https://jaidevd.com/tags/delhi/ Recent content in Delhi on Jaidev's Blog Hugo en-us Fri, 15 May 2020 00:00:00 +0530 https://jaidevd.com/posts/city-of-djinns-review/ Fri, 15 May 2020 00:00:00 +0530 https://jaidevd.com/posts/city-of-djinns-review/ <p>I was first introduced to William Dalrymple in Michael Wood&rsquo;s documentary, <em>The Story of India</em>. I watched it nearly eight years ago. The scene was shot in a Kali temple where devotees had gathered on the eve of Holi. Dalrymple is explaining what Holi means to Hindus, looking at a spot slightly off-camera. The timing of his narration is such that as soon as he finishes talking, the nearly hundred devotees in the temple throw up their hands and started dancing to chants of <em>&ldquo;Jai Mata Di&rdquo;</em> and <em>&ldquo;Holi hai&rdquo;</em>. Dalrymple then proceeds to tie a handkerchief around his head and disappears into the crowd, walking towards the shrine of Kali, just as the screen bursts with gulal. This, he does with a dexterity that a seasoned Indian, even one accustomed to crowded temples, would find hard to match.</p>