Welcome here now to 'City of Djinns'

By Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI, FEB. 10. It was probably the djinns' doing. What else could have brought about this unusual marriage between the imagery of a Frenchwoman and the text of an Englishman separated by oceanic distances!

Several years after William Dalrymple came out with his ``City of Djinns'', two women -- one a French and another a Belgian -- chanced upon the book and decided to use it as a guide to explore Delhi. One took pictures and the other went through the text of ``City of Djinns'' to find appropriate passages to complement the images.

Though the latter, Nathalie Trouveroy, today calls the liberal use of extracts -- which along with the photographs taken by Agnes Montanari will be on view at India Habitat Centre here for four days from this coming Monday -- ``a shameless act of piracy'', Dalrymple was in the know of their endeavour all along its 18-month-long gestation and ``extremely supportive'' all the way.

The two women met Dalrymple for the first time today at a preview of their show on the lawns of the French Cultural Centre on Aurangzeb Road here. Introducing them to the small gathering, the French Ambassador, Mr. Bernard De Montferrand, said together the trio present a European vision of India.

Self-styled ``matchmaker'' Nathalie said the mounting of the exhibition and publication of the catalogue was the handiwork of the city's good djinns. While she could not name all the forces that made it happen, the French Embassy was one ``good djinn'' which helped them put up the show that is aimed at inspiring more people -- including Delhiites -- to discover Delhi's lesser-known treasures.

As with Nathalie, this labour of love of theirs added a new dimension to Agnes' stay here. After all, both women followed their husbands here -- the former the Belgian Ambassador to India and the latter a doctor. To begin with, they strayed off the beaten track for Dalrymple's Delhi for ``ourselves''. Today this indulgence of sorts has not just resulted in an exhibition but also a catalogue, the sale proceeds of which will go to an organisation working with artisans in Gujarat.

Pleased that his book had acted as a catalyst for this show, Dalrymple said his travelogue -- like the city it revels in -- had been full of surprises. ``It was written for an English audience as I assumed that Delhiites knew all there was to know about the city. So it came as a surprise when the book did so well here.''

Having fallen in love with Delhi years ago, Dalrymple was scathing in his criticism of Delhiites: ``People of Mumbai and Kolkata are passionate about their city, but that sense of belonging is absent among Delhiites.'' His blue eyes lit up as he tried to zero in on what appealed to him most about Delhi: ``The way the past intrudes upon the modern city uninvited is amazing.''

Likening Delhi to the wonder that is India, Dalrymple said the more you unravel the more there is to discover. And Delhi -- it is no secret -- is a city that has risen Phoenix-like from the ashes several times over, where different ages lie suspended side by side....a city of djinns.

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