So quiet. Kucha Seth is one of Old Delhi’s more serene streets. It is also very deceptive. For without any warning, its tail end drops you into the chaos of hyperkinetic Dariba Kalan.
Dariba! Daribe! Rings a bell?!—some of us of course have heard of Dariba Kalan from the blockbuster song “Kajra Re,” featuring the Bachchan family stars. The lyrics passingly mention the street, along with another Purani Dilli locality. Whatever the reference, pricey jewellers dominate this bazar lane, dealing in gold, silver, pearls… in fact, the street is said to derive its name, “Dariba,” from a Persian phrase meaning “priceless pearl.”*
Priceless indeed is the hoarding of one jewellery shop. It carries not one but two names. In English: “Twinkling Jewellery Art House.” In Hindi: “Atma Ram Gift Wale.” Nearby are Queen Jewels, soon after followed by King & Queen Premium Jewellery. Amid the street’s many jewellers are a few shops that sell the kind of stuff not spotted elsewhere: trophies and shields. Well, somebody has to stock these. After all, while awards and accolades are earned, the objects that give them physical form have to be bought somewhere.
This afternoon, Dariba is even more lively than it usually is. It being the sacred day of Hanuman Jayanti, a festive procession enters the bazar from the Jama Masjid side, filling the narrow lane with horses and camels. Some of the makeshift chariots in the procession display fellow mortals dressed as divine beings. A DJ truck is moving slowly between them, playing the bhajan “Balaji ka gota.” Shopkeepers and shoppers have naturally spilled out into the street to see the wondrous sights. Outside the grand showroom of Shri Ram Hari Ram Jewellers, showroom staffers in blue saris fearfully rush back into the showroom as one of the white horses abruptly rears up on its hind legs.
{{/usCountry}}This afternoon, Dariba is even more lively than it usually is. It being the sacred day of Hanuman Jayanti, a festive procession enters the bazar from the Jama Masjid side, filling the narrow lane with horses and camels. Some of the makeshift chariots in the procession display fellow mortals dressed as divine beings. A DJ truck is moving slowly between them, playing the bhajan “Balaji ka gota.” Shopkeepers and shoppers have naturally spilled out into the street to see the wondrous sights. Outside the grand showroom of Shri Ram Hari Ram Jewellers, showroom staffers in blue saris fearfully rush back into the showroom as one of the white horses abruptly rears up on its hind legs.
{{/usCountry}}Above the din, a monkey is perched on the signboard of Verushka Fine Jewels, quietly observing the action below.
The lane is too tight for cars, yet today, one super-big white car is standing in the middle. The vintage Rolls-Royce is part of the day’s celebrations; see photo. Artist Pawan is also visible in the photo. He, too, is part of the procession.
The lane ends by merging into the wider disorder of Chandni Chowk. Its final landmark is the so-named Old Famous Jalebi Wala, established some 150 years ago. The shop’s open kitchen faces the street. This moment, as always, the cook is seated inside his super-hot alcove, squeezing maida batter through a “nathna,” a knitted cotton bundle, into a karahi filled with “shudh” desi ghee. His hands move anti-clockwise as white, concentric coils of jalebi swell in the bubbling ghee, turning golden brown, almost the shade of the gold stacked in the displays of Dariba’s jewellers.
*“Kalan” in Dariba Kalan means “large” in Persian.
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