The History of water in Delhi: Politics, prosperity, culture and belief

Speaker: Dr. Swapna Liddle, historian who works to popularise history and the cause of heritage protection through talks, heritage walks, and social and mainstream media. Her most recent books are The Broken Script: Delhi Under the East India Company and The Fall of the Mughal Dynasty 1803-1857; and Shahjahanabad: Mapping a Mughal City

Chair: Dr. Jutta Jain Neuebauer

Human history is intimately tied to water and its management. In a place with such a richly layered history as Delhi has, this relationship with water has manifested itself at many levels. The presence of water and waterways has determined the location of cities and localities. The management of water and construction of water works has been an important function of powerful rulers, as well as landed magnates and even religious teachers. This illustrated talk will discuss some of the ways in which the people of Delhi through history have connected to water