A Guided Tour of History

‘‘I came to Delhi first in 1963 and visited the Masjid as a tourist. I remember being completely awed by the splendid structure and the little pathways inside. I would come here in the evenings and people would be sitting on the steps, feeding pigeons and goats. Now it’s more clean and organised, as these green railings have been put up. After the communal riots in 1975, all the encroachments were removed and Jagmohan took to cleaning up the place. There was a row of tiny shops just as you would step out of the Masjid steps. Women would buy bangles and gotas there,’’ reminisces Rai.

As the sun climbs higher in the sky, we walk down the steps and into Urdu Bazaar for a cold drink. While walking down the lane, Rai seems lost in thought. ‘‘It’s strange. I have been coming here for so many years but some shops have remained just the same. I have bought a lot of pots from this antique shop. I love eating the biryani and korma at Flora restaurant, and puri sabji from the halwai. And I pick up meat from Mohammed Shahid’s mutton shop.’’

After pausing for breath, he continues, ‘‘The shops in this crowded lane lend a sense of reality to this magnificent structure behind us. The Masjid has a really interesting structure, so different from the straight lines we build today. It is almost like an old banyan tree, which has just stood there and supported people through centuries. After all, not everyone comes here to offer prayers. Whenever I’m here, there’s a frenetic level of energy which simply engulfs me and I just end up walking a lot. The place is clearly the greatest blend of the old surviving as an island in our rapidly changing Capital.’’

His trained eye picks out scores of opportunities for photography. ‘‘The scope is stupendous. Just capture the expressions of every single person here — this lady on the rickshaw, the old man selling water in a mashakka, this person sharpening scissors and knives or that man throwing meat in the air for the vultures — and you would have such a variety,’’ Rai points out.

Walking by Naaz Tandoor, M Rashid and Sons (selling Urdu literature) and Subhanallah Hotel, we approach the end of the lane. Rai pauses there for a break, as familiar faces greet him. This is where we part, for to Rai, this is like coming home.