Ravi Batra Ravi My brush with heritage The Splendour of Lodi Road

The Splendour of Lodi Road Ravi Batra 9 788179 934463 ISBN 978-81-7993-446-3 — Malvika Singh — Malvika . He admits it was a heady experience to be featured in the same to be featured a heady experience . He admits it was The Illustrated Weekly of Weekly The Illustrated essence of the monuments on this road in utterly is a gentle essence of the monuments on this road delightful paintings. There is a Distinguished Fellow at TERI, with whom he has been associated for 20 years. Earlier he 20 years. at TERI, with whom he has been associated for is a Distinguished Fellow Batra Ravi Petroleum. and Mumbai with Burmah-Shell and Bharat in the oil industryin Kolkata 35 years for worked he started pieces contributing full-page cartoons and humorous As an engineering student in the 1950s to magazine with cartoonists R K Laxman and the late Mario Miranda. ‘The is a wonderful as for the Splendour of Lodi Road as well “must” for Dilliwallahs thousands of tourists and other people who visit this city. Ravi Batra has captured the historical has captured Batra Ravi thousands of tourists and other people who visit this city. transparency, a lyrical fluidity, a dreamlike impression when reality is rendered in watercolours.’ in watercolours.’ is rendered when reality impression a dreamlike a lyrical fluidity, transparency, The Energy and Resources Institute In the words of Ravi Batra ‘There is perhaps no other road in , or even the whole world, which connects, over over which connects, the whole world, in Delhi, or even is perhaps no other road ‘There Batra of Ravi In the words and a step-well and even mosques, tombs, gardens a unique heritage – gateways, kilometres, a distance of just four styles and centuries, with different architectural several and over empires built during successive were a bridge. They historical, provides Heritage site’. The text World – a UNESCO include ’s Tomb building materials. They on each monument. and anecdotal information architectural . When in Mumbai his humorous pieces started cartoons weekly The Statesman appearing the. When in Mumbai his humorous for he drew In Kolkata, Delhi to New and moved life corporate from after he retired of India . He took to painting in watercolours The Times and 2003. of his paintings in 1999 exhibitions with Anita. He has held two his wife he lives where in 1992 The Splendour of Lodi Road My brush with heritage

The Splendour of Lodi Road My brush with heritage

Ravi Batra

The Energy and Resources Institute © The Energy and Resources Institute, 2012

ISBN 978-81-7993-446-3

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Paintings by Ravi Batra

Published by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) TERI Press Darbari Seth Block, IHC Complex, Lodhi Road, – 110 003, India Tel. 2468 2100 or 4150 4900, Fax 2468 2144 or 2468 2145 E-mail [email protected], Website www.teriin.org

Printed in India Contents

vii Foreword 40 THE HUMAYUN TOMB COMPLEX ix An Appreciation The life of Emperor Humayun – A general knowledge quiz – xi Acknowledgements Arab Sarai – Gateway to Arab Sarai – Afsarwala Tomb and Mosque – West Gate – Humayun’s Tomb – Barber’s Tomb – 1 INTRODUCTION ’s Tomb – Mosque 62 NIZAMUDDIN BASTI 4 A CONCISE AND THE NORTHERN REGION The life of Hazrat – History of the Basti Tomars – Chauhans – Khaljis – Tughlaqs – – Atgah Khan’s tomb – The Baoli – Chausath Khamba – Lodis – Mughals – the British – – ’s tomb – Jamaat Khana Mosque – Tomb of Independent India – Tomb of Jahanara Begum – Dargah of 8 A PRIMER ON ARCHITECTURE Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya 11 SAFDARJUNG’S TOMB 82 THE ‘MONUMENTAL’ ARTISTS IN INDIA The life of Safdarjung – Gateway – Safdarjung’s tomb – What if? William Hodges – Thomas and William Daniell – Sita Ram – Mazhar Ali Khan – Edward Lear – Vasily Vereshchagin – 18 LODI GARDEN Cyrus Jhabvala – David Gentleman Lady Willingdon’s love – Heritage walk – Tomb of Muhammad Shah – Bada Gumbad – Mosque – Sheesh Gumbad – Athpula 84 EPILOGUE Bridge – ‘Mini’ Gateway and Mosque 85 HERITAGE WALKS 32 SUBZ BURJ 86 GLOSSARY 35 87 BIBLIOGRAPHY Mr Lancaster’s labour – Sunderwala Burj – Mir Taqi Mir (1722-1808) ( poet)

Dilli ke na thé kuche, auraaq-e-musawwar thé, Jo shakal nazr aai, tasveer nazr aai.

‘These were not the alleyways of Delhi but pages from a painter’s album. Every figure that I saw, seemed a work of art’ Foreword

This special city, the national capital, is unlike any other in India has captured the historical essence along four kilometres of road and we who are privileged to have put down roots here, often from Safdarjung’s tomb to that of Badshah Humayun, a part of take the treasures of ‘Dilli’ and our legacy, for granted. We the city he lives and works in. Utterly delightful watercolours of drive past grand tombs of great emperors, remnants of palaces the monuments along this route adorn the pages of this book, and places of worship, sarais, baolis and medieval settlements, The Splendour of Lodi Road, a wonderful ‘must’ for Dilliwallahs ancient fort walls from different eras, all without batting an as well as for the thousands of tourists and other people who eyelid. Generations have inherited this extraordinary cityscape, visit this city. Ghalib’s tomb, the Dargah at Nizamuddin, the lived and grown within it, others have visited and been struck by Sunderwala Burj before renovation, and the Subz Burj that we the beauty and power of the several distinct layers of history, of circle almost everyday, the Athpula Bridge and the Sheesh dynasties that left their indelible imprints upon this stretch of land, Gumbad in the Lodi Garden, are amongst my favourites! but few have been impassioned enough to record the many There is a gentle transparency, a lyrical fluidity, a dreamlike images that are an intrinsic, tangible reality of living in Delhi. impression when reality is rendered in watercolours. It remains a Ravi Batra, a mechanical engineer profoundly drawn very fetching medium. Congratulations Ravi, and may there be to architecture, has produced a remarkable document that many more on the drawing board. establishes his love for ancient buildings and monuments. He — Malvika Singh

vii

An Appreciation

Ravi Batra is an extremely innovative individual, and throughout his painted some of the most wonderful monuments that Delhi can association with TERI going back to 1992, has always provided boast of, but he has also carried out a study of the history behind me with pleasant surprises. He is a remarkable combination of them. This is provided in the following pages of this valuable someone who has excelled in management of technology and publication, and possibly also gets reflected in the quality of business, writing perfect English, raising laughter through his the paintings themselves. After all, any building or monument is skills as a cartoonist, and most recently as a painter with a product of the times, and therefore an understanding of the enormous talent. His zest for all the good things in life is an historical context in which it was constructed, I am sure, sharpens example, for all those who know him, to be inspired by. The the perceptions of the artist. most significant feature of his skill as an artist is that he is self- As mentioned earlier, Ravi has been associated with TERI taught, which is a genuine reflection of his inborn talent. since 1992, and it gives me great satisfaction that his talents have This particular book is of great value, because it reveals continued to grow and find expression. It is a matter of pride for an important part of Delhi which many of the city’s residents all of us in TERI to surmise that the Institute provides a congenial generally ignore. Ravi’s fascination with monuments is, perhaps, environment for talent in various fields to grow and flourish. I am an outcome of his education as an engineer and his highly sure it would be a matter of joy for the readers of this publication developed aesthetic sense which is certainly rare and purely to go through the richness of the following pages. native to his talent and intellect.Interestingly, he has not only — Dr R K Pachauri

ix The Splendour of Lodi Road : my brush with heritage

Publisher : TERI Press ISBN : 9788179934463 Author : Ravi Batra

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