Shakeel Artist, an Old Delhi diamond

Rare convergence of Walled City institutions

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Last week, over two consecutive nights, the tall, lean man would walk the short distance from his home to the bazar nearby.

This would happen long after the shops would shut down, and the street would be emptied of insomniac citizens and awara dogs. The man would then set up his iron ladder against a shuttered establishment. He would climb the rungs, reach towards the top of the shutters, and turn the establishment's metal signage into his canvas board, employing a paint brush that he always sources from a shop near Fatehpuri.

This is an interwoven tale of two Walled City institutions, recording a rare occasion when they came together, briefly. Diamond Bakery and Shakeel Artist.