From Sultanate to Lutyens: Discover Delhi’s rich tapestry in ‘Sair-e-Delhi’ exhibit

Delhi is a city in constant conversation with itself. If you know how to listen carefully, it divulges whispers in a flowing narrative. In keeping with the emotion the capital city inspires, historian Swapna Liddle has curated an exhibition titled Sair-e-Delhi-Chronicles of Change, as part of the first Delhi edition of the art and heritage festival by DAG. The festival celebrates ‘The City as a Museum’ at Bikaner House.

Following the successful edition of the debut edition of the festival in Mumbai earlier this year and the four applause-worthy editions held in Kolkata since 2021, the festival arrives in the cultural crucible of the country — coursing through its heritage locations, dipping into personal repositories of artistes, knitting together bulwark institutions and bringing in spaces for both stellar performances and depth and dimension in art activism. The exhibition brings in a treasured handpicked collection of paintings, prints, photographs, maps and plans that come together in unison to narrate the history of the historic city.

While the heritage festival is a rich fabric braised deeply in history, the exhibition brings in a subtle yet complex layering of the forms and structures of the city, leafing through the Sultanate and Mughal periods to Lutyens’ Delhi. Volumes of precious tradition and colourful culture intersperse with the immersive experiences, sojourns on foot, and the sights and sounds of Delhi in all its splendour and sepia tones.

“This exhibition brings together an unprecedented variety of objects — paintings, prints, photographs, maps, and plans, that depict the historic sites of Delhi. It also departs from the conventional narrative of the rise and fall of capital cities, instead focusing on the layers of history that make up the various sites — Mehrauli, Shahjahanabad, Nizamuddin, New Delhi and others. It invites the viewer to see the history of the city as an integral part of the lived experience of those who inhabit it,” says Swapna.

The festival commences with steps along Qudsia Bagh, returning to the site of the historic Indian Art Exhibition of the 1903 Delhi Durbar, which led to subsequent rich confluences in the art and culture, paving the way for the establishment of important institutions, including Lalit Kala Akademi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Says Ashish Anand, CEO and MD of DAG, “A city is a living legacy of its history and culture in which art plays an important part alongside other streams and components, some of which are more visibly acknowledged than others. With The City as a Museum, we open doors and windows to parallels and conversations that are immersive, educational and investigative but also engaging and fun.”

Each event composing the festival traces the trajectory of the artful evolution of Delhi, conversing through artworks from the DAG collection, including the creations by Satish Gujral, Krishen Khanna, and Tyeb Mehta, all of whom mark their centenary this year. Then there are works by Devayani Krishna, Kanwal Krishna, Madhvi Parekh, B C Sanyal, G R Santosh, A Ramachandran, Gogi Saroj Pal, Shobha Broota and more, viewing the city through their experiential lens.

The brick is the leitmotif of the city that is always a conversation in progress. An ode to the publishing crucible in old Delhi, A Bibliophile’s Bazaar leads you on a walk along the iconic Daryaganj Sunday Book market with Kanupriya Dhingra and Sohail Hashmi, tracing cultural points and bringing in a discussion at the Kathika Cultural Centre on the historical aspects of this area. There is also a revisiting of Delhi in the wake of the Revolt of 1857 through photographs and interactive formats. Several other carefully conceived events, including pop-up exhibitions, audio trails, panel discussions and performances, are part of the festival. Leading historians, scholars, collectors, archivists, and artists such as Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Naman Ahuja, Giles Tillotson, Kanupriya Dhingra, Sohail Hashmi, Sudhanva Deshpande, Moloyashree Hashmi, Amitesh Grover, Madan Gopal Singh, Ram Rahman, Zuleikha Chaudhari, and others are part of the initiative.

In another unique effort, The Fifth Circle: Echo Route will be presented as an immersive audio walk created by Amitesh Grover through the iconic Mandi House, a confluence of culture, history and heritage. From Windsor Palace to Jawahar Bhawan and Triveni Kala Sangam, the spectrum of events spans the historical largesse of the city. A salute to the ages in a city that has always been a fountainhead of power.

The events under Sair-e-Delhi: Chronicles of Change will continue till September 21, 2025.