Humari dilli

Delhi is the second-largest metropolis in India after Mumbai with a population of 13 million. Located in northern India on the banks of the River Yamuna, Delhi has the political status of a federally-administered union territory known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Under a Constitutional amendment in 1991, Delhi was given its own legislative assembly with limited powers. The metropolis consists of three coterminous census towns – Delhi, Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi – along with 214 villages.

Capital to several empires in ancient India, Delhi was a major city in the old trade routes from northwest India to the Gangetic Plains. Many ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance have been erected in its history.The Mughals built a section of the city (now known as Old City or Old Delhi) that served as the capital of Mughal Empire for a long period. During the British Raj, New Delhi was built as an administrative quarter of the city. New Delhi was declared the capital of India after India gained independence from British rule in 1947. As the seat of the Government of India, New Delhi houses important offices of the federal government, including the Parliament of India. Delhi has grown up to be a cosmopolitan city owing to the immigration of people from across the country. Like many other large cities of the world, Delhi suffers from urbanisation problems such as pollution, traffic congestion and scarcity of resources. The rapid development and urbanisation of New Delhi and surrounding areas coupled with the high average income of the populace has largely eclipsed socio-cultural traits that used to represent Delhi until a few years after Independence.

Etymology

The name "Delhi" is of uncertain etymology, though the most common view is that it is an eponym "Dhillu", the name of a king who ruled the area. Some historians believe that the word Dilli is a corruption of dehali, which is Hindustani for 'threshold', as Delhi has always been considered to be located at the threshold of India proper i.e., the Indo-Gangetic
Plain.Another theory suggests that the city's original name was Dhillika. The Hindi/Prakrit word dhili ("loose") was also used for the locality, gradually morphing into the local name "Dilli".

History

Human habitation was probably present in and around Delhi during the second millennium BCE and before, as evidenced by archeological relics. The city is believed to be the site of Indraprastha, capital of the Pandavas in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Settlements grew from the time of the Mauryan Empire (c. 300 BC). Remains of seven major cities have been discovered in Delhi. The Tomara Rajput dynasty founded the city of Lal Kot in 736 AD. The Chauhan Rajput kings of Ajmer conquered Lal Kot in 1180 AD and renamed it Qila Rai Pithora. The Chauhan king Prithviraj III was defeated in 1192 by the
Afghan Muhammad Ghori. In 1206, Qutb-ud-din Aybak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty established the Delhi Sultanate.

Qutb-ud-din started the construction the Qutub Minar and Quwwat-al-Islam (might of Islam), the earliest extant mosque in India.After the fall of the Slave dynasty, a succession of Turkic and Central Asian dynasties, the Khilji dynasty, the Tughluq dynasty, the Sayyid dynasty and the Lodhi dynasty held power in the late medieval period, and built a sequence of forts and townships that are part of the seven cities of Delhi. Delhi was a major center of sufism (a mystic tradition of Islam) during the Sultanate period.In 1526, Zahiruddin Babur defeated the last Lodhi sultan in the First Battle of Panipat and founded the Mughal Empire that ruled from Delhi, Agra and Lahore.

The Mughal Empire ruled northern India for more than three centuries, with a five-year hiatus during Sher Shah Suri's reign in the mid-16th century.Mughal emperor Akbar shifted the capital from Delhi to Agra. Shah Jahan built the seventh city of Delhi that bears his name (Shahjahanabad), and is more commonly known as the Old City or Old Delhi. The old city served as the capital of the Mughal Empire since 1638. In 1761, Delhi was raided by Ahmed Shah Abdali after the Third battle of Panipat.

Delhi came under direct British control after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Shortly after the Rebellion, Calcutta was declared the capital of British India and Delhi was made a district province of the Punjab. In 1911, Delhi was again declared as the capital of British India. Parts of the old city were pulled down to create New Delhi; a monumental new quarter of the city designed by the British architect Edwin Lutyens to house the government buildings. New Delhi, also known as Lutyens' Delhi, was officially declared as the seat of the Government of India and the capital of the republic after independence on 15 August 1947. During the partition of India thousands of Hindu and Sikh refugees from West Punjab and Sindh migrated to Delhi. Migration to Delhi from the rest of India continues, contributing more to the rise of Delhi's population than the birth rate, which is declining.

In 1984, the assassination of Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister of India) led to violent backlash against the Sikh community, resulting in over two thousand seven hundred deaths.The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as National Capital Territory of Delhi.The Act gave Delhi its own legislative assembly, though with limited powers

Geography

Delhi is located at 28°61′N 77°23′E, and lies in northern India. It borders the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on the south and Haryana on the west. Delhi lies almost entirely in the Gangetic plains. Two prominent features of the geography of Delhi are the Yamuna flood plain and the Delhi ridge. The low-lying Yamuna flood plains provide fertile alluvial soil suitable for agriculture. However, these plains are prone to recurrent floods. Reaching upto a height of 318 m (1043 ft), the ridge forms the most dominating feature in this region. It originates from the Aravalli Range in the south and encircles the west, northeast and northwest parts of the city. Yamuna, a sacred river in Hinduism, is the only major river flowing through Delhi.

Most of the city, including New Delhi, lies west of the river. East of the river is the urban area of Shahdara. Delhi falls under seismic zone-IV, making it vulnerable to major earthquakes.
Delhi has a semi-arid climate with high variation between summer and winter temperatures. Summers are long, from early April to October, with the monsoon season in between. During the summer season, the city faces extreme power and water shortages.

Many people die every year owing to the summer heat wave. Winter starts in November and peaks in January. Delhi is notorious for its heavy fog during the winter season. In December, reduced visibility leads to disruption of road, air and rail traffic. Extreme temperatures range from −0.6 °C (30.9 °F) to 47 °C (116.6 °F). The annual mean temperature is 25 °C (77 °F);
monthly mean temperatures range from 14 °C to 33 °C (58 °F to 92 °F).The average annual rainfall is approximately 714 mm (28.1 inches), most of which is during the monsoons in July and August. The average date of the advent of monsoon winds in Delhi is 29 June.

Civic administration

The Delhi metropolitan area lies within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). The NCT has three local municipal corporations: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board. MCD is one of the largest municipal corporations in the world providing civic amenities to an estimated 13.78 million people. The capital of India, New Delhi, falls under the administration of NDMC. The chairperson of the NDMC is appointed by the Government of India in consultation with the Chief Minister of Delhi.

Delhi has four major satellite cities which lie outside the National Capital Territory of Delhi. These are Gurgaon and Faridabad (in Haryana), and NOIDA and Ghaziabad (in Uttar Pradesh). The National Capital Territory of Delhi is divided into nine districts. Each district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner and has three subdivisions. A Subdivision Magistrate heads each subdivision. All Deputy Commissioners report to the Divisional Commissioner. The District Administration of Delhi is the enforcing department for all kinds of State and Central Government policies and exercises supervisory powers over numerous other functionaries of the Government.

The Delhi High Court exercises jurisdiction over the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi also has lower courts; the Small Causes Court for civil cases, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases. The Delhi Police, headed by the Police Commissioner, is one of the largest metropolitan police forces in the world. Delhi is administratively divided into nine police-zones, which are further subdivided into 95 local police stations.

Government and politics

As a special Union Territory, the National Capital Territory of Delhi has its own Legislative Assembly, Lieutenant Governor, Council of Ministers and Chief Minister. The Chief Minister is appointed by the President of India and the other Ministers are appointed by the President on the advice of the Chief Minister. The legislative assembly seats are filled by direct election from territorial constituencies in the NCT. However, the Union Government of India and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi jointly administer New Delhi. New Delhi, an urban area in Delhi, is the seat of both the State Government of Delhi and the Government of India. The Parliament of India, the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace) and the Supreme Court of India are located in New Delhi. There are 70 assembly constituencies and seven Lok Sabha (Indian parliament's lower house) constituencies in Delhi.

Delhi was a traditional stronghold of the Indian National Congress, also known as the Congress Party. In the 1990s the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Madan Lal Khurana came into power for the first time. However, in 1998 Sheila Dixit of the Indian National Congress defeated Madan Lal Khurana in state elections and Congress has retained power since then.

Utility services

The water supply in Delhi is managed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). As of 2006, it supplied 650 MGD (million gallons per day) of water, while the water demand for 2005–06 was estimated to be 963 MGD. The rest of the demand is met by private and public tube wells and hand pumps. At 240 MGD, the Bhakra storage is the largest water source for DJB, followed by river Yamuna and Ganges. With falling groundwater level and rising population density, Delhi faces severely acute water shortage. Delhi daily produces 8000 tonnes of solid wastes which is dumped at three landfill sites by MCD. The daily domestic waste water production is 470 MGD and industrial waste water is 70 MGD. A large portion of the sewerage flows untreated into the river Yamuna.

The city's per capita electricity consumption is about 1,265 kWh but actual demand is much more. In 1997, Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) replaced Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking which was managed by the MCD. The DVB itself cannot generate adequate power to meet the city's demand and borrows power from India's Northern Region Grid. As a result, Delhi faces a power shortage resulting in frequent blackouts and brownouts, especially during the summer season when energy demand is at its peak. Several industrial units in Delhi rely on private electrical generators to meet their electric demand. Delhi has 43 fire stations (under Delhi Fire Service) that attend about 15,000 fire and rescue calls per year.

State-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and private enterprises like Hutch, Airtel, Idea cellular, Reliance Infocomm and Tata Indicom provide telephone and cell phone service to the city. Cellular coverage is extensive, and both GSM and CDMA services are available. Broadband internet penetration is increasing in the city.

Economy

With an estimated net State Domestic Product (SDP) of 83,085 crores (830.85 billion) Indian rupee (INR) (for the year 2004–05), Delhi is an important commercial center in South Asia. Delhi has a per capita income of 53,976 INR which is around 2.5 times of the national average. The tertiary sector contributes 70.95% of Delhi's gross SDP followed by secondary and primary sectors with 25.2% and 3.85% contribution respectively. Delhi's workforce constitutes 32.82% of the population showing an increase of 52.52% between 1991 and 2001. Delhi's unemployment rate decreased from 12.57% in 1999–2000 to 4.63% in 2003. In December 2004, 636,000 people were registered with various employment exchange programmes in Delhi.

In 2001, the total workforce in all government (union and state) and quasi government sector was 620,000. In comparison, organised private sector employed 219,000. Delhi's service sector has expanded due in part to the large skilled English-speaking workforce that has attracted many multinational companies. Key service industries include information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Delhi's manufacturing industry has also grown considerably as many consumer goods industries have established manufacturing units and headquarters in and around Delhi.

Delhi's large consumer market, coupled with the easy availability of skilled labour, has attracted foreign investment in Delhi. In 2001, the manufacturing sector employed 1,440,000 workers while the number of industrial units was 129,000. Construction, power, telecommunications, health and community services, and real estate form integral parts of Delhi's economy. Delhi's retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India.

Transport

Public transport in Delhi is provided by buses, auto rickshaws, a rapid transit system, taxis and suburban railways. Buses are the most popular means of transport catering to about 60% of the total demand. The state-owned Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is a major bus service provider for the city. Private vehicles account for 30% of the total demand for transport. At 1922.32 km of road length per 100 km², Delhi has one of the highest road densities in India. Delhi is well connected to other parts of India by five National Highways: NH 1, 2, 8, 10 and 24. Roads in Delhi are maintained by MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board, Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Development Authority.

Delhi's high population growth rate, coupled with high economic growth rate has resulted in an ever increasing demand for transport creating excessive pressure on the city's existent transport infrastructure. The city faces acute transport management problems leading to air pollution, congestion and resultant loss of productivity. In order to meet the transport demand in Delhi, the State and Union government started the construction of a mass rapid transit system, including the Delhi Metro. As of 2007, the metro operates three lines with a total length of 65 km (40 miles) and 59 stations while several other lines are under construction. In 1998, the Supreme Court of India ordered all public transport vehicles to use compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuel instead of diesel and other hydro-carbons. The DTC now operates the world's largest fleet of environment-friendly CNG buses. Though pollution from road transport has decreased in recent years, it is still at a high level.

Railways served only 1% of the local traffic until 2003. However Delhi is a major junction in the rail map of India and is the headquarters of the Northern Railway. The four main railway stations are Old Delhi, Nizamuddin Railway Station, Sarai Rohilla and New Delhi Railway Station. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is situated in the southwestern corner of
Delhi and serves for domestic and international connections. In 2005–06, the IGI airport recorded a traffic of more than 8.5 million passengers, making it one of the busiest airports in South Asia. Safdarjung Airport is the other airfield in Delhi used for general aviation purpose

Demographics

Delhi is a cosmopolitan city due to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural presence of the vast Indian bureaucracy and political system, and expanding economy. There are more than 160 embassies and an ever-growing expatriate population. According to 2001 census of India, population of Delhi was 13,782,976. In 2003, the National Capital Territory of Delhi had a population of 14.1 million people making it the second largest metropolitan area in India after Mumbai. This includes about 295,000 people living in New Delhi and 125,000 in Delhi Cantonment. There are 821 women per 1000 men, and the literacy rate is 81.82%. The
population density is 9,294 persons per km². As of 2004, the estimated population is 15,279,000; and the birth rate, death rate and infant mortality rate (per 1000 population) are 20.03, 5.59 and 13.08 respectively. According to 1999–2000 estimate, total number of people living below the poverty line in Delhi is 1,149,000 (which is 8.23% of the total population). In 2001, the population of Delhi increased by 275,000 due to migration whereas the natural increase in population was 215,000.

Hinduism is practised by 82% of Delhi's population. There are also large communities of Muslims (11.7%), Sikhs (4.0%), Jains (1.1%) and Christians (0.9%). Other minorities include Buddhists and Jews.Hindi is the principal spoken and written language. Other commonly spoken languages are English, Punjabi and Urdu. English is an associate official language, and Punjabi and Urdu are second official languages. Linguistic groups from all over India are well represented including Maithili, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi. Punjabis, Gujjars and Jats are large ethnic communities. Delhi's relatively high per capita income, better living standards and high economic growth rate attract people from adjoining rural areas. Due to this high migration rate, Delhi is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. By 2015, Delhi is expected to be the third largest agglomeration in the world after Tokyo and Mumbai.

Delhi accounted for the highest (16.2%) of total crimes reported in thirty-five million plus cities in India in 2005. Delhi also reports the highest rate of crime against women (27.6 compared to national average rate of 14.1 per 100,000) and against children (6.5 compared to national average of 1.4 per 100,000) in the country

Culture

Delhi's culture has been influenced by its lengthy history and historic association as the capital of India. This is exemplified by the many monuments of significance found in the city; the Archaeological Survey of India recognises 175 monuments in Delhi as national heritage sites. The Old City is the site where the Mughals and the Turkic rulers constructed several architectural marvels like the Jama Masjid (India's largest mosque) and Red Fort. Two World Heritage Sites, the Qutab Minar and Humayun's Tomb are located in Delhi. Other monuments include the India Gate, the Jantar Mantar (an 18th century astronomical observatory) and the Purana Qila (a 16th century fortress). The Lotus Temple, Laxminarayan Temple and Akshardham are examples of modern architecture. Raj Ghat and associated memorials houses memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and other notable personalities. New Delhi houses several government buildings and official residences reminiscent of the British colonial architecture. Important structures include the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Secretariat, Rajpath, the Parliament of India and Vijay Chowk.

Delhi's association and geographic proximity to the capital, New Delhi, has amplified the importance of national events and holidays. National events such as Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti (Gandhi's birthday) are celebrated with great enthusiasm in Delhi. On India's Independence Day (15 August) the Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from the Red Fort. Most Delhiites celebrate the day by flying kites, which are considered a symbol of freedom. The Republic Day Parade is a large cultural and military parade showcasing India's cultural diversity and military might.

Religious festivals include Diwali (the festival of light), Durga Puja, Holi, Lohri, Maha Shivaratri, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha and Buddha Jayanti. The Qutub Festival is a cultural event during which performances of musicians and dancers from all over India are showcased at night, with the Qutub Minar as the chosen backdrop of the event. Other events such as Kite Flying Festival, International Mango Festival and Vasant Panchami (the Spring Festival) are held every year in Delhi.

Punjabi cuisine and Mughlai delicacies like kababs and biryanis are popular in several parts of Delhi. Due to Delhi's large cosmopolitan population, cuisines from every part of India, including Rajasthani, Maharashtrian, Bengali, Hyderabadi cuisines, and South Indian food items like idli, sambar and dosa are widely available. Local delicacies include Chaat and Dahi-Papri. There are several food outlets in Delhi serving international cuisine including Italian and Chinese.

Historically, Delhi has always remained an important trading centre in northern India. Old Delhi still contains legacies of its rich Mughal past that can be found among the old city's tangle of snaking lanes and teeming bazaars. The dingy markets of the Old City has an eclectic product range from oil-swamped mango, lime and eggplant pickles, candy-colored herbal potions to silver jewelry, bridal attire, uncut material and linen, spices, sweets. Some of old regal havelis (palacial residences) are still there in the Old City.Chandni Chowk, a three century old shopping area, is one of the most popular shopping areas in Delhi for jewelery and Zari saris. Notable among Delhi's arts and crafts are the Zardozi (an embroidery done with gold thread) and Meenakari (the art of enameling). Dilli Haat, Hauz Khas, Pragati Maidan offer a variety of Indian handicrafts and handlooms. However, the city is said to have lost its own identity and socio-cultural legacies as it went to absorb multitude of humanity from across the country and has morphed into an amorphous pool of cultural styles

Education

Schools and educational institutions in Delhi are either run by the Directorate of Education, NCT government, or by private organizations. As of 2004–05, there were a total of 2515 primary, 635 middle, 504 secondary and 1208 senior secondary schools in Delhi while there were 165 colleges including five medical colleges and eight engineering colleges. In addition, Delhi has five universities (Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Jamia Millia Islamia and Indira Gandhi National Open University), and nine deemed universities.
Private schools in Delhi typically use English or Hindi as the medium of instruction and are affiliated to either the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) or the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE). In 2004–05, about 15.29 lakh (1.529 million) students were enrolled in primary schools, 8.22 lakh (0.822 million) in middle schools and 6.69 lakh (0.669 million) students were enrolled in secondary schools across Delhi. Females represented 49% of the total enrollment. Delhi government spends between 1.58% and 1.95% of Delhi's gross state domestic product on education.
Under the 10+2+3 plan, after completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in a two-year junior college or in schools with a senior secondary facility. Students usually choose from one of three streams — liberal arts, commerce, or science, though vocational streams are also available. This is followed by either a general degree course in a chosen field of study, or a professional degree course, such as law, engineering and medicine. Notable educational and research institutes include All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi School of Economics, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi College of Engineering and St Stephen's College.

Media

As the capital of India, New Delhi is the center of Indian political reportage. Several media agencies in the country, including the state-owned Press Trust of India and Doordarshan, are based in the city. Doordarshan and several other television networks regularly broadcast Indian parliament sessions. The state-owned television broadcaster Doordarshan provides two free terrestrial channels, while several Multi system operators (MSO) provide a number of Hindi, English and other regional language channels via cable. Satellite television (DTH) is yet to gain mass acceptance.
During 2004–05, 1029 newspapers were published from Delhi, of which 492 were in Hindi. Newspapers in 13 languages are published in the city. Hindustan Times, with over a million copies in daily circulation, is the single largest English daily in Delhi. Other major English newspapers include Times of India, Indian Express, The Hindu, The Pioneer and Asian Age. Hindi newspapers include Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Navbharat Times and Punjab Kesri.
A number of state-owned and private radio stations broadcast in Delhi. All India Radio (AIR), one of the world's largest radio service providers, is based in New Delhi. AIR offers six different radio broadcast channels in more than ten different languages. Other radio stations include Radio Mirchi, Gyan Vani and Radio City; a spate of other FM channels started in 2006.
Radio is less popular mean of mass media communication in Delhi, though popularity of FM radio is increasing.

Sports

Like the rest of India, cricket is a popular sport in the city. There are several cricket grounds (locally known as maidan) across Delhi. The Delhi cricket team represents Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, a domestic first-class cricket championship played between different city and states of India. The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, one of the oldest cricket grounds in India to be granted international status, is situated in Delhi. Other sports such as field hockey, Football (soccer), tennis, golf, badminton, swimming, kart racing, weightlifting and table tennis are also played.
Delhi has hosted several domestic and international sporting events such as the First and the Ninth Asian Games. Sports facilities in the city include the Jawharlal Nehru Stadium and the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Delhi will be the site for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the largest multi-sport event ever held in the city. It is also bidding for the 2014 Asian Games and 2016 Olympic Games.

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