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| From Kingsway to Rajpath |
| BS Weekend Team / New Delhi Jan 30, 2010, 00:44 IST |
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Watching the fog-shrouded Republic Day Parade in the capital this week, the marching columns of perfectly synchronised soldiers, the array of weapons showcasing military might and the cultural multiplicities of India on display, I couldn’t help thinking how this ode to national pride is critical to the identity of all Indians, from the very young who watch, wide-eyed, propped on the shoulders of their parents, to the old who recall the first ever Republic Day in 1950.
And it is in this context that we think of the importance of Rajpath, the street where this annual event occurs. Aptly named for its national importance, Kingsway, as it was known, can be equated with the Mall at Washington or the Champs Elysees in Paris. Its journey from its imperial birth as Kingsway to its re-incarnation as Rajpath post-independence is an example of change, of changing meanings and identities.
As Kingsway, this processional path was built to invoke a sense of awe for an imperialist regime that relied on subjugation to rule. The gradient from Raisina Hill, visually directed towards the Purana Qila, was subsequently broken by the National Stadium. It was designed as the symbolic axis of power, with its wide vista and pavements, flanked by linear gardens and the symmetric North and South blocks. On the axis, as it was originally conceived, were a series of landmarks and fountains, the “chattri” that once housed the statue of the king, and, of course, India Gate, all forming roundabouts that have become synonymous with the colonial garden city.
But the imperial connotations faded away after independence. This very street became symbolic of our republic, of a democratic India. The 300-room Rashtrapati Bhawan at one end of Rajpath remains the same as it was, former residence of the viceroy, now residence of the President of India. The physical aspects of Rajpath remain the same and yet today its meaning has become almost the opposite of what it was designed to be.
This changed meaning is visible every day, in spite of an ever-increasing security presence, expressed by citizens of Delhi or tourists, who gather on the lawns on either side. They picnic or walk around, play and daydream while lying on the grass, eat and talk, taking a breather from the daily congestion of the mundane, work-driven lives in the city. Old and young, rich and poor, all engage in their own dialogue with this space, one that changes with the time of the day and season. Summer sees rows of jamun sellers edging its pavements in the day, vans selling ice cream, and children enjoying an impromptu bath in its shallow pools.
In winter, afternoon walkers and sun worshippers laze on the lawns munching on roasted peanuts. There is no bar on caste, race and gender; here everyone accepts and even reaches out as a cohesive public. Unlike other streets built and designed today for automobile priority, Rajpath has become “a place”, a destination where democracy is in its element and the ceremony is in the celebration of it.
There is nothing similar to it in India and perhaps Marine Drive comes a close second, where a street transforms itself into a physical part of the identity of a city, not through design but through meaning. It is here that “Rajpath”, which could be seen as a street for the elite, truly intersects with “Janpath”, a street for the common man. It is here that one can see the powers that govern the nation converge with the governed. The physical aspects of Rajpath remain unchanged, but its turning into a “place” is the result of the meaning attributed to it by the pluralistic uses of its populace.
While every street cannot be Rajpath both in scale and stature yet its attributes and values are benchmarks for any street aspiring to become a place. It is thus not enough for every street, especially new ones, to be mere transit corridors that bisect and transect cities — they need to become places of convergence, through commerce, culture and recreation. Single-use spaces and streets created for vehicles or other singular uses become dysfunctional and divisive, degrading the quality of community and the sense of a city. Public streets need to be designed for multi-modal means of transport, they need to become arenas of civic activity that communicate and connect people to each other and to their environment. The intent should be to create a location, one that furthers the urban economy and the contemporary social order that thrives on it.
We look forward to your feedback. Write to us at editorfeatures@bsmail.in
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