Fri Jul 18 02:18:46 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**Delhi: A City Unloved, Yet Forever Immortalized in Literature**
**NEW DELHI, July 18, 2025** – The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine features a compelling exploration of Delhi’s complex relationship with literature. Despite its often-negative portrayal as a polluted and corrupt metropolis, the city continues to inspire authors and serve as a rich backdrop for storytelling.
The author reflects on their personal connection to Delhi, a place often stereotyped and unfavorably compared to Mumbai. Growing up amidst the historical ruins of the Khilji dynasty, they found inspiration in the city’s unique juxtaposition of past and present. This connection is reflected in their novels, “Stillborn Season” (2018) and “Of Mothers and Other Perishables” (2024), where Delhi landmarks become characters themselves.
The article contrasts these personal portrayals with more critical depictions, highlighting Arundhati Roy’s “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” (2017) as a prime example of a novel that captures the city’s hectic and dispossessed spirit. A new anthology, “Basti & Durbar: Delhi-New Delhi: A City in Stories” (2025), further examines the multifaceted nature of Delhi through diverse narratives.
The piece concludes by emphasizing Delhi’s inherent sensuality and resilience, acknowledging its diverse population and the amorous encounters within. The author suggests that it is precisely because Delhi is often “unloved” that it becomes such fertile ground for literature, offering a multitude of stories waiting to be told.
First Piper 