The main objective of this book is to analyze prominent literary images of Delhi in post-independence India. The author has probed into a number of eminent writings in Hindi, English and other languages. The author's methodology, a humanistic and phenomenological approach, allows exploration of experiential dimension of writers’ and their characters in various genres of literature. An inquiry into perceptions and imagination in literature enriches the understanding of place, space, time, and seasons, the concerns central to geography.
The Perceptions of the metropolis of Delhi interestingly vary between authors and their characters. The images of Delhi in plethora of literary works show a wide spectrum of colors. The images evoke feelings of reverence, love, adoration, dislike, indifference or neutrality. Experiences vary from places of beauty and grandeur to utterly ugly environments. Natives express different views and attitudes toward the city of Delhi from those of expatriate writers.
Author(s): Ramesh Chandra Dhussa
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 157
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
1 Humanistic Study of Urban Images
Literary Contributions to Geography
Exploration of Imaginative Literature by Geographers
Philosophical Framework
Evocation of Urban Images
Conceptual Framework
Conceptual Framework Facet One
Conceptual Framework Facet Two
Notes
References
2 Delhi: Evolution of an Urban Region
Delhi: Mughal Period
Delhi: During the First Independence Movement
Delhi: During Colonial Times
Delhi: Post-Independence Period
Notes
References
3 Images of Delhi in Indo-Anglian and Hindi Literary Works
Indo-Anglian Authors (Indian Writers Whose Works Are Primarily in the English Language)
Hindi Authors (Indian Writers Whose Works Are Originally in the Hindi Language)
Notes
References
4 Delhi: As an Idea
Post-Independence Delhi: A Mixed Emotional Response
Idea of Delhi Among Expatriate Literature
Naipaul’s Dark and Wounded Delhi
Buckhory’s Sacred Call of Delhi
Mehta’s Tranquil Delhi
Santha Rama Rau’s Delhi: The Home
Recapturing Expatriate Experiential Dimension of Delhi
Notes
References
5 Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) and Adjacent Regions
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad): The Traditional City
Subzi Mandi
Qutub Road Bridge
Civil Lines: An Area of Bungalows and Gardens
Katra: Traditional Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) Business-Cum-Residential Area
Chandni Chowk: The Moonlit Square
Refugee Colonies: Experiences of Refugees from West Pakistan
G. B. Road and Chaori Bazaar: Red Light Districts of Delhi
The Many Facets of Old Delhi: Shajehanabad
Notes
References
6 New Delhi and Neighboring Colonies
New Delhi: Symbol of Power, Sprawling Suburbs, and Westernized World
The World of Nouveau-Riche Colonies
The Office World of New Delhi: The Domain of Bureaucracy
J. J. Colonies, Slums, and Pavement Life of New Delhi
Connaught Place: The Center of the City
The World of Government Employees’ Colonies
Seva Nagar: City of Serving People
New Delhi’s Kaleidoscopic Vision
Notes
References
7 Four Authors and Their Perceptions of Delhi
Abstract
“No Matter; Delhi Is, After All, My Delhi!”—Manohar Shyam Joshi
“Dedicated to the City of Delhi”—Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’
Delhi and Moscow—(1945)
Delhi, by “An Unknown Indian”: Nirad C. Chaudhuri
Indigent World of Delhi of Uday Prakash
References
8 Epilogue
Abstract
Literary Geography and Me
Empowerment of Place
Literature and Media as a Catalyst
Possible Future Research Dimensions
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
