About The Event
We will meet at Chawri Bazaar Metro Station Gate no.1 at 9:00 AM.
9:00 AM : HERITAGE WALK
There was a time when Chawri Bazar was a promenade street of old Delhi which had sprawling mansions of dancing girls (Tawaifs). The charm of these courtesans brought Kings, Nawabs, Poets and Sahibs to their doorsteps. On this walk we will try to identify last remaining symbols of Kothas (Bordellos) in Chawri Bazar.
09:30 AM : BREAKFAST BREAK
you would try sumptuous breakfast which is a legacy of old Delhi from the shop which is 115 years old.
10:00 AM : STORYTELLING
In our storytelling session inside a Haveli we will unravel the phenomenal stories of celebrated Tawaifs such as Rupmati, Anarkali, Rana Dil, Lal Kunwar Nur Bai, Chamani Ram Jani, Uttam Bai, Firdaus Jan, Ad Begum, Alfina, Punna Bai. We wil try to understand the downfall of this institution which was a result of Moral censorship of Christian missionaries and misconstrued notion of civilizational inferiority on part of western educated Indians and greed to acquire prized properties of Tawaifs.
11:30 AM : LIVE KATHAK
Finally you would relive the era when elites of the city used to come to this part of Delhi to get entertained by kathak performed on the tunes of sitar and sarangi while dancer tapping her feet and matching with beats of tabla.
