Step into the Past

It is lost in the maze of shops in Chandni Chowk. It doesnt have a special name either,numbered as it is like the other homes and shops in Haveli Haider Quli. But step inside,look around its courtyard and rooms,and meet its owner,90-year-old Lala Narayan Prasad,and youll know that 513,Haveli Haider Quli,is no ordinary home.

Its historical value begins with the commercial complex that obscures it. Haveli Haider Quli was a large swathe of land that Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah had rewarded one Haider Quli Khan,a porter quli in Urdu,for saving his sons life. Many decades later,portions of that land were sold to several families who built their homes on it. One such home was built by Lala Jugal Kishore,who founded Indraprastha School,Delhis first school for girls. Today,his grandson,Prasad,lives here with his 93-year-old sister Sarla Sharma who took part in the Quit India movement. My father,Lala Jagdish Prasad,was involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Lord Hardinge. He was never convicted though, he says. The Lalas have been munshis,or chartered accountants. According to the family tree that Prasad shows us,he descends from Raja Garhmal Shah of Sohna,Haryana. One of his ancestors later shifted to Delhi and joined the Mughal court.

The house is designed like a fort. It has two entrances. The arched main gate is studded with big nails and has a two-kilo-heavy latch. A smaller gate leads to a staircase,which in turn,takes one to the three storeys above. There is a hidden staircase for women,reflecting the purdah system. I have been offered Rs 10 crore for this house,but as long as I am alive,I will live here, says Prasad.

Irena Akbar