Kabootars, Kites and Spices.

Delhi just saw a welcome set of showers in the middle of the April heat. And we decided it was best to spend one of these breezy days walking around the walled city – Shahjahanabad as it remains today, and try to discover those silent pleasures that the general buzz of travelling doesn’t provide. Shahjahanabad’s dying habits and its guilty pleasures had been on our minds for a while now and it was time to give it a shot – not just because we knew that there is so much about Delhi that we did not yet know, but also because these are stories that are lived by many but told by few.

Fatehpuri Mosque
[Photo by Varun Shiv Kapur - http://www.flickr.com/photos/varunshiv/4143072366/]

So we began our day in Matia Mahal mohulla before Fatehpuri Masjid, indulging ourselves in the habits and the pleasures of the kabootarwallahs of the walled city. These pigeon-lovers are descendants of families which have indulged in keeping pigeons and breeding them for centuries now – their indulgence has led to the preservation of several pure-breeds which are otherwise extinct or endangered. Tracking pigeons and the their breeding patterns has proved to be quite a task for animal specialists in Delhi but there’s reason to breathe easy for now – in the last few years, the number of pigeon-lovers in Shahjahanabad, or Old Delhi as it is known now, has visibly increased. Although the practice of keeping pigeons is on the decline, the numbers of those who love it are still healthy.

Kabootarbaazi used to be an indulgence of old landed gentry under Mughal rule and the kingdom of Awadh. Over the years, it seems to have become a pastime for the less elite. The pigeons are either shown and otherwise kept as pets, in smaller cages or regularly flown in the evenings, knowing that the pigeons always return. Previously, pigeons used to carry messages as well but the practice has dwindled all over the country over the years. Sitting down over chai and sweets at a small shop, we got chatting with the owner which ended us in long tales about how there are so many varieties of pigeons which have been brought from Lahore for ten thousand a pair. Some friend of his had gone all the way to Lahore to get peculiar sets of birds which found many buyers in the regular gatherings of pigeon-lovers outside the walls of the Fatehpuri Masjid. 

Kite Market

So we decided to see if we could have a chat or two with other pigeon-lovers – plans which we forgot seconds after turning right into the lane behind the 17^th century mosque. The street was lined with shops selling kites of every shade and hue which took up all our attention. Kites have been a significant earning source for the kite craftsmen and women of old Delhi. The market is a wholesale market where kites are sold in batches of hundreds or thousands – while the mass market lies in the domestic sector they also cater to several exporters of these exquisite hand-made kites. Balance and durability is key to a well-crafted kite and their skills, polished over generations, are noticeable in the vast range of kites on display. 

At the end of the lane, another row of shops were auctioning their wares, which in this case, were betel leaves. The smell of Paan, a popular favourite across most of the country, filled the air as we ducked under loud figures bidding for batches of deep green betel leaves, tied up in brown twine. A swift right at this point led us on to Khari Baoli road. This was familiar territory – everyone knows about Khari Baoli’s spice market, arguably the largest in Asia. But much before the rows of spice sellers, there’s the inlet to Batashe waali gali, with rows of shops selling sugar in different forms – crushed white sugar, jaggery (gur), misri, bataasha and generally large chunks of crystallised sugar. Interspersed with shops selling locally made soaps and detergents, these lanes are a regular visit for many sweetshop establishments across the whole city.

The smell and haze of all the busy wholesale trade around us, coupled with slightly hungry stomachs, meant it was time for a short break. We took a shorter lane back to Fatehpuri Masjid and gorged on kebabs and Amritsari Lassi, a treat which was long overdue. Old Delhi’s cuisine hardly finds any critics – from those who love eating at small roadside eateries to the regulars at Karim’s or Al Jawahar, everyone returns for the food. Phirni, Lassi and sherbet are added pleasures for the hungry travelling soul.

Spice shops of Khari Baoli

Squeezing our way into the crowd once again, we landed up on Khari Baoli road, ready to take in everything else it had to offer. Garodiya Bazaar, an old building with an overbearing archway at the entrance drew us in – this was the famous herb market, with an array of aromas that made for a very strong scent that hung in the air all around the building. Roots, medicinal fruits and herbs like Reetha, amla, imli (tamarind) and different varieties of mirch (chillies) were stacked up in each shop and flocks of buyers left with sacks in one go. Khari Baoli’s spice market loomed into view past this point. Walking past each shop with its own selection of spices ranging from boxes of cardamom and clove to sacks of powdered turmeric was a mix of information and confusion at the same time – while the assortment was rather informative, the corresponding range of heady smells left us utterly confused.

We emerged out on Daryaganj road, the famous site of the weekly market of second hand books, which has seen hard times recently. But Daryaganj’s book sellers still collect here every Sunday to line up the pavements with innumerable books, both old and new, to entertain their dedicated customers. We were certainly one of those but sadly, this wasn’t a Sunday. We had our next trip planned within moments of boarding the bus. We would be back to see a lot more – because that’s what old cities do – they make you come back.