Announcing a New Book: Gardens of Delhi

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This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for me: two books being launched in the same month. For someone who usually only has a new book coming out every two years (if that), it’s a very unusual thing to have not one, but two, books being released within a couple of weeks of each other.

Some of you might know that I have an elder sister, Swapna Liddle, who (like me) is an author. Like me, too, Swapna is deeply interested in history. That, however, is where the resemblance ends. Swapna is a much-respected historian and all her books have been well-researched, immensely insightful works on the history of Delhi (her field of specialization is Delhi of the 19th century). I, of course, primarily write fiction, when I’m writing in the long form: non-fiction, in the form of travelogues, book reviews and film writing, are reserved for short form articles.

This is where we finally come together: in a book about the gardens of Delhi.

Published by Niyogi Books, Gardens of Delhi had its genesis in a huge collection of photographs, of Delhi’s gardens and green spaces, taken by photographer Prabhas Roy. Niyogi wanted to publish a book on the theme and approached Swapna to write about the many historical gardens (Shalimar Bagh, Roshanara Bagh, Nehru Park, et al) which dot Delhi. Swapna, in turn, came to the conclusion that to do justice to a book about gardens, you couldn’t just write about the histories of these baghs and bageechas; you also had to write about the botany of them. The plants and trees found in them, landmark trees, rare and unusual species, and so on. Enter me, a keen amateur naturalist.

The research for this book was the best, most fulfilling research I’ve ever had to do: I visited many gardens and biodiversity parks across Delhi. Some, like Sunder Nursery and Lodhi Gardens, I was already familiar with; others, like the very busy Roshanara Bagh (which is home to one of Delhi’s oldest cricket clubs, established in1922; it also houses the tomb of the Princess Roshanara, who commissioned both garden and tomb), I visited with my sister. Some, like the very new Indraprastha Park/Millennium Park, laid out to reclaim a landfill, turned out to be pleasant but rather boring; and others had interesting tree specimens that I’d known nothing about: a descendant of the original Bodhi Tree (under which the Buddha attained enlightenment), for instance, in the Buddha Jayanti Park.

With my husband and daughter, I trekked through the seemingly unspoilt terrain of the Tilpath Valley Biodiversity Park, seeing not a single other human being except a couple of park guards, for the three hours we were there. We went birdwatching at the Tughlaqabad Biodiversity Park, and watched, at close quarters, a nilgai (the largest antelope in Asia) go down to the water for a drink.

At Aravali Biodiversity Park, I briefly came face to face with a golden jackal.

All in Delhi, this busy, bustling, noisy city which may not seem like a haven for nature but has some wonderful surprises up its sleeve.  

In this book, I, of course, am writing only about this aspect of Delhi’s green spaces: their denizens, both faunal and floral. My sister, on the other hand, writes about their past: how they came about, how they developed, what are the interesting events they have been home to. Did you know, for example, that Aurangzeb, wary of having himself pronounced Emperor at the Red Fort while Shahjahan was still formally the ruler, actually had his interim coronation at Shalimar Bagh?

It’s all here, in this book. Embellished with tons of photographs by Prabhas Roy, the book’s got all the low-down you would need to explore some of Delhi’s most famous gardens. Of course, not every single garden is here (the city has literally hundreds of public parks and gardens; it would be impossible to cover each one), but it’s a start. Gardens of Delhi is readily available at all major bookstores: in Delhi, Swapna and I have even signed copies at Faqir Chand and Bahrisons (both in Khan Market), at Midland (in South Extension) and at Full Circle (in Greater Kailash N-Block, Part 1). Other established stores will be able to procure it as well, or you can order online.

19 thoughts on “Announcing a New Book: Gardens of Delhi”

  1. Given the bleak climate news coming out of Delhi this week is the timing of the dual release – “An Unholy Drought” with “Gardens of Delhi” entirely coincidental? :)

    Also, is this one going to be released in a digital format?

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    • Hehe! Yes, it does seem so uncanny, doesn’t it? And to think that both books being released in the same month, and that too a month where the situation has become so dire – yes, complete coincidence. The irony of it.

      I don’t know whether the publisher has plans to release an ebook; I’ve written to them to ask, will let you know once I hear from them.

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  4. Congratulations, dear Madhu, on your second book this year! This was the book you mentioned in the comment, isn’t it. I thought this would be it, when only a few days back a botanist friend of mine (she is a real botanist with research papers, titles and such…) showed me the cover of this book and mentioned that this is going to be my birthday present this year. I am so happy about it and looking forward to reading this.

    Thanks for the anecdotes and the video above.

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    • By the way, what is the difference between bagh and bageecha? I never thought about it till I read the line in the introduction. Bageecha is a small bagh, is it? I just had assumed that they are synonymous.

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    • Thank you so much, Harvey. (And I have my heart in my mouth, thinking of all the errors I have no doubt made in the writing of this book…! Anyway, I hope you will enjoy it, and that you will please tell me honestly what you think.

      As for bagh/bageecha/bageechi: I have always thought of those as varying degrees of space. The huge ones like the Kashmir gardens laid out by the Mughals would be baghs, the smaller gardens we have in front of our houses are bageechas, and when you have a handkerchief-sized space where you can only plant a handful of plants (like we do!) it’s a bageechi. I think. :-)

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  6. Hats off to you, Madhu! What a lovely surprise to realize that I now have two books that I need to get! And this is just my cup of tea – it mixes two of my favourite passions – history and gardens.

    *Off to go add this to my order.

    (And thanks to Harvey for asking about bagh/bageecha. I didn’t know there was a difference either!)

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    • Thank you so much, Anu! I hope you will enjoy this one – I’m not sure about the botanical aspect of the book (I did my best, but who knows!) – but I know Swapna knows her history inside-out, and it’s quite fascinating, the immensely interesting history of these gardens.

      And re: the bagh/bageecha thing: that’s just my guess, I’m not sure at all!

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  7. Congratulations!!! This is so heartwarming – two of your books in a month! May you continue to write such deep, meaningful books and may you continue to find readers for them.

    All the very best!!!

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  8. Dear Madhu,

    It has taken me a while to come here and write to you in response to this post of yours on the new book “Gardens of Delhi” by your historian sister Swapma Liddle and you.

    Words fail me…so I will second the response made earlier by another of your readers:

    Madhulika, you are simply amazing! You give the word “prolific” a new meaning!! Great going and every good wish!
    And, I do know how equally prolific if not more,
    your elder sister Swapna is….

    “You Liddle sisters rock!”

    We have ordered for a copy of the book, and it is expected to arrive shortly…. (we includes my architect daughter Tanya, who usually attends to all the online orders…).

    More later after your book “Gardens of Delhi” arrives here and brightens up our lives in this crowded metropolis that is Mumbai….

    Incidentally, ( and you’d know about this, for sure…., very recently there was an interesting review of the book (along with some great photos) in the Sunday magazine supplement of “The Hindu”.

    My best to you both in all your ventures!

    Praba Mahajan

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    • Dear Praba, you are so kind! Thank you so much, I know I speak for Swapna too when I say how grateful we are to people like you who are encouraging and supportive. Thank you again, and I do hope you enjoy the book. :-)

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