What was it like to grow up in the walled city of Jaipur in the 1970s
My dad Anil Kumar Singhal and uncle Rajesh Kumar Singhal on riding around in a horse cart, relishing street food and living their “best lives” in our ancestral townhouse
I grew up in a joint family with my mum, younger brother, dad - Anil Kumar Singhal, uncle and aunt - whom I lovingly call tauji and tai respectively, their three kids, and grandpa and grandma. We live in a 200-year-old ancestral haveli (townhouse) in the heart of the walled city.
Dad turned 50 this year and says he is 25 at heart. My tauji, Rajesh Kumar Singhal, though seven years elder, is often submissive when it comes to our and even dad’s frivolous demands. While dad was notorious for bunking classes to fly kites from our terrace which was the tallest in our neighbourhood, tauji was the quintessential elder brother who protected my dad from grandma’s fury and scouted the bazaars for the best spices, grain and groceries at a bargain. Yet, each has taught me to love the walled city in their own way and today, they tell us what it was like to grow up in the network that drives the walled city of Jaipur.
Dad nudges tauji as a mark of Rajasthani manuhar (chivalry) to answer first since he is older.
“When we were kids, the haveli had nearly 20 people as our father’s two brothers and their kids also lived with us,” says tauji, as dad makes an attempt to trace our family tree. They tell me life was simple, groceries cheaper, traffic limited and the community close-knit at that time. Even the busiest market today - Johari Bazaar - was calmer as pedestrians, cyclists and hand rickshaws dominated the streets. “Owning a car or even a scooter was a luxury,” adds tauji as he shares his favourite childhood memory of going to school on a taanga (horse cart) every day.
Dad says he grew up on whip as he often gave his school lunchbox to his friends to eat chaat (street food) in the walled city and lied to my grandma about it. “I used to go to Sharma restaurant in Khajane Walo Ka Rasta with my friends Dinesh and Dammo. I got 1 rupee (1 pence) per day as pocket money so I had to save up.”
From 1970 to 2022
Our haveli has four floors plus a smaller, inward terrace now. But, the terrace was only built by my grandpa in 1985 when he thought we needed more space and a better view of Nahargarh (famous monument) to fly kites. “The rooms were slightly smaller, embedded by jharokhas (windows accessible from a platform) to look at the revelry in streets,” says the elder brother as dad mentions how the walls were arched and joined pillars inspired by the Mughal architecture called mehraab.
Many havelis have now been demolished to make space for trade complexes. Even the parkota (the seven gates that guard the walled city within) is a mere bifurcation between the walled and the new city, not so much the residential area it used to be. Fun fact: The seven gates of the parkota - Surajpole, Ajmeri, Chandpole, New, Zorawar Singh, Sanganeri and Ghat - were shut at 5pm in the 1950s to protect the walled city from any invaders.
The bazaars have evolved over the years too. Wooden doors enclosing the shops have been replaced by sturdier iron shutters - “symbolic of the growing mistrust,” says tauji. While earlier, trade used to take place over a gaddi (bolster) on which the seth (shopkeeper) and customer perched, counters have been brought in to make shops look fancier. The verandahs outside stores which were often the centre of exchanging muhallah (neighbourhood) gossip have been eaten up by roads to accommodate the vehicles.
Festivals & weddings in the 70s
“We only got a new pair of clothes, socks, shoes and undergarments once a year, and that was on Diwali. We dressed up with great joy to walk the streets like little gentlemen and got family photos done in Nanagram photo studio in Chandpole, which still exists, though half in size as the owner has started a cloth business from the same shop. We headed to Chandpole Hanuman ji ka mandir (lord Hanuman temple) on the morning of Diwali and later in the evening, ventured out to watch the beautifully lit streets of the walled city and burst crackers,” reminisces tauji.
Come Raksha Bandhan, a festival on which sisters tie a sacred thread on the wrist of their brothers which obliges them to protect the women, the haveli would be bustling with relatives and mostly married sisters who would fill my dad’s and tauji’s wrists with umpteen rakhis (sacred thread) and earn cash in return. Dad says, “It was a ritual for amma (dad’s mum) to go to all her brothers’ homes around the city with Motu Sindhi, a rickshaw puller who ditched other potential customers for his customary Raksha Bandhan savaari (rider) every year. Amma rewarded him at the end of the day but he never asked for money upfront.”
For Makar Sakranti (kite flying festival), all my dad’s and tauji’s friends raided our terrace since Sakranti in the walled city is famous for patangbaazi (skilled kite flying). People started flying kites at least a month before the festival day on 14 January to the next Sunday and 26 January (Republic Day) since it's a bank holiday. “We used to save our pocket money and buy kites and string. Often, your dad had to massage amma’s legs to gain permission to fly kite,” says tauji.
“And weddings were always a beautiful affair - just not pompous like today.” The nuptials took place in the chowk (courtyard) of our havelis and for catering, the best five to seven terraces in the neighbourhood were earmarked and guests were directed to them by respective neighbours after the ceremonies. “My reception was held in Khandelwal school grounds in Chandpole and engagement in Mandir Shree Sitaram Ji on Choti Chaupar,” adds tauji.
Of community and clashes
“Our home is next to Rajasthan’s first chief minister, Hira Lal Ji Shastri’s haveli. Our grandfather, Seth Gopinath Ji Johari, was his right hand and manager - though not on paper. Anyone who had to meet Shastriji had to go through our grandfather,” shares tauji with a twinkle in his eyes.
Dad reveals, “I punched a guy and broke his nasal bone in grade five. In less than a minute, the news of Singhal sahab’s (sir’s) son hitting an innocent boy had come to amma since the school is just an alley away. Papa paid for his stitches while amma dragged (literally) me to school every single day after the incident since I was too reluctant to go.” Funnily enough, my cousins and I were sent to the same school - Vikram Bal Niketan - for our primary classes and even shared the principal - Meera ma’am, whom dad and tauji called ‘badi deedi’ (older sister) in their times.
Talking of community, Hindu-Muslim rivalry has been stark in Jaipur since the 1900s. Tauji shares how many shops were burnt and looted, and stones were pelted at homes in the 1987 communal riots.
Looking ahead
“There are many places of historical importance in the walled city - Amer Fort, Jantar Mantar, City Palace precisely in the centre of the parkota, etc. Now, our government is bedecking the streets with warm lights and restoring the terracotta pink paint of houses and shops, symbolic of the ‘pink city’ since its foundation in 1727, to add to the heritage value of the city,” tauji updates me.
Jaipur was accorded the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2020 and since then, the Rajasthan government has been making efforts to protect the structural integrity of the walled city.
“Everyone who abandoned their havelis here to move to posh colonies is now regretting their decision since the property values in the walled city have gone up now,” smirks dad. But, what do the rise in prices mean for you, I ask worriedly. “Oh, we’ll be here, always.”
The brothers recommend the best places in the walled city of Jaipur for:
Revri & Gajak (sweet winter delicacies) - Ishwarji Gajak Wale, Johari Bazaar
Feeni (deep-fried threads of flour dipped in sugar syrup) - Sambhar Feeniwala, Ghee Walo Ka Rasta, Johari Bazaar
Jalebi (sugar syrup filled rings infused with saffron) - Samrat Restaurant, Chaura Rasta
Kadhai doodh (creamy hot milk served in tall earthern pot) - Mahaveer Rabri Bhandar, Mishra Rajaji Ka Rasta, Chandpole Bazaar
Men’s tailor - New Light Tailor, Gopalji Ka Rasta, Chaura Rasta
I'm currently reading Jaipur Nama - a book by Giles Tillotson that takes you into the lives of the kings of Jaipur, the city's foundation in 1727, its bazaars, streets, architecture and more.
One who has lived in walled city or still living in walled city jaipur can not forget it's streets it's street food and small shop keepers
Wonderfully explained.
All experiences are unbeatable .
Different life .