Monday 28 December 2015

Shahjahanabad Shooting Diary- Day 5&6-Breakfast Walk with Anubhav Sapra


  Breakfast walk of Shahjahanabad with Anubhav Sapra (Delhi Food Walks) was done in two phases- spread over two days. 

Since, it was breakfast we had to meet in the morning at Metro station, as we started our 'very serious' work- of shooting breakfast joints at Shahjhanabad. First thing we had to do was to take a rickshaw to Chitli Qabar- Haveli Azam Khan for Haji Shabrati's Nahari. This is the second generation running the shop. Even "the New" at Shahjahanabad usually is around fifty years old, most of the shops, especially the eateries are all at least 60-70 years old. Nahari is meat stew cooked on slow fire and legend has it, that they used to cook it the entire night and hence came the thickness and the flavor. Haji Shabrati's Nahari is one of the best (of buffalo meat), you can ask for butter and bone marrow on top!
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Post-Nahari session, we moved to a nearby shop for tea. Anubhav informed us that the tea shop owner's daughter is pursuing PhD from DU in English Literature, and 'recently has just come back from a conference in US', added the proud father! 
Anubhav got some Tabarak ki Roti from nearby Diamond Bakery and we had our 'chai-waye'.
In the same street there are a few shops selling meat. We tried to take a few shots and they got angry and shouted at us for not asking for permission (must have been illegal so we came out). 

We moved out of the street and moved towards the street where Karim's is (main Jama Masjid road). When you walk further in the street, beyond Kareem's there is Haleem degh/ cauldron being cooked in the open. The cook had just put it on 'dum', but on our request removed the numerous clothes, opened it and did some more mashing for our camera. He told us to come after couple of hours. Meanwhile, we went to Shyam Sweets for Bedmi poori. There were less people so the owner agreed to talk to us. Most famous is his Matar Kachori, as some Jains (sizable number of traders in the wholesale markets of Chandni Chowk) do not even eat Aloo, thus peas/ matar became popular as a filling for samaosa/kachori, etc. He recommended a few shops in Daryaganj, popular for different snacks. Near Shyam Sweets stands Daulat ki Chaat vendor. Milk is cooked until the cream is left, and thus name comes from its richness- daulat! 

In the morning, one can also spot various flower vendors selling garlands mostly of marigold flower for ritual/ pooja purpose. We went to check Lotan Chhole Kulche wala in the opposite side a bit further from Nai Sarak, but he had left. In the meantime, Anubhav received a call from Haleem wala that he was going to open the degh! We hurried our pace and reached Gali Kababian (Kebab vendors' street). Interestingly, a board hanging on the other side of Karims' said, "Outsiders' not allowed". The degh was opened in front of us, as we shot the entire procedure of adding water, checking consistency, adding various spices, etc. The entire degh was shifted from the burner with a thick rope. As people saw us, there gathered a big crowd and started discussing the haleem, its uniqueness and the family which had been doing business here. Once, it was cooked he gave us all plates and did not even charge us for it! 
Anubhav suggested having haleem with biryani (new for me!) and again the kind gentle soul, Haleem seller ordered it and refused money for it. Haleem (buffalo meat) was actually very good. And all of us got so full that we decided to postpone the rest of the walk and breakfast places to the next day!

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Next day we met Anubhav and four foreigners at the Chawari Bazar Metro station and started for Shyam Sweets. Since, we had had our fill of Shyam Sweets we just walked around a bit. Simran with her dogs sits on the opposite street and sells 'datun' sticks, and uses the same sticks to guide her dogs! 

From Shyam Sweets we walked in the opposite lane in the search of Lotan Chhole Kulche wala, and this time we found him with a big crowd around him. This is the second generation selling chhole kulche here. Chholas were a bit spicy for us but kulchas were thin, soft and non-oily as they usually are (as compared to bhaturas!). He also added some butter for us. And gave the water of the boiled chick peas separately. From here he goes and sits outside a school.



After sharing a plate of Chhola Kulchas we moved to Karim's for Nahari and Paaye (mutton). This nahari was not as thick as we had on the previous day, and same for paaye. Both dishes are usually known for thick gravies. It was less spicy and average, probably better suited for foreigners. Post nahari we went to taste different kind of breads/ rotis at Rahmatullah hotel- Lachha paratha, sheermal, etc. There you can also see rows of homeless people waiting for food. Often if somebody wants to do charity, money is given to hotel people to feed certain number. For example, food is Rs. 20 per person, so you can feed five people on Rs. 100!  
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   Next we walked to Bazar Matia Mahal for Taufiq's Biryani. But, on the way got some good photos of biryani being cooked on order (catering) as the same day was Eid e Milad un Nabi (Prophet Mohammad's birthday). Taufiq's biryani was very good, and from the inside lanes we came out at Chitli qabar and took rickshaws for Fatehpuri Masjid, Chandni Chowk. 

At Fatehpuri, we got off and gorged on some delicious Chaina Ram's different sweets like Karachi Halwa. We wanted to speak with Chaina Ram's owner but he refused citing some legal cases going on (water pollution!). But, we spoke with the guy frying samosas in desi ghee. Everything is cooked in desi ghee at Chaina Ram. He makes  desi ghee pooris in the morning.  
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 From Fatehpuri, we crossed to the opposite lane for Amritsari Lassi. We tried namkeen, Rose- badam and a few others. All had generous dry fruits and right mix of sweet/ salt! 

Next we walked in the busy lanes of Khari- Baoli/ Spice market. Here we saw many other groups of foreigners getting guided tours. Anubhav took us to the terrace of an erstwhile haveli of British times in Gadariyon ki Gali. Stairs were narrow and often dark, but the view from the top was worth it. It gave a bird's eye view of the entire bazar and of the nearby Fatehpuri Masjid as well.  


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Embedded image permalinkEmbedded image permalinkEmbedded image permalink      We went inside a few spice shops, and found the masalas for Chicken tikka/ Mushroom Tikka/ panner tikka to be very expensive and came out. Foreigners crowded these shops! Most of us were either sneezing/coughing because of the smell of the spices in the entire area. Some of the spices we had never even had heard of (one of the spice's name was Chhail Chhabili)!

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From Spice market, where we lost some one or the other many times, we finally walked back to the main Chandni Chowk lane. A betel-leaf/ paan wala (selling at the same spot since 40 years!) made paan for our camera guys"with qimam"! One of the tourist remarked that same kind of leaf with different kind of spread is also eaten in Taiwan. Our photographer, who is quite an expert on North-East narrated different kind of 'paans' that are eaten as a daily routine thing. Both our camera guys had different effects, one complained of a headache, the other went into "a zone"! 
 Next we went to Chhola Bhatura shop and all of us Indians shared one bhatoora. Foreigners had a single bhatoora each! By this time, we all were craving for tea, especially the headache-wala colleague. We went to a tea shop which was also famous for its milk cake. The tea was good and so was the cake. But, opposite the tea shop was a Man's saloon. We shamelessly kept staring at the men having facials/ massage and hair cut. Our Videographer asked for permission and shot some on camera. Men were actually very sweet to agree to this invasion of their privacy!    
 Post- tea we took a battery rickshaw to Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib. It was the time for Lunch Bhandara now. 


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 The entire operation is efficiently run mostly, on the basis of Volunteers. At first, we gave our shoes to pretty young girls, who took our dirty shoes like some precious thing, without making a face and gave us a token. We walked inside, 'Path'/ sermon was going on. We took a few shots (nobody objected, everybody was very friendly, no prior permissions required!). Then, we walked outside where the 'prasad'/ halwa was being distributed. From the Gurudwara building, Anubhav took us to another buiding,  where langar is distributed and cooked. This building was built and added to the main complex much later. We entered a small room with two massive cauldrons, one was empty and hot water was boiling in the other cauldron. Senior Sardarji explained that Halwa is cooked here, and the bigger kitchen is towards the inside. 

"The Kitchen" was a big room. There was a massive roti machine, where an old Sardarji was putting kneaded atta balls and those balls were being flattened, and roasted by the machine in dozens. There were also some women manually flattening the chapatis, and then they were being cooked by three people on the big, long tawa. On the side were really big cauldrons of dal and chawal. From the kitchen as you move inside, the plates are being cleaned and wiped by some volunteers, and as you keep walking you see a huge dining hall with rows of people eating hot, healthy food. 

One of the volunteer Uncle, when I asked him, 'do they get this many people everyday?', said, 'it depends if its a holiday or week day or weekend. Less people come for dinner. Families come for shopping at Chandni Chowk and come to have food here as it is free.' But, he complained about those who leave unfinished food. The left overs are then packed and given to them. He said, food items- dal/ atta everything has become expensive. People should not waste food. He showed us some polythene bags he was carrying in his pocket, used for packing leftover food. Some people even find it difficult to take off shoes and socks. He (in his sixties, and pointed to other Uncles) said, "Hum bhi to khade hain, kaam kar rahe hain, (We are also standing and working here), so why can't you?"  

All of us were overwhelmed by the entire 'Langar operation' and the service of the volunteers. Everybody was extremely friendly and nice. A great end to an interesting day of food, as we bid goodbye to the foreigners and Anubhav, and to each other here. We were all very tired but felt good after witnessing such a selfless gesture of human kindness. 
World is not such a bad place, need proof? Go visit a gurudwara and Volunteer!  

Video Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLfN4bIUipM&t=168s 

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Shahjahanabad Shooting Diary- Day 4- Chandni Chowk Markets-1


We decided to shoot some wholesale markets that Shahjahanabad is famous for on Day 4. From Chandni Chowk Metro station we walked towards the Red Fort side and just walked inside the lane which said "Bhagirath Palace." This market is one of the oldest for electronic goods, wiring, lights etc. It is extremely crowded at most times and difficult to walk around especially when you have two guys carrying big cameras and a tripod bag! You have to jostle/ push make your way to go inside. Everybody is in a hurry. A smaller auto which ferries goods almost drove on my foot! 


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 Once, you move inside, it also has some medical shops. One can find most medicines and related medical stuff- wheel chairs, trolleys, and God knows what not in the market. In winters, all kinds of heaters, geysers, electric hot water bags were being sold. The shops selling lamps, chandeliers told us not to take photos, so we kept walking.

Interesting was to see a hole punching machine on a electricity board adorned with 'nimbu-mirchi'. Our tryst to make the mechanical machines more human, by extending our sacred-ness to it. (The way we do it to our vehicles- trucks/ autos/ cars/ two-wheelers with Mata ki Lal chunni, etc.)

As we walked past various thela walas and other people, observed some girls having an animated discussion to buy dental floss and other dental stuff. My fellow cameraman wanted to request one of the girls to pose with the floss, but I decided against it (he even suggested in case they refuse I should hold the floss with my mouth open and "pose" with it!).

We came across Begum Samroo's 18th century Haveli built in Greek and Roman style (wife of French mercenary Walter Reinhardt), now just a building with lots of small shops inside and badly maintained. Almost being used like a godown. It was difficult to get any shot from the ground so we asked a rickshaw wala bhaiya if there was a place where we could get a better view of the building. He directed us to a stair case of an opposite building. We thanked him, and moved to a narrow, dingy staircase. The building had various small shops photocopy, medical equipments, electrical goods, etc. on different floors. We just kept climbing the stairs until we reached the top floor. 
From there we took some shots from a narrow passage between a wall and massive AC unit. A man came to ask us who we were, what we were doing etc. and then directed us to another staircase. Now we were on an open terrace, stinking of urine but open with a clear view of the entire area around us. 
I was just shocked to see the number of telephone network towers all around me at little distance from each other. Some monkeys playing on electrical wires, thelas putting more load on them, etc. And on the terrace of Begum Samroo's haveli some young girls were washing the dishes!

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 Amongst these historical structures, numerous AC units, they are such an eyesore, apart from the dangerously dangling wires all over the city and monkeys and birds sitting on them!

From here, we walked towards the lane opposite Kumar cinema, towards cycle market. But, first is Camera market on the same road. Both photographer and Videographer were fascinated to see the variety of cameras- old and new, accessories, etc. We spoke to a shop owner who had put on display some old photographs and some very old cameras. He said business has gone in loss since mobile cameras have come in vogue. So, I asked him how does he survive, he said his son has his business and he just sits in the old shop.

Walking past these camera shops we came across a Jagannath Mandir before the cycle market started. Old Delhi hardly has any Oriya population, so it was very odd to see this temple here. Astrologer/ priest sitting outside with a big board looked friendly so we decided to speak in length with him. He was also from UP.  On the ground floor was mandir and on the first floor there were people staying. The building was around 300 years old, well maintained. It also had a well in the courtyard. Priest told us that for pooja rituals etc. they use the water of the well not of the tap!

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The tiles were Victorian embossed like we saw at Jain temple  and the mirror work behind the idols and on the ceiling was quite extensive and exquisite. There was space around the main sanctorum for parikrama. There were Rajisthani influences which were visible. Priest said temple was maintained by people around the area, traders, some Oriyas visit it too. On the same day that they take out the Puri Jagannath procession, here around Shahjahanabad they take out the idols' procession.

Further from this, there were temple on every second step, if not on the ground floor then on the first floor. Cycle market earlier sold cycles and its different parts, now mostly children's cycles, etc. were being sold.

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 We had started in the afternoon and light was fading so, we decided to call it a day as next day was early morning Breakfast walk.

Monday 21 December 2015

Shahjahanabad Shooting Diary- Day 3 Jain Mandirs


Shahjahanabad has some famous Jain Mandirs. The ones we were supposed to shoot were located in the bylanes of Kinari Bazar, which itself is one of the lanes at Dariba Bazar. I had gone there to ask for permission for shooting and I got lost! People directed me to different temples, but not to the ones I was looking for! I had to ask Sohail Sir for directions. The directions were- first look for a Khurchan (scraped milk sweet) shop, then Gajjak shops, then a couple of Chaat walas and further a spice shop! I followed the directions and reached an interesting street with beautiful European inspired arches and architecture. The caretakers and Secretary sahab of Indraprastha Teerth Trust were pleasant, looked at my documents asked my name twice but gave me the permission to shoot there after the next two days!

The Sahapedia team and I had decided to meet at Jama Masjid Gate no. 3 and from there we walked. Often getting distracted by jewelry at Dariba and beautiful laces at Kinari Bazar, but reached the temple at the appointed time given to us.      
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But, before we could begin the temple shoot we started shooting the street's architecture. There were a few men who were standing there who started explaining about their houses and the temple. The houses were well maintained and in good condition. The temple priest Mishra ji who was our guide for the day told us to first visit the smaller temple in another lane. So, we went to Shri Shambhunath Jain Shwetambar Mandir first. In a very narrow bylane where only one person could walk at one time, we saw this beautiful entrance which reminded us of the Nawab Rukun ud Dawla mosque's design at Chawari Bazar.

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 These temples are maintained by the Swetamber sect of Jains (the ones who wear clothes, as opposed to Digambars who practice nudity)! Both the temples are considered to be old and trace their history to the Mahabharata period. Maintained and sustained by the Jewelers and also referred to as "Johri temples", you can actually see the gold, silver, diamonds, crystals on the idols!


 Once we enter the first floor Mandir through stairs, there are a few charts etc. with details of 22 rules to be maintained in the temple. First idol is of Lord Bhairon, the protector.  The open Verandah covered by jaal, led to three rooms with idols of Mahaveer and other Teerthankars. There were paintings on the walls in which Vegetable dye was used, colors were still bright. Roof was of sandstone and floor of marble, Mishra ji said no iron was used in the building and it kept cool in summers and warm in winters. The roof hoisted a flag which is changed once every year on 24th Dec. with rituals and pooja.  The walls had Victorian tiles embossed with flowers.




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Embedded image permalink  From here, we again went back to the bigger temple at Naughara, Sumatinath Jain temple. Here, there were 84 rules to be maintained (not to talk/sit/ show back to idols etc etc) . Mishra ji took us to the backside of the temple which was in bad shape and he said around the Mughal time that area housed army animals. The European arch of 19th century was still intact. We came back to the main temple and from the ground floor office where we had to keep our bags went to the first floor. This was far more grand, and as Sahapedia colleague remarked,  "a Visual assault on senses". Not a single inch was left empty, every space had some design, paintings (Rajasthani style mostly) depicting different Teerthankars, Jain version of their Devis  (for eg. Hindus have Durga, Jains have Padmavati), but Lakshmi was seen in her original avatar at both the temples (jewelers need Lakshmi!). The doors were carved beautifully, silver on wood frame. There were three rooms again, two with Mahaveer on both sides and the main one in the middle had other Gods/ Teerthankars all bejeweled with diamonds, pearls, gold and silver. The outer courtyard was getting painted as marble here was getting yellow. Mishra ji showed us the brilliant ventilation plan on the back designed in such a way that the natural light and air could pass at all times. On the second floor, were mostly massive paintings with glass work, depicting different times and incidents from Mahaveer's life. There were some miniature paintings at the back as well. Ceilings again were beautifully painted with different images. On the outer courtyard is a statue of Parasnath in black flanked by two white idols on the side. Mishraji said the white idols had come from Pakistan, post- Partition and since this was a major temple in Delhi, these idols were given to this Mandir. On the southern wall, there were no idols, as he said it is considered inauspicious to have idols in this direction. Ravan was also depicted in one of the paintings as he is also considered as one of Teerthankars. There were utensils which were used to bathe idols and clothes to clean and wipe them chandan crushers for pooja. Mishraji said, the temple also has a dharamshala where visitors can stay but it is strictly for Jains only.      
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Mishra ji himself had come from Amethi, UP. A traditional Congress bastion, a Congress supporter himself. Earlier, his uncle was a priest here. He admitted Jainism is a very difficult and strict religion. He was happy with the respect he got, and the work he was doing as a priest. He was given a house near temple premises. One should live a simple life, he said.            
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Embedded image permalink From here we came back to the ground floor office, by this time Secretary sahab had woken up and demanded to see all the footage. Satisfied, he then took us to the basement where Pappu Ram was doing all the stone cutting, designing and everything else. He had come from Rajasthan some years back and had been working now for two years in the basement under Secretary Sahab's supervision. His passion for his work was visible as he spoke. He also made amazing ginger tea for all of us. They invited us to visit them on 4th Jan for lunch when they take out a procession with a palanquin, big elephants and other things that were under cover are all used then.
Embedded image permalink We came out of the temple and straight went to this beautifully built and maintained 19th century house. The drawing room cum office opened into the street and showed a collector's house. We were surprised at the open doors which gave a full view of the room and everything inside it. The room was full of beautifully framed paintings, other artifacts and luckily the owner, Atam Aggarwal agreed to entertain us. He told us, his father Ram Charan Aggarwal (he has a road named after him at ITO) was a freedom fighter, and showed a book on him with pics of Gandhiji, Nehru and other major leaders. Most of this collection was his own. A generous man, (brother of JP Aggarwal, Congress leader), he offered us tea but we declined and promised to visit him for chat and tea when we would come for the Mandir Yatra next.
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Smart Phone & I



World for me was divided into people who either had those big work phones and carried the entire social media and their office on it and the other big population which only received phone calls and messages on the device. I was happy being in the other category of simple, laid back, non-smart phonewalas, where I would know about the world through TV news, or when I logged in on my laptop and not be constantly bothered about who "liked" what, or who "outraged" on which issue on Twitter!(Sorry, do not go beyond- Twitter, which is personal favorite and rarely go on Facebook!) I had not known the joys of Whatsapp yet!

I had a phone with buttons as I have fat fingers and always believed it would be difficult for me to manage the delicate touch screen of the phone, to keep rubbing my fingers and type on it too!Imagine, phew! Also, history of losing numerous phones and being accident prone generally always stopped me from buying expensive phones!

But, now all that was going to change! I got in gift a smart phone on my birthday! I do not understand why they call a phone Smart, and in comparison to whom? The user? Is it able to do things more efficiently and better than the user! Gosh, I can do without that kind of comparison and judgement! Imagine losing to your own device!

 Then to download various different apps which made me wonder how I survived without them! The delight in asking "bhaiya (well, you never ask behenji!) where is this address" or trying to only get radio and not various music apps (I was happy letting AIR choose songs for me, and not making my own playlist) or trying to decide on restaurant or cuisine without the help of apps!Oh, the joys of getting lost will not be the same again! On the brighter side, the apps can remain and I may not use them is a huge possibility!

It just feels like ending of an era, losing touch with humans and getting sucked into a world of cold technology! Most of my friends say they have become more close thanks to various technologies of keeping in touch being available! But, what it also does is, it stops that phone call that you may have made and now you just finish it with a message! The feeling of listening to another person's voice, wishing them on their special days, but well, they might be busy, lets just wish with a message!

The "getting started" process is another hassle! After getting the number converted into post-paid the service provider will go to my mother's house to check if I ever lived there! Then, I will have to choose the plan according to my usage of phone calls/ message/ internet, etc. I am being asked to make so many decisions in this, and they still call the phone- "smart"!Huh, Irony died a thousand deaths when they invented "SMART phones"!


UPDATE AFTER SIX MONTHS

Yes, it has been almost six months since I got converted from a simple to a smart phone user! (Has nothing to do with my IQ here). Had a few issues early on. Phone got a virus and all my numbers got mixed up. Maid was now a senior Prof. So, when I called my maid to ask her, "Kaam par kyun nahi aayi?"Call actually went to a senior Prof, who I had to apologize profusely, and now I completely avoid due to embarrassment.
On the birthday of Mamu (Uncle), I sang entire "Happy Birthday" song to my Plumber! And weirdly, he did not even stop me, because he also was somebody's Mamu and thought his niece was calling! My beautician's number got swapped with my colleague! And driver's with a dentist!
After many such mishaps and embarrassments, now I check every time I call! So, if I call Deepa, wait for Deepa to confirm at least twice to confirm she is Deepa and not someone else!

I went through some horrible time in personal life and close friends' on Whatsapp kept almost 24 hour vigil and took care virtually from different parts of the world. Other side of it, some old school friends' discovered me and now send selfies, religious and friendship messages to respond to! I thought I had left them in my school! It is difficult to ignore people on phone. But,  then you can avoid the call and just send a message instead! Also, on the brighter side discovered some good friends' who share poetry and discuss other interesting issues all, on whatsapp.

Students' who would bunk classes think they can get extra class and tutions on Whatsapp! Some even ask, Ma'am we had an exam but, we saw you were online at 2am! Hello??
Apart from friends', some young cousins started treating me like their personal counselor and wanted advice after 45th break up! Uncles and cousins wanted regular updates on life on Whatsapp! You may ignore friends' but, as Barjatya Uncle has taught us, one cannot ignore family!  

My most favorite part was Twitter. I could share random thoughts and photos with strangers! My followers grew from maybe 10 odd to almost 100 thanks to my smart phone!Yayy! Although, I should be ashamed that I may ignore friends', reluctantly keep in touch with family but am very happy that some strangers know me through my tweets! Strange world we live in!!

I may listen to music on Gaana and Saavn apps, but not beyond this. I still like getting lost and asking people for way.

Only that now I depend on my phone so much that since its keyboard is not working today, I feel like a handicap! It is almost like an extension of me now. My fingers I fear with all the rubbing on screen may have become even shorter. The doctors who warn about those wrist/ thumb pains may all be true but such joys of being connected. Hey, I am a Smart phone user now!

(Based on true events!)



Thursday 10 December 2015

Shahjahanabad Shooting Diary- Day 2 with Sohail Hashmi Sahab


We finally got the Heritage Walk by Sohail Hashmi Sahab on camera. I had to get up and start from my place at 6.55am (I do not leave my house at this hour unless I had to go to school or travelling! Of course, had to make an exception for this!!).
We had decided to meet at Turkman Gate, one of the gates still standing, restored and in good condition. Meanwhile, as others were still on their way, Sohail Sahab, me and our Sahapedia colleague made a quick dash to Holy Trinity Church. Along the way, he remarked on the fake Dargah of Turkman Shah Bayabani (after whom the Gate is named).  According to him, he is buried somewhere inside Shahjahanabad, but here, they are making money in his name. 

At the Church, the Christmas preparations had started and cheerful, energetic 90 year old Georgina, like always showed us around, and like always asked me about my details! She also told us that the Church organised a Qawwali programme to mark its anniversary, few days back. (Qawwali for Jesus, why not!)  Sohail Sahab remarked on the sacred and profane pulpits (Bible is read out from one and accounts discussed from another)  . At Kashmere Gate, Chandni Chowk, Fatehpuri, Turkman Gate churches first prayer service is still done in Urdu. (Shahjahanabadi tradition still carrying on).

By this time our friends from Sahapedia had assembled and three of SPA students had also joined us for the walk. We went inside the Turkman Gate compound gate with our cameras, as guard made a gesture of salute/salam to Sohail Sahab. We fixed our equipment and made a circle around him to listen to him as traffic honked around us. He described a legend according to which, somebody had told Firoz Shah Tughlaq and his town planners to extend the city up to Turkman Gate to include Shah Turkman Bayabani's dargah, and the city would survive till eternity! This part largely was wilderness and consisted of a burial ground. One of the reasons that one neighbourhood still is known as "Mohalla Qabristan"(an oxymoron!) and we can still find many graves in the area.

From Turkman Gate we walked straight towards Teliyon ka Phatak to spot the Lakhauri bricks wall falling apart from an erst while Nawab Muzaffar Khan Haveli, now neighbourhood of  Oil pressers caste. On the street, bikes and scooters zoomed past us, wondering loudly 'TV wale hain/ journalist hain" etc. as one goat decided to chew on a colleague's delicious shawl!

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Further down the street, we went to recently pre-fixed with "Shahi"- Kalan Masjid, where construction was going on. A mosque from pre- Mughal period by Juna Shah Telengani showing some Tughlaq era style arches, covered by bright Green paint, Marble flooring and granite tiles, etc. now. Mosque was built on a high platform, mostly on the ground floor shops were built, whose rent helped with the maintenanace. Kalan Masjid meaning big, became Kali masjid for the neighbourhood walas, as the mosque lost its grandeur until it got painted in bright green and other colors.     
We also spotted some really healthy cats at Bulbuli Khana (literally place for bulbuls, named after a girls' school which was moved from here to Asaf Ali Road),  where we stopped for tea. 

 From there, we walked towards Sitaram Bazar, trying to trace Haksar Haveli on a street where Jawahar Lal Nehru's barat came and he had married Kamla Nehru. Kayasths and Kashmiri Pandits were very good at adapting languages and were part of Mughal courts, lived here. Kids on the street looked at girls', then at Sohail Sahab and then at the building, surprised some smirked and even commented on the interest' in the old, falling apart buildings!

From the Mosques we went to temples (Chaurasi ghanta/ 84 bells), and havelis of Kucha Mai Dass where some of Delhi's wealthiest lived (Shri Rams, for instance). The rich since, have moved out and their havelis are in bad condition. Beautiful Gothic art still prominent on the gates, shows the European influence on architecture. 

From the narrow streets, passing through a 'Chhatta' (terrace on the first floor joining the two ends of property and providing passage for public) we reached towards Gali Magazine, where gunpowder was stored in the post-1857 period. Some of us were actually shocked to see fat sheeps whose fat had gathered at their bums! There used to be a famous "Akhara" here too.
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We came out at Chooriwalan and turned towards Masjid Nawab Rukun ud Dawla, one of the most beautifully carved mosques. Small mosque (for Hanafis) with flattened Roman style arch over Mughal cusped arch, showing the acceptance of British domination. The old Mosque caretaker does the most amazing cleanest mending of clothes- darning, etc. It was just our group and the place was empty so we tried to make sense of everything that we found written on the wall/ even tried to guess the text behind the wall clock. Everyone clicked selfies/ photographs of the beautiful carvings and jaalis. Opposite the mosque, a little ahead was Dhoomimals' Haveli (Art Gallery fame'), now being used as a primary school on first floor and a godown on the ground floor. 
Embedded image permalinkWe entered a narrow passage opposite Gujarat Namkeens at Chawari Bazar to emerge at Jain Sandwiches, famous for his fruit sandwiches. Two brothers running the shop for over 40-50 years, started by their father. A small little clean place with few chairs and tables to sit. We rested ourselves and waited for our fruit- mix sandwiches with filling of chutney, apples, pomegranates, cucumber, butter,cheese/ paneer bits served with green mint chutney. They also serve coffee, tea etc. 

Once we came out of the shop we had wedding cards' shops all around us. Buildings here displayed the traces of Art- Deco movement, with Swastika, rising sun and other angular, symmetrical geometric forms. One building at Aligarh similarly, was modeled on the old Murphy radio design, said Sohail Sahab.

We walked straight to Shyam Sweets for our Proper breakfast finally! Bedami poori/aloo and chhole sabzi, rounded off with halwa and nagauri. 

Embedded image permalinkPost heavy breakfast, everybody was walking slow. Sohail Sahab decided to sit at one of the shops and explained how the use of shutters led to the decline of street addas and street sellers. Earlier the color and design of doors were markers of shops and extra space outside was used by people to sit/ gossip/ drink tea/ play cards/ for ear cleaners/ faqirs, etc. 
As we came out of the Chawri street, to go towards Jama Masjid, we noticed many hotels on the road opposite Jama Masjid and the pavements full of beddings and Razai sellers. Here, Sohail Sahab gave a long description with examples of how bazars formed a harmonious pattern of related trades. 

We walked from there and reached the steps of Jama Masjid and sat there. Sohail Sahab explained how the Jama Masjid design has been copied and has influenced many subsequent mosques which came up later in the sub-continent (Badshahi Mosque of Lahore, Zeenat ul Masjid, etc). He also talked about the Meena Bazar market, Dargahs of Sufi Sarmad and Hare Bhare Shah with their stories and legends. He left from Jama Masjid and promised to finish the Jain temples and Dariba part post- permissions etc. later in the coming week. 

Most of our Sahapedia friends had left and students' left too, it was just the four of us now! We rested for sometime, went to Dariba to buy water, as my friend did not want to pay Imam's eatery, also offering X-Rays, and other medical tests with samosas/ tea/ sandwiches! (A rare eating outlet, run by Imam and his family, doubling up as a Medical center!) 

Finally, we went inside Jama Masjid post- afternoon prayers. At the gate, I had to make a call to my contact, an important person at office (as I discovered later) to allow us to take our cameras inside and to shoot in the premises. 

We left our shoes near the ticket counter for Minar, as it was less crowded and asked the ticket guy for four tickets. He decided to act difficult and refused the cameras! I again had to call up the Very-Important-Office guy. He came out of his office and told the ticket counter guy, "Madam is from Jamia, let them go"!

He waived off even the ticket fee for us. From this moment on wards, we got the "Son-in-law/ damad wala treatment"(as per my friend!) as we saw how rudely the staff behaved with others. On the first floor we rested, took a few profile shots/ selfies, before we entered the  narrow long dark passage . 

The crowds with young kids, women, men kept climbing. Nobody was regulating the numbers, only one person could stand at one time, and if  somebody came from opposite direction both had to give each other space by breathing in the tummy, crawling up the cold wall to pass. Huffing and puffing we reached the top to see it full of people. One generous family with their two kids decided they had enough of the view and proceeded towards the stairs, so we got ourselves some space to stand and to take out our cameras. The view and the shots from the top were beautiful. Just that it required one of our friends to stand with both hands stretched in Shahrukh Khan pose, to stop us from falling! It was a solo human chain trying to stop any possible misstep! 

Embedded image permalinkWe clicked some photos, selfies were too dangerous to be attempted! We discussed and debated with others, how the authorities could improve it and make it safe for people. At last, as the crowds kept coming up,we decided to climb down. That was another task in itself! Jostling for space, going past fat Aunty, holding her hurting knees, young girls, two of us just made our way out somehow! The other two who were more polite came after fifteen minutes! 
In the warm sun, the Maulana responsible for keeping track of numbers was reading the newspaper, as his helper asked people to show their Minar tickets. I asked him which paper he was reading, he showed two papers- one Avadhnama (Delhi edition) and Roznama Khabrein. Very kind souls, until we saw them shouting at people! 

We decided to take some more photos, before we came back to the main compound. Here unanimously we decided breaking for lunch at Karim's. Few more snaps and we reached Karim's ordered lots of food, and surprisingly finished it all!!

Video links-
Video 1 on Jama Masjid-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgrn3ty3u8o&t=68s

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Shahjahanabad Shooting Diary- Day 1


We wanted to start our Sahapedia Shahjahanabad module on a high and had scheduled Sohail Hashmi Sahab's heritage walk around Shahjahanabad for our first day. But, we required permission for shooting inside Jama Masjid, and Imam Sahab was out of town so, had to postpone it for a later date. So, it was just the two young camera guys and yours truly to start the work on a foggy afternoon in crowded Shahjahanabad. We had decided to meet near Ashok Chat near Metro station, only that both of them reached Ashok Sweets (not their fault, there are too many Ashoks in the area!).  

We started waking around the Chawari Bazar lane, covering hardware market/ wedding card shops/ eateries and a few houses on the first floors which still had some traces of old architecture left. From the shop opposite Shyam Sweets we bought cold coffee (too sweet, wrong choice, should have taken Dal Halwa, but was thirsty!) 

From there, we walked to the Jama Masjid, gate number three (Dariba Side). They did not allow us to come inside with our cameras and asked us to leave the cameras outside at the gates. I remembered the person I was co-ordinating with at Jama Masjid,so dropped his name. I told them we are in touch with their office and have to meet him regarding permissions, will not shoot. Thankfully, they did not confirm and allowed us to come inside! We were just going to do some recce, and cross over to Meena Bazar market side to cover the Burqa shops.

From outside even with low light, cameras captured a few good shots. I narrated some of what I knew about Sufi Sarmad and Hare Bhare Sahab's story and walked down the stairs towards Meena Bazar. It was fascinating for both of my young friends' as both were new to the city and did not know much about Old Delhi. There is religion, and then there is usually a market around religion!Meena Bazar has shops selling prayer mats, topis, religious literature, Qurans, all sacred and some profane stuff as well, like food/ clothes/ jewellery/ utensils, etc! 

At Meena Bazar, cameras got attention of most people but nobody bothered us. We started at the burqa shop where ready made burqas ranging from Rs. 400- Rs. 5000 were being sold. I asked for the most expensive one, the fabric was not very good. Shopkeeper said, he quotes Rs. 5000 but it would go for Rs. 3000. Even then it was expensive, I told him, he smiled at my observation. Two diverse styles black with black embroidery sober ones were for daily wear, the blingy ones with stone embellishments/ embroidery were for special occasions like wedding, etc. and were more expensive. The one that caught our eye was a leopard/animal print burqa! There was a lane full of burqa shops. A man refused, and told us to shoot elsewhere while most were friendly and happy to pose. Some wanted to know the purpose of it, so I told them I was from Jamia Millia Islamia, a teacher doing research on changing Burqa styles. Ready made burqa business is not very old, shops earlier sold clothes/ suit pieces. Also, the scarves for young girls in different colors is also a recent phenomenon. 

A biryani/ kebab seller, shouted at us, "yahan aa jao, kha bhi lo aur photo bhi le lo" (Come here, eat and also take photos). Though tempted, but we politely declined!

 From Meena Bazar, we walked towards the main Road opposite Red Fort. Now, with all the Metro work going on, its even more chaotic. On push carts, all sorts of woolens for all ages, shoes, fruits were being sold. On the pavement, we noticed some herbs, in various colors and some women were selling them. I asked one woman, she said, its for acne, blemishes and offered some beauty tips. Another woman was selling for strength! I inquired, what strength? This made her angry, she shouted, 'what are you going to do with pictures, we have no money, we are poor and you put our pictures out and make money!' And covered her face. She was selling aphrodisiacs! Here, we noticed a man serving chowmein- with hara dhaniya topping! If dhaniya-mirchi can go with aloo-gosht then why not noodles!!
Another man, almost had a full-fledged dawakhana on the road, many bottles, colored stuff, etc.  On being asked what all that was for, he said, he cured all stomach problems, acidity/ gas, etc. Unconvinced, we walked away.
  
There is a bird market on the road opposite Red Fort. They had beautiful birds, in cages, of course. Some rare ones, even banned, sea gulls and a few other exotic ones. They got angry at the cameramen, and completely refused to allow anything to be shot over there. We knew the reason was the illegal trade of rare birds,so we did not push them. 

I offered next a serene, calm place to shoot. Zeenat ul Masjid or Ghata Masjid (built in 1707, by Aurangzeb's daughter Zeenat un Nissa begum), but the day light was getting dull every minute. So, we hurried our pace and went there to shoot. It was actually naive to think that they will allow us to shoot without raising any objections. There were some homes in the mosque compound. On the ground floor was a school. Mosque was on an elevated platform and resembled Jama Masjid, but on a smaller scale. Birds chirping and with hardly any crowd, we thought we could peacefully do our work here.  Two young boys saw us, and called a gentleman with beard and topi. He looked like the caretaker/ Imam. He shouted, how dare you, start shooting here without any/my permission . We have had problems before, we do not allow random people to come and shoot like this! 
I again, took out my Jamia Millia Islamia badge and told him I teach and we were doing research on architecture/ history. He demanded more papers! My Sahapedia letter was in my car. I went and got it, by this time he had disappeared in one of the houses! Then I had to bang on couple of doors, until he appeared from one of the house. Now, he took me to a small locked room opposite the mosque, which was bare except for prayer mat, few religious books and few Qurans. He asked me to sit, glanced at the papers (did not read!) and said, how difficult it is to run places. The tone was different now. He gave names of few people he knew at Jamia. I told him, it is a big university, I do not know every individual, but if it is somebody from my department, I may know them! Then he said, his cousin runs Al Falah school (recently set up at Okhla, doing well). I said, my Mashallahs. Then, he narrated a few stories of how he has had to face trouble when he allowed a crew to film a few days back and somehow a fire broke out and he had to control everything. I told him, its just the three of us, hardly there for half an hour. Then, he said, he understood  academic research, etc. but could I pay something for Mosque maintenance. Light was getting further dim. I took some money and made a gesture to my friends' to shoot wherever they wanted! 
Now, we could even go inside and could work at our own pace. We got some very good shots. After almost an hour we started back and decided on a more concrete plan, few planned interviews. On our way back, we noticed the boundary wall along Ansari Road, we thought lets get a few shots there. as well, as it was still in good condition There was a board which said it was built by Britishers as an extension to Old City wall to keep eye. Probably, a reason why it was still standing intact. But, we still climbed up. Walked around, but since it was built by the British, I was not interested. The slope was steep. My fellow friends remarked on my wedge-heel shoes. They told me to wear proper shoes with support, next time I come for shooting!        


   

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