Chishti Sufism and the cosmopolitan city of Delhi

Raziuddin Aquil 

Abstract:

The lecture on the theme at Dayal Singh College (2 April 2019), in close proximity to the blessed presence of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, on the one hand, and the Lodi Gardens, on the other, was a fine occasion to catch up with some longstanding friends. The conversation revolved around what we all cherish as the best in India's inclusive political culture, devotional practices showing the way for peaceful coexistence, remarkable achievements in the cultural arena, whether in the excellence in the vast and high literary fields or in exquisite examples of the built heritage dotting the landscape, with the grand Humayun's Tomb not far away either. These and several other crucial markers of urbanity, elegance, fashionable character of the people of heterogeneous kind, respect for the different and the unfamiliar, emphasis on infrastructure development and institution-building, despite the dirty underbelly and dark political times which pull the city down, have made Delhi what it has come down to us from medieval times. Build and rebuild, rather than destroy, is the lesson from the past, from which we must learn for a better tomorrow.

With grateful thanks to friends in the College, especially Profs. SK Das, Narottam Vinit, Uma Shankar Singh and Hari Narayan Sahu, and also intelligent and smart students who beautifully managed the show and asked some important questions.