Castles on Crumbling Foundation

From approximately two lakhs per year in 2009, Delhi's population rose to about five lakhs in 2013-14, and as per current estimates, it's around seven to eight lakhs

- RANJAN MUKHERJEE

The national capital, Delhi, is actually a conglomerate of 289 villages, which the British amalgamated prior to shifting the capital of India from Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1911. Since then, a lot of water has flowed in the river Yamuna, and the capital city has undergone phenomenal changes, especially with respect to infrastructural development.

Initially, during the British Raj, only the Lutyens' Delhi—also known as the LBZ (Lutyens' Bungalow Zone)—and the Kashmiri Gate area, which served as the capital, were developed. With the passage of time, it slowly started changing like any other city in the world.

Every city has a distinct character. The character of Delhi, since then, has undergone a sea change, and the phenomenon is a continuous process. Till the end of the last century, i.e., 1999-2000, Delhi's roads used to wear a deserted look after 8 pm, as it was basically a city of and for babus, who would attend to their government office duties and retire at the end of the day to quietly return to their cocoons after office hours. Hardly anyone would venture out thereafter. Places like Vasant Kunj or Rohini, etc., were way outside the city limits with negligible habitation, and one could hear jackals growl after sunset.