Deputy Ganj is a gem of a neighborhood. Like the stretch of Sadar Thana Road and Basti Harphool Singh that I covered in preceding posts, I was quite amazed to come across this urban space in Sadar Bazaar. I had not expected anything like this in the heart of Delhi. Like Basti Harphool Singh, Deputy Ganj is a planned neighborhood surrounded by unplanned growth. Its design is easily understood from the satellite image of the area (link in the paragraph after next). It consists of streets and residential blocks arranged in rectangular formats surrounding a donut-shaped block with a small park in the center. The donut block has an innovative colonial neoclassical design with colonnades and jali work.

There are so many examples of missed opportunities in India of urban spaces that could be used for the connected purposes of heritage conservation and historically sensitive tourism. Old Delhi as a whole is one such huge missed opportunity. Deputy Ganj is a much smaller neighborhood that would be ideal for such use and development. India seems to be very far from being able to implement such policies, but if ever there was an example of a neighborhood that was ideal for this heritage + tourism mix, it would be this one.

For some more background information and a location map, go to the introduction of this series of posts.

 

The face of Deputy Ganj on Bada Hindu Rao Road. The street on the left goes into the neighborhood

 

Deputy Ganj neighborhood, which now seems to have become a utensil market:

 

The “donut” block at the center of the neighborhood:

 

The other gem in Deputy Ganj is a large desi deco haveli in one of the inner rectangular blocks. For sheer size and decorative features, this is a unique building in Delhi.

Front facade:

Front entrance:

More front facade:

Side facade and entrance:

Corner design

Side alley

Looking down the street with the desi deco haveli hidden behind the more traditional haveli in front:

 

More photos from Deputy Ganj: