Before the showcase of Lutyen’s Delhi – Connaught Place (CP) came up, that area, a part of the ridge forest was infested with Kikar (Thorny Acacia trees) pigs and jackals. Residents from Kashmiri Gate and King’s Way (Rajpath) used to go there hunting partridges and some others to visit the Hanuman Temple only to return back before dark.
CP came up as the main Central Business District for the capital city of Delhi in British Raj and still continues to be so. It still houses the best brand shops, eateries and exclusive outlets, just like it had since its conception in the 1930’s and 40’s
A few names like Regal, Odeon and Rivoli came up as performance and movie theatres in the 40’s and were entertaining people till the recent past when multiplexes caught up – but in some or the other form the buildings still carry the same name.
United Coffee House, Embassy, Standard, Wenger’s the bakery, Kaventer’s milk booth and many such cafes and restaurants are still alive and kicking and doing better than ever before.
CP is very different from any other market place in Delhi and anywhere else in the rest of the country. Its radial layout, the recently renovated heritage colonnaded buildings remind us blatantly of the British Era. It is a melting pot for the domestic and travellers from the rest of the world, which imparts it a very distinct feel and energy.
I very fondly term Connaught Place as the – ‘Remains of the Raj’ mainly because of its personality as a space which is so overwhelmingly British in itself, that it almost makes me try and imagine the scenario back then. The presence of many a shoe shine guys and their Indian customers contribute to the whole idea in my mind!
Hope you enjoy the photographs 🙂
It was a good place to hang on, not now, it’s glory is deteriorating day by day. Lot of showrooms opened and closed in last 20 -25 years since when i have been visiting. Now more and more hawkers always talking their raod side filthy bluff and eunuchs have been roaming everywhere and creating problems ,,misbehaving with people roaming there.
Palika bazaar which was once known for all the shopping of foreign items badly deteriorated,,burnt and shop keepers in palika bazaar are cheap people. I have seen them passing filthy comments on girls.
Only few remaining places are good like Wengers, Sarvana Bhawan, few good emporiums like Kashmir emporium.
Conditions are so bad that now a days you cannot even eat your food sitting anywhere because kids of beggers just snatch any eatables like sandwich etc from the hands of people.
Lot of showrooms got closed because of no sales at all and all Liquor shops have taken place.
This connaught place wasn’t THIS apx 15 -20 years ago. It is no more a special place or pride of Delhi
Thanks Vikas for the update!
So sad to hear that 🙁
Hey Vikas, my memories of CP are also of mid 90’s when we were students and hung out there. Those days were different and so were we, but you are right, the nuisance of weird characters hovering around the place did bother people.
I personally never really liked the concept of Palika Bazaar selling ‘foreign’ goods (those days it was all Dubai ka maal) it reminded me of Manish Market and Heera Panna of Mumbai where shopkeepers wearing gold chains were trying to bully you into buying smuggled goods.
In the last few years I land up in CP only on Sunday early mornings while we are on a bicycle ride when there are hardly any people and the shops are yet to open! That is the time when one gets to enjoy the architecture and the real feel of the place with no one to nag or bother you 🙂
nicely described, loved the pictures!
Thanks 🙂
Good write up RB.
Thanks bro 🙂