VIVEK SHUKLA
The writer is a Delhi-based senior journalist and author of two books ‘Gandhi's Delhi: April 12, 1915-January 30, 1948 and Beyond’ and ‘Dilli Ka Pehla Pyar - Connaught Place’
Posts by: VIVEK SHUKLA
Lutyens out, time to honour city’s faceless makers
After the removal of Edwin Lutyens’ bust from Rashtrapati Bhavan, voices grow louder for honouring the thousands of labourers and contractors who built the capital between 1911 and 1931, arguing that true independence lies in recognising their sweat, skill and sacrifice
After Lutyens, a changing colonial landscape
With Edwin Lutyens’s statue now removed from Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi’s evolving relationship with its imperial past comes into sharper focus. As colonial symbols are relocated or replaced, questions arise about memory, legacy and the spaces they once defined
Stand. Serve. Survive — The untold lives of AIIMS security guards
As thousands stream into AIIMS every day, crowds, conflicts and crises are quietly managed by a team of security guards. Speaking to Patriot, two guards share their long hours, modest pay and the dignity they find in keeping India’s premier hospital running
Sun sets on a royal legacy in Delhi
The likely Rs 1,000 crore sale of the Tehri Garhwal House, former royal residence on Bhagwan Das Road, signals the end of an era for one of Lutyens’ Delhi’s landmark estates, where princely legacy, political history and modern real estate now converge
AI Summit in Delhi: echoes of home for world leaders
At the India AI Impact Summit 2026, visiting presidents from France, Sri Lanka and Brazil encountered symbols in Delhi that mirror their own national histories — from war memorials and sacred trees to shared grief and cultural memory
Fading cinema halls of Connaught Place
Once home to Regal, Rivoli, Odeon and Plaza, Connaught Place shaped generations of Delhi’s moviegoers. As shutters come down on historic screens and memories fade, this feature traces how the capital’s shared film culture is shrinking — and what its loss means for the city
The gardeners behind the bloom at Amrit Udyan
As Amrit Udyan reopens to the public, it is the generational labour of the malis, whose skill, discipline and continuity sustain one of Delhi’s most iconic public gardens year after year
North Block’s final chapter in budget-making
As the Finance Ministry moves to the Central Vista, the Union Budget for 2026–27 may be the last to be prepared in North Block. A look at how the iconic building shaped decades of fiscal policymaking, secrecy, and tradition