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Delhi

Delhi (Hindi: दिल्ली) is a metropolis in India. The city is one of the three conterminous census towns that make up the National capital territory (NCT), the other two being New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment. The name Delhi is used to refer to the National capital territory, which is a special Union territory jointly administered by the Central government, NCT's elected government and three municipal corporations. The city is also the capital of the NCT.

Delhi's metropolitan area, known as the National capital region (NCR) encompasses the entire NCT as well as the neighbouring satellite towns of Faridabad and Gurgaon in Haryana, and NOIDA and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

The name Delhi may originate from the Urdu/Hindustani word Dahleez (English: threshold, or frontier) or from the name of a Mauryan king, Raja Dhillu. The people of Delhi are known as Delhiites or "Dilliwaalay". The latter is a historical and cultural term describing people of the old city and the associated diaspora. There are, for example, communities (often living in neighbourhoods dominated and named after them) of Dilliwaalay in major Pakistani cities who still identify their clan with neighbourhoods in the Old City of Delhi. The Persianized surname Dahelvi is also related to residents of Delhi.

Delhi has the most vibrant history of any of the more prominent cities or towns of India. It has been the "capital of seven empires" in Indian history and as per the Archaeological Survey of India, has over 60,000 recognized monuments built over several millennia. Delhi was first referenced in the Indian epic Mahabharata as Indraprastha.

Economically, Delhi is one of the most affluent urban centres in India and is at the heart of India's largest consumer belt. As an indicator, Delhi has more cars plying its roads than India's other four 'metros', Bangalore, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay combined and is widely considered to have the best transport and utilities infrastructure in the country. It has in recent years emerged as an entrepôt for multi-nationals and is the primary destination for FDI in India, particularly with the emergence of its suburbs Noida and Gurgaon as commercial and industrial centres in their own right. The nation's automobile, media and consumer goods industries have facilities in and around Delhi. There is also a strong showing by key knowledge-based industries in Delhi, particularly in the life sciences, telecom and the information technology arena. A preferred destination due to the quantity and high calibre of English speakers, Delhi and its suburbs account for over 30% of India's IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS) exports--the second largest in the country (Bangalore accounts for 35%).

Delhi is a very cosmopolitan city due to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural presence of the vast Indian bureaucracy and political system, and now expanding economic base. Hindus form the religious majority, but large, vibrant communities of Sikhs, Muslims, Jains and Christians bring diversity. Punjabis and Jats are large ethnic communities, but a collage of peoples from almost every Indian state inhabit the city. Large numbers of Kashmiris also inhabit the city and its outskirt areas.

From an international perspective, there are more than 160 embassies present and an ever increasing expatriate population.

Delhi derives its historic importance from its position in northern India, occupying a location between the Aravalli Hills to the southwest and the Yamuna river on whose western banks it stands. This enabled it to dominate the old trade routes from northwest India to the plains of the Ganges. As a result, it has always been an important cultural and intellectual centre.

With a steadily increasing quality of life, a booming economy and consumer market and by virtue of the fact that it is the nation's capital, cultural and intellectual life in Delhi are burgeoning as well. Delhi also has a high standard in education. It is the home of many major educational institutions in India--namely the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Delhi also boasts of a great number of quality schools. Delhi is also home to a number of think tanks, museums, art galleries, parks and theatres.

Strictly defining Delhi's borders, it occupies an area of some 1,483 square kilometres (572 square miles) with a population of approximately 14 million (though with its suburbs it crosses well over 23 million). The principal spoken language is Hindustani, an amalgam of Hindi and Urdu. Influence of Urdu is because of Muslim rulers and great Urdu poets of 18th and 19th century like Ghalib. Other common languages spoken are English and Punjabi.

Local politics

Delhi has always been a stronghold of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party). The trend started to change in the 1990s when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Madan Lal Khurana came into power. Since Sheila Dikshit led Indian National Congress (Congress Party) to power in December 1998, she has remained in power.

History

Delhi has seen the rise and fall of many empires which have left behind a plethora of monuments that attest to the grandeur and glory of bygone ages. Traditionally, Delhi is said to be the site of the magnificent and opulent Indraprastha, capital of the Pandavas in the Indian epic Mahabharata. A village called Indarpat existed in Delhi until the beginning of the 19th century. The ancient historic village was obliterated to make place for construction of New Delhi by the British.

Ancient history

Excavations have unearthed sherds of the grey painted ware (ca. 1000 BC) that some archaeologists associate with the age of the Mahabharata, but no coherent settlement traces have been found. Some locate Indraprastha in the Purana-Qila area.

The more recent city is believed to be made up of seven successive cities, the remains of some of which can still be seen on the ground. They are

8th century to 16th century

The Tomara Rajput dynasty founded Lal Kot, which lies near the Qutub Minar, in 736. In the Prithvirajaraso, the Rajput Anangpal is named as the founder of Delhi. The Chauhan Rajput kings of Ajmer conquered Lal Kot from the Tomaras in 1180 and renamed it Qila Rai Pithora. The Chauhan king Prithviraj III was defeated in 1192 by the Afghan army of Muhammad Ghori. After 1206, Delhi became the capital of the Delhi Sultanate. the first rulers were known as the Slave Dynasty as many of the rulers of this dynasty were former slaves. This includes the first Sultan of Delhi, Qutb-ud-din Aybak who was a former slave who rose through the ranks to become a general followed by governor and then Sultan of Delhi. Qutb-ud-din started the construction the Qutub Minar, instantly recognisable as a symbol of Delhi, to commemorate his victory but died before its completion. He also constructed the Quwwat-ul-Islam (might of Islam), which is the earliest extant mosque in India, in the Qutb complex. He was said to have pillaged exquisitely carved pillars from 27 temples for this mosque many of which can still be seen. After the end of the Slave dynasty, a succession of Turkic and Central Asian dynasties, the Khilji dynasty, the Tughluq dynasty, the Sayyid dynasty and the Lodhi dynasty held power in the late medieval period and built a sequence of forts and townships that are part of the fabled seven cities of Delhi. In 1526, following the First Battle of Panipat emperor Babur defeated the last Lodhi sultan and founded the Mughal dynasty which ruled from Delhi, Agra and Lahore.

16th century to the 1990s

In the mid-sixteenth century there was an interruption in the Mughal rule of India as Sher Shah Suri defeated Babur's son Humayun and forced him to flee to Afghanistan and Persia. Sher Shah Suri built the sixth city as well as the old fort known as Purana Qila. After his early death, Humayun was able to recover the empire with Persian help as Suri's son was not as able as his father. The third and the greatest Mughal emperor, Akbar, moved the capital of his empire to Agra resulting in a decline in the fortunes of Delhi. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658) built the city that sometimes bears his name (Shahjahanabad), the seventh city of Delhi that is more commonly known as the old city or old Delhi. This city contains a number of significant architectural features, including the Red Fort (Lal Qila) and the Jama Masjid. The old city served as the capital of the later Mughal empire from 1638 onwards, when Shah Jahan transferred the capital back from Agra. Aurangzeb (1658-1707) crowned himself as the emperor in Delhi in 1658 at the Shalinar garden ('Aizzabad-Bagh); a second coronation took place in 1659.

Delhi passed to British control in 1857 after the First War of Indian Independence; the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, was pensioned to Rangoon, and the remaining Mughal Territories were annexed as a province of British India. Delhi ceased to be India's capital with the British preferring their city of Calcutta. In 1911 the Capital of British India was again moved to Delhi from Calcutta. Parts of the Old City were pulled down to create New Delhi, a monumental new quarter of the city designed by the British architect Edwin Lutyens to house the government buildings. A brief but fascinating account of the Indian contractors behind this construction can be found in Khushwant Singh's autobiography Truth, Love and a Little Malice.

The Partition of India brought hundreds of thousands of Hindu and Sikh refugees from West Punjab, and large numbers of Muslims left the city for Pakistan. In 1984, the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi led to a violent backlash against the Sikh community by Congress Party activists and Hindus mobs, killing over 5,000 people in an orgy of bloodshed. Since then, Hindu and Sikh relations have improved considerably and the city also is home to a vibrant Muslim community.

Climate

Delhi has a semi-arid climate with high variation between summer and winter temperatures. The summers are long starting in early April and lasting till October with the rainy season in between. Extreme temperatures have ranged from a minimum of −2 to a maximum of 47 C. These are historical records and typically winter nights almost never go below +2C or summer afternoons above 45 degrees C.

The average annual rainfall is approximately 67cm or 27 inches, most of which falls in the months of July and August during the Monsoon. Traditionally, the Monsoon is supposed to touch Delhi on June 29th every year.

Economy/Entertainment

Delhi is one of the largest markets in the country because the per capita income in Delhi is much higher than in other cities. Many multinational companies have set up their headquarters in Delhi and adjoining cities - from Pepsico and Gap, Inc. to the zipper giant, YKK. On Christmas Day, 2002, the New Delhi Metro opened, running in the urban area. The metro should be completed by 2022.

There are also a lot of modern restaurants in the city. One can find a wide array of cuisines, including Greek (It's Greek To Me in Safdarjung), Chinese, Thai, Italian (Olive Bar and Kitchen in Mehrauli), Mexican and American Food.

International restaurant chains and fast food chains have set up franchises in Delhi with success, including Pizza Hut, Subway, McDonald's, Baskin-Robbins and others. It is notable that in each case, the franchises modified their respective menus with respect to Indian culture and religion, clearly indicating vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods, often by a relatively common colour code (red for non-vegetarian foods, green for vegetarian foods) and preparing the vegetarian foods in compliance with Hindu customs and practices.

Transportation

Delhi by its variety, congestion, and large expanse is a transportation challenge. Delhi, however, has an advantage in terms of good infrastructure in the form of wide roads and decent railway and air connectivity.

Roadways

Delhi roads are connected by Government-Owned Delhi Transport Corporation buses, and private buses, including chartered buses, White-line buses and Yellow-line buses.

Road connectivity is mostly reliant on private vehicles. Delhi has the highest ratio of vehicles per capita in India.

Buses

Delhi has one of India's largest bus connectivity rates. The State-Owned Delhi Transport Corporation and private operators with a permit from State Transport Authority ply buses across the city. The fares in buses are bases on the colour of the stripe on the bus. Regular DTC buses which are yellow in colour and have bus numbers in white plates. These buses have fares of denomination 2,5,7 and 10 rupees. Similar private buses are either yellow or blue in colour. Green-line buses have similar buses with yellow number plates and have GL printed ahead of the number. These buses charge a flat rate of 10 rupees.

The DTC also professes to operate the "world's largest fleet of environmentally friendly CNG buses". While not particularly high-tech, the DTC's natural gas-burning buses nevertheless pollute much less than the poorly designed and even more poorly maintained diesel-burning buses operated by most other state RTCs(Road Transit Commisions) in India. The buses are also much easier on the lungs of other road users as there is no cloud of carbon particles in the face of the unfortunate motorcyclist who sidles up next to a bus at an intersection. Directly, and indirectly, the gas-burning buses have also reduced, to some degree, the downward trend in Delhi's air quality and related illnesses.

Auto-Rickshaws

The auto rickshaw forms a very important economic means of private transportation. Hiring an Auto in Delhi is very tricky as not many auto-drivers accept the standard meter charges. The typical method is to negotiate and haggle for an agreeable rate. It is also typical for the rate to be almost doubled after 11 p.m. at night. With the introduction of electronic meters, the tamperability of meters has been reduced, and a stronger jurisdiction for a sanctioning body has forced more autorickshaws to comply with the meter-based charging scheme.

Railway connectivity

Delhi was designed with a great deal of railway connectivity. There are many railway stations located with a great deal of connectivity with major parts of the city and the suburbs. The major stations connected through the trains are Hazrat Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Okhla, Pragati Maidan, Purani Dilli, Shahdara, Shakur Basti and Tilak Bridge.

One of the major local trains is the one that operates between Palwal station and Shakur Basti station.

Airports

For international connections, the city is served by Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI). The airport is situated in the southwestern corner of the City.

Palam Airport is located near the IGI Airport and serves national connections to major cities within India.

Sources