Malvika Singh

New Delhi was born at two o’clock on 12 December 1911, as King George V proclaimed it to be India’s new capital at his grand Coronation Durbar. New Delhi: Making of a Capital pieces together the story of the eighth reincarnation of this historic city. Breaking new ground, this book showcases century-old telegrams, maps, plans, drawings, letters and scraps of paper; the agreement that the chief architects—Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker—signed together; the sharp arguments the two had on key architectural issues; and a lot more. Numerous newspaper reports, articles and editorials about the extravagant city, including vigorous debates in the House of Lords have been featured here for the first time. Exclusive pictures of the earliest stages of levelling the massive Raisina Hill are followed by the block-by-block construction of what are today the Rashtrapati Bhavan (initially known as Government House), the Parliament House (known as Council House), and North and South blocks (or the Secretariat buildings). A range of aerial shots capture the growth of the new city from a barren landscape into a bustling metropolis. The entire city was built in Rs. 13. 07 crore. This path-breaking work is an amalgamation of fragments of history, recreating the era of struggle, disquiet and passion in which this great urban centre was built.

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