Capital is at the heart of it, the story of the Yamuna. Of the way a river flooded its banks and attracted marauders from far and wide who built and re-built cities to face the river that was the source of life for them. That is, until a combination of displacement due to the Partition of 1947, the unbridled grabbing of farmland to be converted into the DLF behemoth under KP Singh in the later part of the 1990’s made the city burst at its seams. With the British, the city turned away from the river on which ironically, it increasingly increased its dependence. For now, even if people bathe in the rivers of the Yamuna during holy festivals or immerse the ashes of the departed, seemingly turning a blind eye to the fetid mass of water it has become.
Why are the businessmen here so intent on amassing personal fortunes at the expense of humanity or of the civic upliftment of the city? What is the meaning of the violence done unto the poor by the well-connected and wealthy? What is the to be made of the nakedly consumerist culture that harps on hoarding and displaying wealth? What is the legacy of Indira Gandhi and other political struggles that have made their mark on the city and its collected history?
All this and more in this fascinating discovery of a city through well-curated story-telling through some very interesting characters!
bongfrombombay 