Oh, the Regal cinema building! The world its passageway shelters! The softy stall named Everyone’s Happiness Place, the longtime burger outlet but now shut for months, the vendors hawking belts, handkerchiefs and sunglasses, the love birds walking hand in hand… the mere sight of the white building brings back these scenes. So familiar, so recognisable. So is the newly renovated Starbucks in A Block. Yet, in the Instagram reels of Saturday’s disturbances in Connaught Place, these landmarks seem to belong to another place, with security personnel and protesters gathered around them.
Tucked into the Outer Circle, across from the hotel originally known as Marina, the dargah is reached through an easily overlooked passage. Within moments, the narrow passage leads away from the bustle of CP into a courtyard with trees and graves. This afternoon, much of the courtyard is empty (it always is!). The leafy trees spread above the enclosing walls. Their shade extends over the yard, interrupted here and there by sunlight. A row of potted plants make parts of the courtyard feel like a household aangan.
