The snippet above is a cut-out from The Times of India newspaper in 1949, capturing the formation of refugee colonies in Delhi, which were named after heads of state and prominent Indian nationalists in the aftermath of independence and the Partition of India.
As seen in the article, the foundation stone for Patel Nagar, named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was laid by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President of the Constituent Assembly of India, in November 1949. (Dr. Prasad was not yet the first President of India, as the office was established only after the Constitution was adopted in 1950.)
Interestingly, it was during this period that the term "colony" became commonplace in local parlance, referring to areas designated for the resettlement of refugees from Pakistan. Although health centres and maternity homes were included in the housing plans, the use of the word "colony" implies that refugee resettlement was viewed as an imposed, unnatural process foisted upon the newly-formed nation-state, much like a form of colonisation. Perhaps, this marked the beginning of the turbulent relationship between the nation state and its urban colonies?
More on this another day, see you next Friday.
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