Women who opened the door to mosques

While debate on Jama Masjid’s decision to disallow women from visiting the premises for non-praying activities rages on, it is time to look at some of Capital’s mosques built by women

Oozing Royalty: Nahar Singh Mahal an obscure jewel in Faridabad

The Nahar Singh Mahal has beautiful pavilions and courtyards with royal ambience carefully and has been converted into a motel-cum-restaurant by Haryana tourism department

Poetry in stone

Stepwells have a charm of their own – precise geometrical design, the cool factor and the reminder of past glory. Rajon ki Baoli is truly Mehrauli’s hidden gem

Partition refugees remember how they sought shelter in Delhi’s historic tombs

The 75th anniversary of Indian independence was celebrated with magnificence. The whole of Delhi was tri-coloured, from roofs of the newly built houses to the century- old tombs scattered in different regions of the city. The very same tombs and monuments are the living memoirs of a blood-soaked Partition

Ghalib has been called back to the court!

Courtrooms and judicial proceedings have always been a nightmare for the legend of Urdu literature in his lifetime. Mirza Ghalib, even after 150 years of his death wasn’t spared and has been summoned to the court once again.

Doha Movement – Resurrecting a lost art

With its first event titled ‘Ba-Yaad e Ijteba Rizvi’ and held on 2 October 2021, started what is arguably the most recent literary movement in Delhi - the Doha Movement. It aims at reviving the lost art of Doha writing- a classical form of self-contained rhyming couplet used by poets like Kabir, Rahim, Tulsidas and others

Silent sentinels of a heritage of respectability

Members of the intersex and trans communities, called khwajsaras in the Mughal era, made huge contributions to Delhi’s history. The architectural wonders they left behind still survive but the significance of this heritage is getting lost with time

Tracing the queer elements: Life and works of Ameer Khusrow

Pride Month seems an apt time to recall the love of Ameer Khusrow Dehlawi, the great poet and Sufi mystic, for Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. His outpourings became an integral part of Hindustani literature and are still re-enacted during Basant Panchami