Anga, one of the two wet nurses of Akbar, an attempt was made on Akbar’s life from this mosque. Sher Shah Gate, one of the gates used to enter the 6^th city of Delhi, remains of a medieval bazaar flanking the road that led into the city from this gate have recently been exposed. Inside the Purana Qila the places worth seeing include the Sher Mandal, an octagonal structure used by Humayun as his library, it was from here that Humayun fell to his death.   A beautiful mosque, Masjid Qila-e-Kuhna, commissioned by SherShah Suri,  The Hammam  and a museum that exhibits artefacts excavated from within the fort and dating between 3^rd century BCE to the 18^th Century CEare other place that we would visit during our walk.

8. Nizam-ud-Din Basti

This is a walk through Basti Hazrat Nizam-ud-Din, beginning with the Chausath Khambha, the 64 pillared mausoleum of Mirza Kokaltash, one of the commanders of Akbar and son of Atgha Khan and Jiji Anga, the former was Akbar’s chief body guard and his wife was one of the two wet nurses of Akbar. The Mausoleum of the greatest poet of Urdu, Mirza Ghalib, is located adjacent to 64 Khambha.

 Nizam-ud-Din Auliya was the most popular Sufi of Delhi and certainly one of the most popular Sufis of all times. Nizam-ud-Din’s favourite disciple, the linguist, litterateur, raconteur, historian and musician Amir Khusrau is also here.

Shahjahan’s accomplished daughter, builder and poet  Jahanara,  Akbar’s chief bodyguard  Atgha Khan, the Mughal king known more for his love of Music than for anything else, Mohammad Shah and several Mughal princes are buried here. Juna Shah Telangani, the prime Miniter of Ferozeshah Tughlaq and builder of seven mosques in Delhi is also buried here. The Jama Masjid of Nizam-ud-Din, one of the mosques bult by Juna Shah and another built by Khizr Khan, the son of Ala’ud Din Khilji are also located within the Nizam-ud din  area as is a beautiful stepwell built by Nasir-ud-Din Chiragh Dehli, th disciple and successor to Nizam-ud-Din Auliya