Never mind how many times you’ve done this beat, as you wait at the turn to Rajpath, with the imposing trinity of North and South Block and Rashtrapati Bhavan to the left and the statuesque India Gate some 2.4 km down to the right, you’re assaulted by thoughts and emotions. Drive all the way down till you almost reach the 42 m high stone arch.

Park along the road and walk down to the monument that commemorates 85,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the Allies in World War I, the North West Frontier operations and the 1919 Afghan wars. Below the arch is the memorial to the unknown soldier with the somber flames of the Amar Jawan Jyoti. 

As the evening draws close, even if you’re doing this trip like hundreds of Delhi families for a breather, you can’t but remember that scene from ‘Rang de Basanti’ where Soniya, played by Soha Ali Khan and her fiancé Ajay’s mother, enacted by Waheeda Rahman, walk in peaceful protest for a candle light vigil at India Gate. Their anguish against the system caught the imagination of the country’s youth as little else has, in the past 60 years.

When this road was laid by the British, they called it Kingsway. Rajpath or literally, the King’s Way, is less than a 100 years old, since the capital moved from then-Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. Around Raj Path and India Gate, the British allocated land to princely states. The result is mansions like Jaipur House (now, National Gallery of Modern Art) and Bikaner House (now, Rajasthan Tourism office). These states were part of the 1919 Chamber of Princes who had to attend the Chamber’s meetings in Delhi.

The general’s path

If you drive down early on a misty January morning, Rajpath wears the look of anticipation. For months, preparations go on for the Republic Day parade, with the installation of temporary seating arrangements and barricades.

It’s time to watch out for the traffic diversion notices for the rehearsals and finally, the Big Day of the grand parade and the Beating the Retreat ceremony on January 29. As a cold winter day draws to a close, the Republic Day celebrations end with hundreds of Armed Forces musicians weaving in and out in mesmerizing formations. 

The janta’s path

Over the years, the stately Raj path, crossed at one point by Jan Path or the People’s Path, has been embraced as their own by those who wish to celebrate and those who wish to be heard. Farmers led by Mahendra Singh Tikait camped for a week at the Boat Club to press their demands in 1988. Not all protests are about discord.

Some can be about peace. On December 26, 2001, 13 days after Parliament was attacked and tension mounted, an anti-war protest was held at India Gate under the People for Peace banner.

But not always are these rallies an appeal to the powers that govern us. On April 10, 2003, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit flagged off the Save our Mothers rally from India Gate as more than 2500 doctors, nurses, students and social activists wore white ribbons and discussed safe motherhood.

Rajpath is the road of hope and of the future. On June 9, 2004, a procession of caparisoned elephants and camels walked down Rajpath to escort the Olympic torch up to the National Stadium. The flame arrived from Beijing and went through Delhi as part of the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay. A hundred and five torchbearers carried the torch across 33 km of the city.

Last year, Rajpath became the Path of Hope once again for medical students protesting against 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes in admission to Central universities and other institutions of higher learning. On May 13, when their demands to meet the Prime Minister went unheard, they broke the security cordon at Rajpath and had to be stopped by the police with water cannons and tear gas shells. The pro-reservation rally, ironically, was held at Delhi’s other unofficial rally site, Jantar Mantar.

Today, Rajpath is truly for all. On June 26, 2007, Delhi Cycling Club took out a bicycle rally from India Gate to create awareness about the benefits of cycling. In times when the world is turning one global village, Rajpath is witness to causes that concern the entire world. On May 3, 2007, Greenpeace activists dressed as penguins and waddled down Rajpath to make their point against global warming.

Rajpath defies definition. If it is the symbol for those fighting against war, it is just as much for those for regional cooperation. On July 12, 2007, the SAARC car rally drove down the road to India Gate, flags fluttering from the vehicles.

On December 4 last year, physically challenged people participated in the ‘Walk to Freedom’ rally brought together by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). The rally was at India Gate, flagged off by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The National Association of the Deaf also organised a rally to draw public attention to their problems. The rally marched up the road towards Rashtrapati Bhavan, but were stopped by the police.

The reel Rajpath

From real to reel, Rajpath has seen it all. In the early 1980s, the funeral procession in Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi was shot on Raj Path. The film, released in 1982, won eight Oscars. Cinematic lore goes that about 300,000 people were required for the shoot, so, advertisements and handbills went out for 400,000 extras. Of them, 200,000 were volunteers and 94,560 were paid. The only colour the ‘mourners’ were allowed to wear was white. Eleven crews shot over 20,000 feet of film, reduced to 125 seconds of final footage. This sequence was shot on January 31, 1981, the 33rd anniversary of Gandhi’s funeral.

While several films and advertisements have featured Rajpath and India Gate, few have had as much impact as ‘Rang de Basanti’. On February 22, less than a month after it was released, the nine accused in the Jessica Lall murder case were given a clean chit. Media houses took up the issue and SMS campaigns started doing the rounds. On March 4, at 5.30 pm, according to media estimates, about 2,500 people gathered to protest at India Gate. Nearly 800 of them signed a petition demanding justice. And the candles were lit, just as they had been in the film. The case being reopened brought back collective attention to the Priyadarshini Mattoo case and the Nitish Katara case. 

As another day closes, you park along the orange gravel and look back, up the road. Rajpath, with its trees and shrubs, is home to flocks of birds and hordes of squirrels. Couples court in the assuring presence of the omnipresent policeman while children chase balloons. A busful of tourists takes in the grandeur. Others click away. But much needs to be done.

Early this year, the Union Ministry of Urban Development and the New Delhi Municipal Council announced plans to revamp Raj Path. Critics point out that beautification may change the character of Rajpath. Perhaps that push should come with concerted planning not just by government agencies but also people’s representatives, including architects, urban planners, conservationists and landscape specialists.

 

THE LIGHT TURNS AMBER

Those who went by Rajpath in the 1980s would remember policeman Inder Singh for his unique way of directing traffic. He stood just below South and North Blocks, directing traffic with dance-like gestures. Inder Singh was a natural and, goes the buzz, was called on duty specially during VIP visits. Tourists tumbled out of buses to photograph him. His style of directing traffic drew so much attention, folklore has it that he was offered a similar job abroad. He took voluntary retirement and went off but returned shortly thereafter, jobless.That’s when erstwhile colleagues rallied around and got him a job at Institute of Road Traffic Education. Today, traffic lights have taken his place, but the charm is irreplaceable.