New Delhi turns 111, Coronation Park visitors oblivious to site's significance

A large number of people on Monday visited the Coronation Park -- the site of the iconic Delhi Durbar where 'New Delhi' took birth exactly 111 years ago -- but most of them were unaware of either the day's or the place's significance in the history of the country.

Besides, a monumental obelisk that marks the Coronation Durbar held on December 12, 1911 continued to wear a defaced look.

The historic ground had hosted one of the grandest imperial Durbar ever, where King George V and Queen Mary were coronated as the Emperor and Empress of India and the new imperial capital was officially shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.

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The site is now part of the Coronation Park, located in northwest Delhi's Burari near Kingsway Camp, a name that harks back to the regal assembly which had turned the area into a royal tent city, memories of which have survived in old monochrome and sepia-toned images and grainy footage.

The area surrounding GTB Nagar metro station, located a few kilometres from the Park, is still referred to as Kingsway Camp.

In the 1911 Delhi Durbar, King George V and Queen Mary were coronated as the Emperor and Empress of India. It signalled the birth of a new imperial capital. Designed by architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, the city was christened New Delhi on December 31, 1926.

The heritage site, owned by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), saw decades of neglect, until it was taken up by the Sheila Dikshit regime to be redeveloped as a Coronation Park. Work was to be completed by 2011, to coincide with the 100th anniversary.

But the DDA, after missing several deadlines, has only managed to landscape the area, while the history walls erected in front of the four statues of Viceroys, lie incomplete and defaced with graffiti, as does the base of the Coronation Pillar.

Mohammed Sohail, visited the site along with his two friends, all three students of a local ITI, but the trio said they were unaware of the significance of the day -- December 12 -- or the history of the site.

"The government authorities should display information about the statues. These are artistic statues, but nothing is mentioned on the walls about it. I have been coming here since childhood days, but never knew, the tallest statue was that of King George V at the park, until today. We should know our history," Sohail told PTI.

"It is also sad to see graffiti on the walls," he rued.

The trio said, there should be proper signages telling about the history of the site.

Many came to the park for evening jog and exercise, and among them were Yash, a local resident and his friend, both aspiring Kabaddi players.

They both exercised right below the statue of King George V, but when asked if they recognised the person depicted in the grand marble statue, they answered in the negative.

"Oh, this is King George V whose statue was earlier at the India Gate canopy. I had no idea about that, there should be proper boards put up by DDA authorities. Visitors should know the history of this place and significance of December 12, especially people living on Delhi," Yash said, before returning to do his push-ups.

Several other visitors PTI spoke to were also unaware of the site's history or its connection with the story of creation of 'New Delhi'.

History records that on this ground, two other Delhi Durbars were held -- in 1877 and 1903 -- "both also filled with grandeur and splendour, the royal tents and the other paraphernalia," Delhi-based historian Swapna Liddle earlier said.

The Delhi Durbar of 1911 was spectacular, and several books record that historic event, said Liddle, also author of 'Connaught Place and the Making of New Delhi' book.