Farooqui, Amar   <br/><br/>
Understanding the history of early colonial writings about Delhi 

 - Economic & Political Weekly   
 - 59(50), Dec  14, 2024: p.24-26 
<br/><br/> Nuskha-i Hafeezuddin Ahmad by Hafeezuddin Ahmad introduced by Ather Farouqui, Delhi: Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind), 2024; pp 276, ₹1,000.<br/>The history of the colonial period of Delhi begins with the British military occupation of the Mughal imperial capital in 1803. Right till the outbreak of the uprising of 1857, the East India Company (EIC) adhered to the fiction that it was governing the city and its environs on behalf of the emperor just as the Sindias had done since the 1780s. In 1803, Sindia troops stationed in Delhi were defeated by the British at the battle of Patparganj, leading to colonial ascendancy. Having established control over the city, the EIC began mapping its physical landscape and identifying buildings of historical value. It would be wrong to suppose that the objective of listing such buildings was at this stage motivated by a desire to preserve the heritage of the city. That was a much later concern of the colonial state. In the early decades of the 19th century, the company’s officials were merely preparing an inventory of structures located in the territory it had acquired. The task could begin in earnest after the Second Anglo–Maratha War (1802–05) ended and stability was restored from 1806 onwards.- Reproduced <br/><br/>https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/50/book-reviews/understanding-history-early-colonial-writings.html<br/>