Line of beauty.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

When not much subsists of a city’s material past—after the elderly people are gone, after the things are broken and scattered—what happens of the place? Then, it likely resembles Old Delhi. The Walled City lanes are littered with timeworn wreckage. One street, though, is stubbornly holding onto an unusually substantial portion of architectural heritage, and it is remarkably well-preserved.

The façades of Kucha Pati Ram residences remain dense with quaint balconies, windows and doorways. Kucha traditionally referred to any lane where the dwellers exercised the same occupation. And Pati Ram… well, neither shoe repairer Sonu, nor nankhatai seller Heera Lal, or chai stall owner Praveen, could tell anything precise about the man who gave his name to the street. One might as well celebrate Pati Ram by invoking two of the Kucha’s several landmarks.

Lakshmi Narayan Mandir’s plain darwaza is the first hint of its simple elegance. Flanked by arched dalans, the tranquil courtyard evokes the interiors of Walled City’s disappearing havelis. A marble niche contains the idols of Bhagwan Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. There is also a god rarely seen in temples–Brahma. The other rare sighting is of Varaha, a Vishnu avatar.

Further ahead stands a tiny sweet shop. Manohar Lal Doodh Waale has no architecture to speak of, but it makes the city’s best Mathura ka Peda. Mathura, of course, is the land of Bhagwan Krishna. The town is also known for its gooey dark-brown peda. 50 years ago, halwai Manohar Lal Garg shifted from Mathura’s Chhata Kasba to Purani Dilli, and opened a mithai ki dukan on this picturesque street. An ideal migrant, he gave the best of his life and work to the Kucha, and drilled into it some essence of his native place as well. In afternoons, the friendly gent was unfailingly seen at his shop exchanging “Ram-Ram” pleasantries with passers-by. Or, he would be busy on the shop counter, his hands swiftly turning a huge heap of caramelised elaichi-flavoured khoya into dozens of pedas. After Manohar Lal’s death, his legacy passed on to his son. The young man looks after the mithai shop as diligently as the inheritors of Kucha’s mansions look after their aged buildings.

The mithai shop is separated from the mandir by a series of establishments such as Kuremal Mohanlal Kulfi Shop, Elle’s Beauty Parlour, Chaupaal multi-cuisine restaurant, Neminath Digambar Jain Temple, Prem Narayan Koyele Wala, plus a stunning wall fresco. It shows Bhagwan Vishnu reclined on the coils of Sheshnag. The painting has greatly faded, yet continues to depict every minute detail with startling clarity.

Lane of beauty

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