Old Delhi:  Lanes of Chadni Chowk

Oct. 5th

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Old Delhi is the historic core of the city, and is characterized by a large, Mughal superstructure called the Red Fort, which rings Old Delhi and served both the British Raj and the present Indian government as a military barracks.  The residential area, however, lies outside the Red Fort to the West, and is marked by the main road, called Chandni Chowk.

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For the most part, Old Delhi is a cluttered, chaotic, disorganized jumble of homes.  There is no semblance of city planning or even routine policing.  The only logic is that all the hidden, internal markets and avenues radiate from the main road, Chandni Chowk.

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The streets themselves were jammed pack, and there was garbage strewn about, and signs and wires going every which way overhead.  Because of the tightness of everything, the streets were shadowy and dark.  Most people in Old Delhi are supposed to be lower-class, and they looked their part.  

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The car drivers, rickshaw drivers, and the pedestrians alike were very pushy... determined to get somewhere and willing to walk anywhere, push anyone to get where they wanted.

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The neighborhood is primarily Moslem, but it is marked by a handful of other denominations, symbolized by this Sikh Temple minaret glittering from above the dark and crowded streets.

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