Marfat Dilli (Hindi Edition)

Krishna Sobtis connection with Delhi dates back to her childhood. Before independence, her salaried family lived in Shimla for six months a year and in Delhi for the next six months. During her teenage years, she played hockey at Delhis Talkatora Stadium. After Partition, she moved from Lahore and settled permanently in Delhi. She is both proud of being a citizen of Delhi and deeply in love with the city. She deeply understands its history and geography. She has observed Delhis more than three hundred villages and their transformation with a sense of family. She has explored each village on foot. In Through Delhi, she captures some of the social, political, and literary images of the post-independence era. This was a time when, emerging from the alien discipline of the British government, Delhi was forging something new between its colonial habits and indigenous lifestyle. Hurtful groups of refugees roamed the streets, searching for shelter and livelihood. And the countrys new government was grappling with its responsibilities. In that vast landscape, the literary community was also looking at the country and the world with new eyes. A new generation of writers and poets was emerging. People met, sat, debated, and kept their creative responsibilities fresh. Meeting places, coffee houses, and restaurants acted as companions. Mandi House and Connaught Place spread the warmth of new ideas and ideologies. Krishnaji lived that entire period with a profound civic spirit. He witnessed some of the decisive events in Indian history standing among them. He felt the joy of the first celebration of independence and the sobs of Partition floating in it. He was touched by the tears of millions of eyes during Bapus last journey. He also witnessed the emergence of Hindi as a major language in Delhi. In these pages, he has refreshed some of the memories of that era.