About Us : Rediscovering Delhi

‘Rediscovering Delhi’ is a research project for students of Janki Devi Memorial College (Delhi University) that plans to connect the past of Delhi to its present and future by engaging students in studying the current state of social, cultural, political and economic changes being experienced by this ancient city in the light of its past.

This project has multiple valences as it intends to create awareness about the city’s illustrious past among students, in an attempt to continue a tradition that was started by the college founder, Sh. Brij Kishan Chandiwala, in his book, Dilli ki Khoj. While translating this book, we found a wealth of anecdotal details about various parts of Delhi, which have undergone significant changes last fifty six years when this book was originally published. By encouraging the students to map the city of their residence anew, we hope to engage them in learning about the past and present of the city, which will encourage a deeper and more active participation on their part in how it develops in future.

Nature of the project:

This project is multi-disciplinary as it will a) help the students understand urban spaces better; b) acquaint them with the rich history of the city and c) teach them to survey, study and analyse the city as a text; d) It will also teach them how to write as well as work as a team while compiling the project together, thereby imparting some much needed soft skills.

Methodology:

The students have surveyed and studied the monuments / urban spaces of their choice; talked with people who are intimately involved in its existence; taken pictures that suit the tenor of their description; then written down their impressions, which are compiled in this blog.

Future implications:

We hope that this activity will be pursued by generations of JDMC students in future to record and chart the evolution of this historically rich and ever changing city in the cultural consciousness of succeeding generations of its inhabitants.