In 1911, the imperial British government
decided to shift the capital of British
India from the port city of Calcutta
to Delhi, the traditional capital of
India. The British wanted to create
a city that would reflect the power
and prestige of European civilization
in order to impress the Indians. New
Delhi was to be the Rome of Hindustan.
Edwin Lutyens, the town planner for
the city and the architect of the Vice
regal palace, fused Western and Indian
forms in an innovative manner to produce
a synthetic Anglo - Indian style. His
colleague Baker, on the other hand,
simply reproduced classical Western
architecture, interspersed with Indian
ornamental motifs. Though it was Lutyens'
conception that was largely followed
in New Delhi, strict criteria, based
on race, rank, and socio - economic
status governed the allotment of bungalows
in the residential areas. Thanks to
the low-rise bungalows set in a vast
landscape and to the grand avenues lined
by trees, Lutyen's Delhi is perhaps
the greenest capital in the world. But
this greenery is now under pressure
from the forces of speculation and population
explosion.
A voice over narration accompanies images
showing the buildings as they are being
used today intercut with photographs
from the British period. Music from
Indian Army bands have been used, as
they still play British tunes .
