The Walled City enyclopedia.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

The balcony in the super-narrow lane almost touches the opposite building. Its grey railing is filled with a series of little iron spirals. Underneath, rows of curved brackets project into the lane. This afternoon, the sun is directly above the gap between the buildings. For a few moments, it lights up the railing’s curls and the edges of the brackets.

The lane is part of a larger street. The street’s name is written above the gateway facing Chawri Bazar. But who was Dilwali Singh of Old Delhi’s Kucha Dilwali Singh? Nobody encountered in the street has an answer, not even a wild guess.

The Delhi Walla’s weekly series exploring the present and past of the Walled City streets arrives this afternoon to this kucha. The word traditionally implies a residential lane whose dwellers share an occupation. Here, shop signboards advertise hydraulic hoses, fittings, fasteners and power tools.

But first, pause at the street’s arched gateway facing Chawri Bazar. Just inside, the inner face of the gateway and the adjacent walls have been fashioned into a temple. The tiled walls are crowded with images of devis and devtas. At this moment, men are sitting on the raised ledges along the passage.

Now stand inside the entrance and, instead of looking inward into the kucha, turn around and look at the outside through the arch. The doorway frames a small portion of the Chawri Bazar road. A man walks past carrying bags. Behind him are an e-rickshaw, a man in a hat, a motorbike. Now a labourer passes, balancing an insane number of cartons on his head. It looks like a scene from one of those old silent films, life streaming past without any commentary.

Within, the kucha branches into a couple of lanes, each ending after a few hundred steps. Parked scooters leave just enough room to walk. Overhead cables loop between buildings, one of which rises several storeys, its weathered facade lined with tall shutters and shallow arches decorated with flower patterns.

One lane ends at a yellow doorway. A lamp above it casts more yellow on the shut doors. Another ends at a temple, its grille locked. A handcart rests in front. The aforementioned balcony hangs above this very lane.

The main lane stops at a grand doorway. A marigold mala hangs across the heavy doors. The doors stand ajar beneath the richly carved arch, revealing a dull shutter of the kind seen on market shops. The same combo of the ornate and the ordinary is visible on Chawri Bazar outside, where glimpses of elegant façades survive behind looping cables and shop signs.

Back in the super-narrow lane beneath the beautiful balcony, the sun has moved a little. Its sharp rays are now falling in bars across half the balcony, adding stripes to the iron spirals.