City Neighbourhood – Kashmere Gate, North Delhi

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In search of lost time.

[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]

With sloping tin roofs, decorated iron columns, terracotta jaalis, independent stores and a 19th century church, the area around Kashmere Gate in north Delhi suggests a small town setting, in which the life's daily rhythm never changes. The Sunday prayers are still held in St. James, Delhi’s oldest church. Down the lane, on Lothian Road, Martin Drycleaners, circa 1947, is still in operation. Close by, Garg Armoury has been into guns and ammunition for more than 60 years. Across the road, the chemist shop C. Lal & Sons has been around since 1935.

But not everything has stayed the same. C. Lal, for instance, is no longer the only chemist shop in Delhi to open 24 hours a day. On the same alley, the charming Student Store Bookshop has become smaller. It has rented out a large part of its space to an ATM. The post office next to Nicholson Galli has been turned into a wine shop.

Years ago, there were two famous liquor stores in Kashmere Gate: Carlton and Spencer & Co. Both were stiff rivals and each claimed that their beer was sold more chilled. Carlton is now replaced by a departmental store; Spencer & Co. by a branch of Central Bank.

Next to Martin Drycleaners is a boarded up store. Before independence, it was the famous Mirabelle restaurant. In 1947, the new owners, Partition refugees from what became Pakistan, renamed it Khyber. The restaurant became so popular for its non-vegetarian cuisine that people would come from all over Delhi. It was a rage with the embassy crowd. Khyber’s glory declined gradually - from teakwood cabinets to plastic flowers – before it shut shop in 2006.

A somewhat similar fate hit the legendary Photo Service Company. Dating from the late Mughal era, it was one of Delhi’s most prestigious photo studios. Maharajas would come posing for their portraits. The studio died with its old man. The sons squabbled over the property. It is now a clothes shop under a different owner.

On the Church Road is the Modern Hair Cutter saloon. Opened in 1939, it was patronised by British officers. In March, 2010, the owner temporally closed it for renovation. Air conditioning is promised when it reopens.

The fate of Mittan Lal Halwai was more unexpected. The mithai store was famous across the Capital for its lassi (at noon) and doodh (in the evening). Following the old man’s death, his sons ended the mithai trade and opened spare car parts business instead.

However, there’s no need to mourn for the past. A living city like Delhi never stays constant. Kashmere Gate will keep changing. As long as its lovely iron columns and the historic St. James’ Church stay, the deal is acceptable.

The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



The iron columns of Kashmere Gate



St. James' Church, Kashmere Gate