Book Review: Delhi: A History by Manisha Choudhary

Book Name: Delhi: A History

Author: Manisha Choudhary

Publisher: Rupa

Genre: Non-fiction/history

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Delhi: A History is a historical portrait of a city whose past has reference in mythology and whose present is rooted in modernity. A city destroyed and populated by events of history, its journey has been unparalleled when compared with other ancient cities of the world.

Review: Delhi: A History captures the history of Delhi in a concise manner.

The book starts with the nomenclature of Delhi and introduces lesser known facts. The author has tried to incorporate a lot of information about Delhi that is not available easily. Right from the origins of this magnificent city to its present status, the book provides snippets of information in a well narrated format.

“Despite going through such harsh struggles and many demolitions, Delhi holds a unique aura as a city.”

The book also dwells into the history of the Qutub complex. Not many people are aware that the Qutub complex also houses some other interesting monuments and not just the Qutub Minar. There is a lot of explanation behind the history and origins of this minar which again is not common knowledge.

“Interestingly, the city has shown respect to all the classes, and nearly all sections have tried to contribute to the city in some or the other way.”

Manisha Choudhary writes well with confidence and does justice to the history of a remarkable city. It is always a difficult task to incorporate such huge volumes of information in a single book but the author has done well to include all major aspects of the history of Delhi.

While this is primarily a historical book, the author has done well to include separate chapters on the culture and the prevailing Sufi spiritual undertone of the city that remains present to this day.

This is a well written book.

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