I often visit Basant Lok in New Delhi, and have been going there for years. A few years ago, we’d go to a movie, but now I sometimes visit the place for coffee. A few years ago, I decided to visit the medieval structure in the garden next to Basant Lok market, and it surprised me.
Since then, I’ve been there a few times, and once, when I was walking along a wall during the monsoons, I slipped and tumbled two metres (6.5 feet) to the ground below. My judo and sports training came to my rescue! Even though my ‘falling’ skills are rusty, they were enough to save me and my camera that day. I rolled over and walked around the place until I realized the little finger of my right hand was sizzling. That is when I noticed the nail had almost come off. I called my wife, and she ordered me to visit the emergency department of the nearby hospital. I sighed, drove to the hospital, got a tetanus shot, and acquired a huge bandage. At least I could build a story about how I got the wound fending off terrorists. No one believed me.
Firoz Shah Tughlaq built Baag-e-Bahaar, so it is about 600 years old. In the middle, there is a garden called ‘Baag-e-Bashist,’ proving, once again, our civilizational relationship with Iran (Persia).
When I made this video with my Instax mini Evo Cinema Premium, an idea germinated in my feverish brain. I will start a project - maybe with the Baag-e-Bahaar, on the medieval gardens that dot Delhi’s landscape. In our feverish rush to build concrete and abuse our Muslim rulers, we ignore many aspects of their rule, one being their love for gardens.
New project!!
