Delhi has had a long and illustrious history. Its pictorial landscape over the years has significantly transformed. Several sharp changes took place when it reemerged as the national Capital.
The Ministry of Culture in a unique initiative has been able to collate and capture through still frames the remarkable moments that define Delhi's unforgettable history. To commemorate the re-emergence of Delhi as the Capital, National Gallery of Modern Art, along with Alkazi Foundation for the Arts will unveil a photographic exhibition today. The exhibition titled ‘Dawn upon Delhi – Rise of a Capital' will showcase 150 rare photographs at NGMA. The photographs not only provide a peek at how our architectural heritage – buildings in Delhi – stood out in a not so busy city environment, some of them also record moments that could have slipped into oblivion. Yet others tell the tale of a simple, yet wholesome lifestyle of a people who were not yet touched by urbanization and materialism. For instance, pictures depicting ‘ayahs' in 1910 and a villager in his traditional attire, have a humane quality about them. A photograph extracted from the Central Public Works Department archives reveals a still and peaceful Connaught Place, which bustles with activity today. The photographs on display have been collected over time from organizations, individuals, books and important journals. Most have been inaccessible to the public as they were extracted from rare collections of the Archeological Survey of India, CPWD and famous photographers like Habib Rehman. The photographs of Delhi taken in the 1860s are by John Edward Sache – one of the more prominent 19th century European photographers in India who operated studios in Lucknow, Nainital, Meerut and Mussoorie.
The still of ‘Chandnee Chauk, Dheli' was taken by Bombay-based Vernon & Co. studios known for documenting British India at the turn of the century. The other nostalgic prints include ‘Delhi Durbar – 1903', ‘Delhi Durbar, Kashmir', ‘Interior View of the Tomb of Iltutmish, Qutub Complex, Mehrauli', ‘Alauddin's Unfinished Minar, Qutub complex', and ‘Lahori Gate Delhi Fort'.
