“There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”— so said Princess Diana in a sensational TV interview in 1995. At the time she was married to Prince Charles, who was having an extramarital affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Mrs Parker Bowles, of course, was the third person in the marriage. Cut to 30 years later. One evening last week, British High Commissioner Lindy Cameron was hosting a “joyful celebration” of the life of the recently departed Lord Meghnad Desai at her tasteful Rajaji Marg residence. Dressed in white, the gracious Kishwar Desai, late economist’s wife, was personally receiving the invitees. These guests sauntered into the living room, walking right under the portrait of their British hostess’s king and queen—see photo. The scene was surreal! For around the time of Diana’s 1995 interview, not a single one of these attendees could have imagined the possibility of a sarkari Charles-Camilla portrait becoming a part of the natural course of things.
These guests sauntered into the living room, walking right under the portrait of their British hostess’s king and queen. (HT)
Such is the softening effect of time’s passing, which nevertheless drastically alters the life of every person. And also of every city. Take Delhi. Back in 1995, it too was a different sort of city. Here are some of the remarkable events that unfolded that fateful year in the capital, and which helped shape its present.
Diana lost her life in a road accident in Paris two years after her controversial interview in 1995. The same year (1995), 2,000 Delhiwale also lost their lives in road accidents, per a parliamentary report. A substantial amount of these fatalities must have been caused by the deadly bluelines. Those buses were notorious for rash driving. Most would never completely stop at the scheduled stops, forcing the commuters to board the bus while it were still moving, often abruptly picking up the speed. Bluelines killed more than 50,000 Delhiwale during their 20-year-long terror, which ended in 2010. Now the only blueline that exists is the metro ride connecting Noida with Dwarka.
1995 is the year when a company was registered under the name of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. This month, Delhi Metro set a record of 8.19 million rides on a single day. (This number is more than Ireland’s entire population.)
In 1995, Connaught Place, set up by the British in a babool forest, and named after Maharani Victoria’s third son, was renamed after a former Prime Minister. Even so, to most Delhiwale, Rajiv Chowk continues to be Connaught Place. Nothing colonial about the old name any longer! CP has simply grown to be an integral part of the city’s lexicon.
In 1995, modern Delhi’s great architect finally put away his pencils and drawing sheets. He retired. The America-born Joseph Stein had settled in our city in 1955, setting up his office in Asaf Ali Road. His first major Delhi creation—Triveni Kala Sangam—opened in 1963. Stein went on to design many landmark buildings, particularly around the Lodhi Garden, eventually causing the region to be known as Steinabad. His legacy continues to be cherished, casting its reflection in Delhi’s newer architecture.