Delhi Metropolitan: The Making of an Unlikely City

The book tackles the central premise that Delhi is a largely unloved city that thoroughly deserves to be loved. It breaks down how different groups of residents manage to establish their own isolated pockets of existence within the city, allowing extreme opulence and stark deprivation to coexist alongside the march of modern urban projects like the Delhi Metro

Ranjana Sengupta is an acclaimed Indian journalist, editor, and author based in New Delhi. She has spent decades closely observing and documenting the changing landscape, public history, and social trends of northern India. Her writing is highly regarded for combining intense archival research with a deeply conversational and engaging narrative style.

• • The narrative presents Delhi as a unique urban creation forged primarily by "refugees of all kinds". This includes the four million post-Independence migrants fleeing across the border from Pakistan, adventurers seeking employment, and individuals pulling closer to the country's center of political authority. [1]

    Sengupta guides readers past the historical landmarks, through the high-end refurbishment of Khan Market, across the glass-and-steel skylines of Gurgaon, and down into proliferating slums. She demonstrates how the city absorbed the diverse talents and capital of its varied residents to grow into a massive financial hub. Ultimately, the book details the city's unsung sagas, private memories, and the relentless expectation of its people that the metropolis will somehow change their lives