Shade, silence, sakoon

On the city's traditional refuge from summertime heat

- Mayank Austen Soofi

This is in Delhi's heart. The stairs go down, under the ground, here in Connaught Place. Beneath—all is thanda, cool.

It must be a baoli. One of those old stone wells with a stone staircase. The staircase descends deep towards the source of underground water, discreetly camouflaging the earth from the sky, keeping the interiors cool from the sweltering exterior.

It is actually Palika Bazar. The underground market dates back to a time when Delhi had no shopping mall, and it was the city's sole freely accessible public place that happened to be centrally air-conditioned. There, the Delhiwale—shopping types or not—would find solace and sakoon from the heatwave.