City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi

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With little possibility of much fulfilment in this world, they look to the next; they are forever visiting temples and mosques...and going on pilgrimages to Hindu and Muslim shrines." Yes. Handicrafted. Sikh peoples not like this. Sikh peoples working hard, earning money, buying car.’ I greatly enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it interested students of Indian History-ancient, medieval, and modern. Long live the story of Delhi.

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple | Goodreads

Is there any wonder that there is water shortage in our India when you people are making seven flushes in one night?’

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He says that the influence of the British has almost completely disappeared, and the Indians regard their stay in India much as the British regard the stay of the Romans in Britain.

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi

This thread of enquiry leads to an engrossing paean on Old delhi - of the muslim delhi, of a british delhi - of the high class Old Delhi. Set off in stark contrast from the bureaucratic, boring and boorish Delhi of today. For Dalrymple, Delhi is a city of accumulated losses, haunted by its innumerable fallen rulers, the locus of empires that have been lost and – though not actively remembered – not quite forgotten either. Two dates recur with especial frequency. 1857, when the Mughal Empire finally fell, and 1947, when the British Indian Empire was dissolved and the territory partitioned into India and Pakistan. The book is well researched, beautifully narrated and gripping. At least Delhi wallahs can proudly claim their city is the oldest in this part of the world nearly three thousand years old-if not more.Dalrymple’s second book after the acclaimed In Xanadu (1989), it went on to win the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award (1994) and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award (1994). But where does it stand today? My name is Sunil Gupta—please call me Sunny.’ He strode forward and grabbed Mr Lal by the hand, shaking it with great verve. City of Djinns is a mostly light and charming read, one that will especially interest anyone even remotely interested in Delhi’s rich history, culture. I was hooked to the works of William Dalrymple from the moment I started reading City Of Djinns. It was in 2004 while browsing through a bookshop that I came across three of the 2004 penguin published Indian editions from the author – ‘City Of Djinns’, ‘The Age of Kali’ and ‘In Xanadu’ and I bought them all. The authors name was slightly familiar from a newspaper article, which I have read a year before about his documentary titled ‘Indian Journeys’ and the news about his then published ‘White Mughals’. In that case you could have one cook-bearer. One man, two jobs. Very modern. Then there is the mali, the sweeper, and a dhobi for your washing. Also you must be having one driver.’ Mrs Puri furrowed her brow. ‘It is very important to have good chauffeur,’ she said gravely. ‘Some pukka fellow with a smart uniform.’