A city with a rich history, every nook and cranny of Delhi has a plethora of stories to tell. The South Delhi neighbourhood of Mehrauli is one such locality that has seamlessly blended the history of the Mughals with modern times.
“I was captivated by Mehrauli. I was amazed to see how 500-year-old buildings coexisted in tandem with buildings that were only 5 years old,” says Caleb Call (38), an American who travelled to Delhi in 2016 to launch Blue Darwaza Travel Pvt Ltd, a tour and travel company.
“Coming from a country whose constructed history goes back only a couple of 100 years, this place [Mehrauli] fascinated me,” he adds.
Call recalls that his journey of exploring the city began with walking down the bylanes of Mehrauli, asking locals about its history and rich heritage.
“I started hearing stories and reading books about the place and I realised that this was one of the few neighbourhoods in Delhi that had so much history in a single area. There is a certain uniqueness to the place,” he shares.
A vertical of Blue Darwaza Travel, Project Mehrauli—launched in late 2019—is an integrated programme that exclusively covers the history of this locality through a set of tours.
Catering mostly to an international audience, the project attempts to narrate the stories of Mehrauli from a local perspective.
Treasure trove of history
“I would take clients on my own little personal tour, show them the places that I had discovered around Mehrauli, and those that I found interesting,” says Call.
Making Mehrauli relatable to their audience, Call and his team offer carefully-curated stories of Mehrauli. Aijaz Ahmad (24), a local who is part of Call’s team, mentions how important it is to provide knowledge about Mehrauli beyond the Qutub Minar.
“Mehrauli has a number of historical sites that are neglected. I had always wanted to do something about it. When I met Caleb and heard of his vision, I immediately wanted to be part of it,” Ahmad says.
Making the tour more engaging, the team narrates tales of the people who lived in the neighbourhood years ago.
“Referencing Bahadur Shah and his life in context with the Zafar Mahal, makes the place come to life. This is not just an old building that is falling apart. This was a place where the Mughal emperors would come during the summer and write poetry. This was where life happened, and what we are trying to do is make people visualise that [time],” explains Call.
A project to preserve
One of the main aims of Project Mehrauli is to connect the past with the present and help people see how timeless these spaces are. The stories of Mehrauli, even though from years ago, are relevant even today.
“The Zafar Mahal is now a local cricket ground. The fact that some of that history has merged with the present helps us advocate for preservation.”
Call’s social community tourism model also attempts to give back to the locals of Mehrauli through educational projects. It promotes the uniqueness of the locality and advocates the needs for conservation of Mehrauli’s historical sites through guided tours.
The team also promotes local tourism through events; Call’s photographs were displayed at the Delhi Art Society’s iSculpt 2021 exhibition in December. Another project by Call is titled ‘Friends of Mehrauli’ that helps educate the locals about the heritage of their home.
Apart from this, his team also plans on organising tours through which people will get together and clean up Mehrauli’s monuments and the areas around these sites.