Delhi's Behari Lal Ghasi Ram - 'Preserved Provision Manufacturers' (circa 1920s)

A popular dealer in preserved fruits, Behari Lal Ghasi Ram had a long-standing reputation for serving the British Empire, supplying everyone from dignitaries to Indian troops. During the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919), the company—listed as "Preserved Provision Manufacturers"—was contracted to provide Indian soldiers with pickles and other preserves at the front. This, along with their service to the Prince of Wales, was prominently highlighted in their catalogue.

Here are some items from that price list:

Delhi's cultural events in the 'Indian Bulletin', 1959.

 

Here is a picture of the Indian Bulletin for November 1959 released by Sita World Travel Inc. The tourist pamphlet was published weekly and provided a glimpse of the major cultural events and happenings in Delhi. If you have a closer look, you can see Hindustani films, exhibitions, music recitals by artists such as Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Bharatnatyam performances by Smt. BalaSaraswati.

While the pamphlet was published in English and is clearly for tourists visiting the city, it also captures a rmoment in time that speaks to more than just foreign visitors. For Indian audiences—then and now—it serves as a vivid record of Delhi and the new Indian Republic's artistic and cultural life in the 1950s.

More on Delhi next week.

Kashmiri women attending the Delhi Durbar, 1911.

 

A fascinating photograph found online, titled "Women from Kashmir for the Durbar," offers an intriguing glimpse into the imperial event. The Delhi Durbar of 1911 has typically been represented as a highly orchestrated, masculine space—a grand performance of imperial authority and control. The presence of “women from Kashmir” at the Durbar—if indeed they were attendees—raises compelling questions. It isn’t clear from the photograph whether the women were accompanied by male family members; it would have been unusual to see respectable caste Hindu women, as these women appear to be, without male chaperones. We can also see a coolie carrying their belongings, further suggesting a level of social status and purpose to their travel.

The photograph at the railway station was perhaps premeditated: with throngs of visitors arriving for the Durbar, the photographer wished to document the different regional attendees appearing for the event (therefore the reference to Kashmir). In this sense, the image fits squarely within the colonial ethnographic project.

The rickshaw puller and other transport in Delhi, 1944

 

This photograph from 1944 captures the different modes of transport operating in Delhi at the time. Empty buses line the background, while a bicycle appears to the right and a hand-rickshaw puller takes center stage. By then, hand-pulled rickshaws were already facing competition from the newer cycle rickshaws, introduced only a few years earlier.

Both forms of rickshaw served the needs of a rapidly growing city, yet the men who powered them remained on the margins of society. Whether pulling by hand or pedalling, rickshaw workers earned a pittance for long hours of gruelling labour. That reality persists today: most rickshaw pullers in Delhi are migrants striving for a better life, working 12–15 hours a day, eking out a meagre living, and navigating not just the city’s relentless motor traffic but also the control of contractors.

The image itself was taken by an American photographer stationed in Delhi during the Second World War. At the time, the city saw a significant American presence due to the China-Burma-India (CBI) war theatre, and it is likely the photographer was posted here as part of that effort.

For more information the contemporary conditions of rickshaw pullers see here:https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/when-the-wheels-don-t-turn-poverty-stalks-delhi-s-rickshaw-pullers/story-sfS54LP52hdtYncEQyISiJ.html

The image above was found on the internet.