Comic Con, festivals, heritage walks are on as pollution cloud lifts from Delhi

The Capital’s winter calendar is replete with heritage walks, literature festivals, a horticulture fair, even a comics convention.

This week (Monday to Friday), Delhi’s average AQI has been 217, as good as it gets this time of the year, at least since the late 2000s when the city’s air quality took a turn for the worse after Punjab passed a water conservation law that started the trend of stubble burning.

People dressed up as comic characters for Comic Con 2024 at NSIC Complex, Okhla in New Delhi on Friday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

Although AQI has been in the moderate territory (sub-200), the days have been crisp and sunny, and the skies have been blue. To be sure, the AQI will turn poor again, and then return to moderate, and keep varying between these too till the end of January with occasional spikes into very poor territory. But the relative improvement seen this week means that starting today, Saturday December 7, the Capital’s winter calendar kicks in -- replete with heritage walks, literature festivals, a horticulture fair, even a comics convention. Some of the events are by one of the three administrations governing Delhi; others are private. All mark a comforting return to normalcy. And all remind Delhi old-timers of a time when winter was a season that they could look forward to.

Saturday Heritage walks

The heritage cell of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will, on Saturday launch its series of heritage walks and symposiums on the evolution of Delhi, its historical cities and cultural icons, senior civic officials said. “Starting December 7, we will be holding these walks and events on every first and third Saturday of the month. The walks will continue throughout the winter season till March,” a senior MCD official said, asking not to be named.

The inaugural walk titled “Safarnama Minar-e-Zarreen” or “the account of travel of the golden pillar” will be held at Feroz Shah Kotla at 8.30am on Saturday. “Minar-e-Zarreen or the golden pillar refers to the Ashokan pillar located atop of the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla. It is a polished sandstone structure from the 3rd century BC which was moved from Yamunanagar to Delhi under orders of Firoz Shah Tughlaq and installed in its present location in 1356. Now it is also worshipped by devotees on every Thursday. The walk will focus on the story of this pillar and Delhi at the time,” the official added.

Historians say today’s Delhi encompasses several ancient and medieval ones; most count eight: the oldest unnamed one near the site of the Qutab Minar, Siri, Tughlqabad, Jahanpanah, Firozobad, the area around Purana Qila, Shahjahanabad, and New Delhi.

According to MCD, the heritage walks will be curated by experts and they will be free of cost but the visitors will have to buy the tickets where the monuments they visit are ticketed. MCD envisages hosting nine such walks between December and March. One will be a walk around town hall in Chandni Chowk and focus on the emergence of the British Raj; another will detail the search for the grave of Dara Shukoh and cover the Humayun Tomb complex; a third will be in the first City of Delhi, covering Lal Kot near Mehrauli and Tomar period.

A second official said that some of the events will also focus on the cultural heritage of the city. “On January 18, we will be holding an introductory event on Urdu shayari and its evolution in Delhi. Another one is being planned on the Delhi gharana and classical (Hindustani) music.”

But this winter isn’t only about the past.

Comic Con and pop culture

On Friday, the three-day-long Comic Con opened at the NSIC grounds in South East Delhi’s Okhla , attracting comic book enthusiasts, artists and, of course, cosplayers dressed as their favourite comic characters. The event features a line-up of diverse publishing houses, and Indian and international artists such as author Ryan North and artist Jason Loo.

Comic Con started as a small but lively gathering of comic book enthusiasts in 2011 at Delhi Haat and it has grown manifold over the last 12 years as a meeting point for celebrating anime, comics and pop culture.

“Delhi will always hold a special place in my heart—it’s where this incredible journey began, and where we first dared to dream that India could have a Comic Con of its own. This year’s event is our biggest step forward yet, bringing the biggest experiences in pop-culture and gaming for every attendee,” Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, said in a statement. There are now eight Comic Cons across India, including in Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

The event will see cosplay competitions, merchandise sales, gaming tournaments, esports showdowns, and immersive zones. “Popular stand-up comedians and Hip-hop artist will also perform on the occasion,” a Comic Con official said.

Food, Urdu and garden festivals

This is also the season for flowers in Delhi. While Shanti Path’s famous tulips are yet to bloom, Delhi tourism is holding its second edition of the ‘Bonsai and Chrysanthemum festival’ on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (December 6, 7, 8) at the Garden of Five Senses near Said-Ul-Azaib in Saket. The festival will showcase Bonsai displays, vibrant chrysanthemums, and a series of cultural performances, a Delhi Tourism official said. The official added that cultural events will be held every day between 2-3pm and 5-7pm. “We have roped in Sahitya Kala Parishad to organize poetry events and events are planned to raise awareness about environment.”

Then there is the “Saras food festival” being held at Baba Kharak Singh Marg (Connaught Place) by the ministry of rural development. The festival features more than 300 authentic dishes from 25 states. Besides being a gastronomic delight, the food festival features nearly 150 women entrepreneurs and members of self-help groups from across the country are showcasing their culinary skills.

Friday also saw the launch of the first-ever Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav, celebrating the culture of North East India at Bharat Mandapam. The festival, which will remain till December 8, will feature over 250 artisans displaying unique handicrafts and agri-horti products, including 34 GI-tagged items. The festival also offers technical sessions, investors roundtable, design conclave and fashion show -- blending both traditional and modern fashion.

Next week, the city’s Jawaharlal Nehru stadium will host ‘Jashn-e-Rekhta 2024’ which is now one of the world’s largest Urdu language and cultural festivals. The event between December 13 to 15 will see over 200 artistes across more than 40 sessions covering sessions on Ghazals, Sufi music, Qawwali, and poetry recitations.