Delhi, Making of The Capital, North India, Quantum Mode: Walking in Delhi
Published on 11/08/2022
Comments 45

Making of a Capital : A Short Travel Poem and a Photo Essay

written by

And now we move to the rhythm of this restlessness
On these streets many people dead they drive with recklessness

8% growth has some people flex with lexuses
In South ex shop for Rolexes and diamond necklaces

Land developers come down hard build power nexuses
They build more malls and shopping complexcesses

State militia vacate villages – next exodus
So you can cash checks of sensex indexes.

Many narrators refer to Delhi as be-dil(heartless). They say the city is cruel, treacherous, ungrateful, selfish and a whore.

Prior to the Muslim rule, Delhi’s most popular name was Yoginipur, City of Yoginis. Jain texts and Prakrita literature mentioned the city as Yoginipur. Yoginis are lesser goddesses; some texts say they numbered 12 while others put the figure at 64. Yogmaya, the presiding deity of Yoginopur, reigned over all the Yoginis.

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Excerpts and Images from an Ongoing Project on Delhi


Thank you.


If today is the first time you have arrived on The Road to Nara, you are heartily welcome ~ Namaste


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I will take this opportunity to introduce you to About me and importantly;

As a co-traveller, will take you through the Ten Lessons I learnt from several years on the road, before you coarse on your own Road to Nara.



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You might also like to know about My Little School Project. If you wish to come over for a visit someday, that you must, you will be heartily welcome here

If you would like to contribute to my travels, you can please do so here


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If you have anything to share, or feel like saying a hello, please feel free to write to me at nara@road-to-nara.com

To visit other long-term photographic works, please visit here.


To follow my walks through the rural Indian Subcontinent, find me at 
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This entry was posted in: Delhi, Making of The Capital, North India, Quantum Mode: Walking in Delhi
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by

Hi, I am Narayan Kaudinya. And i welcome you on this journey, the Road to Nara ! I am an Ethnographer and a practicing Indologist. I did my masters in History and further learnt Sanskrit, Yoga and Nerve-therapy. At 24, pushing most academic sounding, office sitting works away, i felt compelled to know and understand the world and my country, Bharat/India. I travelled, and as it happened i took up teaching in Kashmir and further up in the remote villages of Baltistan in the foothills of Karakoram Ranges. For around three years and many states later there came a time when i felt that it was only while teaching i learnt how to laugh, to see, feel, breathe, love and cry -with children, and mostly resource-less parents in the harshest-freezing border conditions. I write, and work as a documentary photographer and Filmmaker, with numerous published, exhibited and some awarded stories. In my travels and life i have let nature lead me, the divine mother, and as a Yogin, my resolve here is to share my experiences and thoughts as honestly, and through them to blossom in everyone the power and possibility in pursuing your breath, that you seek your true nature with courage and curiosity. Here, on this road i will share my spirit, my love for nature, the elements of life that are us. And in doing so, i'll be happy to see you along.

45 Comments

      • Ana Daksina says

        If I can aspire to saying nothing by so much, then I have brushed the highest limits to which a mere poet is destined in this life…

        I read a wonderful book just now that indicated that, in the early 1900’s, the Caucasian passion for mapping was looked at askance in India/Tibet because it was understood that by so doing the landscape became frozen and ossified, prevented from swirling and breathing as it naturally does. This is a concept to which I totally relate!

        Thank you for your reach back, dear brother 🙏

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        Reply
  2. Rosaliene Bacchus says

    Your poetic description of the city works well for my own city where the number of homeless people or “unhoused” as some prefer to call them, grow every day. I doubt that Delhi is the only city that can be regarded as be-dil (heartless). Human economic progress, with its emphasis on profit-making and continual growth, appears to walk hand-in-hand with heartlessness.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      Dear Rosa, you are right, of course now all cities are overflowing with doubt, filth, pollution and population that they have started to look like chips and boxes.

      I love how you could say and so aptly that it is not Delhi but it could be said for any(be-dil/without heart)

      And see where we are as humans today, almost getting ready to first fight with other countries or ideologies. And then may soon with machines.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. C.A. Post says

    Could not help but “hear” the poem done as a rapper would present it! 😁
    I pray for Delhi, New Delhi and friends who have lived there, and sometimes still visit the amazing city.
    ❤️& 🙏, c.a.

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    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      Thank you for your insights dear C.A. Yes, Delhi should be prayed for actually. I chuckled as i could imagine it being sung by a rapper. Hope you doing well c.a. Thanks for writing.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. Yetismith says

    There are so many cities like this, all over the world. I find them terrifying even though I was born in London and lived most of my life in populous areas. I am sure people are not supposed to live all on top of one another in polluted cities, scrabbling for a living. I don’t know the answer. I am lucky that in my old age I am in the country where I can see the sky and watch Nature.

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    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      You are right Caro. Cities like airports, just like computers and even the minds of the people are almost alike the world over. To say the least, corrupted.

      Not lucky dear Caro, you are a natural and probably this is how we all were born to live. Thank you much for this important insight.

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  6. Daily Poetry says

    I always feel very small and insignificant in such big, impersonal places. They tend to look like mazes devouring everything that ventures trough.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      Thanks Felici. You, and above all an artist delving in poetry makes it look these lanes as even mazes. And they are. May be what they make us feel. We are that too.

      Thanks for writing so deeply.

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  7. gabychops says

    This poetic essay promises to be a part of the fascinating story of Delhi, the capital city of India
    It is Narayan’s much-loved metropolis, the place where he grew up. One can only perceive the feeling of despair he feels at witnessing the unstoppable expansion of Delhi, now estimated to be the second largest city in the world after Tokyo, with a population of 28 million. This is created by the unscrupulous mafia of land developers, politicians, and big builders, all getting very rich at the expense of ordinary people who cannot afford their prices.
    The pictures of the skyscrapers are horrific!

    The second part about the languages is greatly interesting because it tells the story of the Indo-Aryan oldest in the world’s languages, Sanskrit and Prakrit. They are dating back to the 4th century BCE. Sanskrit is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. Being so old it is still believed by many to be the language of gods.
    Sanskrit is very rich in tradition and culture. It includes many texts on science, philosophy, technology, and spiritual religion. The difference between Sanskrit “complete, perfect”, and
    Prakrit “derived”, reflects the fact that it was historically considered not as prestigious as Sanskrit – “refined speech”.
    As it is going to be continued, we are looking forward to more fascinating facts.

    Joanna

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      This review is better than the post dearest Joanna. Which said so much more about the background of the land and the language, which as you know I am interested to dig a little deeper.

      It is also true that next few months, as i get to know Delhi better, I will share my research and my experiences here.

      Thank you Joanna for your valuable and insightful review of this post.

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      • gabychops says

        You are more than welcome, Narayan, I do hope that you will tell us about and show the photos of a Yogini temple that survived – Yogmaya Temple behind Qutub Minar,
        I think all of us will wait with bated breath for more revelations about Delhi.

        Joanna

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply
        • Narayan Kaudinya says

          I will dear Joanna. Even though it has been modernized with tiles and marble flooring by the committee that runs it. But it still has strong vibrations of the old.

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  8. Richa Bhargava Mitra says

    Every post is always revealing new information, I was actually not aware about the old name of Delhi. Thank you. Also your flow of poetry amidst the concrete jungle makes one wonder how do you find your inspiration ❤️. It seems like almost every nook and green corner is simply being turned into concrete glitz.

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    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      Thank you for writing Richa. Delhi was, may be still remains so much more. But yes when this chaos starts affecting our mind, it is then when it starts meddling with our life here. Lets see how do we move along with it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. Michael Graeme says

    A lot of power in that poem, Narayan and deft wordplay. Loved it.

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  10. aruna3 says

    I thank-you thoughts on Delhi is right~be-dil.the poem is a portrait of our Capital of India.very well written,Dear!!🌷🙏🌷

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  11. Narayan Kaudinya says

    Thank you Aruna. Yes, Delhi is actually a case study in itself. And may be the most important one amongst cities of the 21st century.

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  12. KK says

    Very well said, Narayan ji, that too in a poetic way! Delhi is not exception. It’s happening now even in B class cities. The nexus you have mentioned is elsewhere too. Thank you for highlighting the issue, and yes, keep writing poems that speak of not only feelings, but also of stark realities.

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    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      Thanks Kaushal Ji. You are right. Delhi is no more an exception. In terms of growth Digital world has kind of equalize the equation of how people see themselves. Thank you again for your uplifting words on realistic poems.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  15. Reflections of an Untidy Mind says

    I really enjoyed your poem Narayan. I’ve used that rhyming technique myself. I think it slips out when the excess and the absurdity of how we live our lives starts to overwhelm us. I am not sure how we can ever hope to avoid the problems of our excess when status and material possessions are held so dear by so many.

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    • Narayan Kaudinya says

      Dear Tracy, i was elated to find your kindest comment here. Also when yourself cruise through poetry. I also do not think there is any avoidance. It is what it is and it will only change to what we may not like. I think man has never liked any big changes. They happen and we oblige.

      Thanks for coming over. And I really hope you really take care of your sugar level. I have my father who I know carries it for as long.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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