As a tourist, one loves to get the most of a particular city in just a span of a few hours. And so, one tends to get a 'quick view' of best parts of the town, eat at a joint that supposedly serves local cuisine, buy some local handicrafts, and even take pictures of his/her loved ones in front of popular landmarks and returns home with memories.
Despite a huge number of tourists flocking Delhi every year, the above set of tourist must-dos is something that will perhaps not apply to Delhi — for every tourist who follows the regular tourist itinerary will not be able to enjoy Delhi in its real sense. Different parts of Delhi come alive during different parts of the year. Blame it on the extreme weather condition, or the set of festivities that come together at one point in time in a year, or the people itself, Delhi's underbelly can be enjoyed only if one stays here at least for a year. And perhaps, that's also the reason Delhi is home to a whole host of non-working expatriates. In fact, coming to think of it, there are hardly any 'local' people here. A majority of Delhi's residents hail from different parts of the country whose forefathers at some point decided to migrate from a smaller town and make this its second home. In that sense, putting together a list of contemporary photographs or even a comment on the capital city only becomes a perspective that is put together by culturally diverse communities that are there in the city from across India.
Delhi, India In One City, a photo essay on the city, strives to bring out this perspective. In this light, Delhi's third successive chief minister, Sheila Dikshit, writes "Delhi epitomises the diversity of India." While senior member of the Indian Foreign service and author Pavan K. Varma in his guest column Delhi: Flowing With Time describes the architectural wonders of old Delhi, the tombs, dilapidated, yet charming qilas and, of course, the ever-strong Qutub Minar; author and historian William Darlymple writes about his first impression of the Lutyen's Delhi in his piece 'The Jewel In The Crown'.
The coffee-table book, which has tried to showcase contemporary Delhi through pictures, has been divided into 10 chapters — each addressing different aspects of Delhi such as the seasons, festivals celebrated in the city, places of worship and even the luxury hotels. Publisher and columnist Malvika Singh, in her short essays, on each chapter has beautifully woven the thoughts behind these pictures. Uday Sahay, who heads the Directorate of Information and Publicity of Delhi Government, has very carefully selected the pictures for the volume from an assorted range of pictures by several eminent photographers as well as photo agencies such as Corbis and Getty Images.
The life size pictures aptly describe the current mood in the city, and are complimented by the captions. However, a few historical pictures such as the one of Queen Elizabeth II riding in the presidential carriage at Vijay Chowk and the luncheon in honour of Jacqueline Kennedy at Rashtrapati Bhavan could have included specific dates. These would serve not only as a coffee-table book but also as a chronicler of times in the past. Any creative work should always go with credits that are immediately visible to the reader. For instance, a credit line always goes alongside the text or piece of photography or art. In this case, the photo credits are indexed at the back of the book. So, every time the reader likes a picture he may or may not make the effort of going to the last page to check on the photographer.
Some of the most compelling pieces of photography are the pictures in the chapter on seasons, The Circle Of Seasons. A woman and her son selling 'jamun' fruit on the pavement, tourist in sweltering heat in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and people heading for cover during rains and then the winter with people sitting around bonfires are some that stand out. Other pictures include everyday life captured through photographs of the riding through the Metro and the overview of much-debated Bus Rapid Transport system, the art fare at the Habitat Centre, luxurious corridors of Imperial hotel, cultural shows at Purana Qila and the Sunday book bazaar in Daryaganj. This could be a good New Year's gift to your loved ones.
sanjitha at abp dot in
Delhi: India In One City is published by Academic Foundatiton (2008, Pages: 246 Price: Rs 3750)
Book Reviews 
As a tourist, one loves to get the most of a particular city in just a span of a few hours. And so, one tends to get a 'quick view' of best parts of the town, eat at a joint that supposedly serves local cuisine, buy some local handicrafts, and even take pictures of his/her loved ones in front of popular landmarks and returns home with memories. 
