Ronald Vivian Smith is an author of personal experiences - a rare breed to find in a time when even journalists hesitate to put pen to paper without scanning through the internet. A definitive voice when it comes to some known and unknown tales and an inspiration to a new generation of city-scribes, Smith is a master-chronicler of Delhi's myriad realities. Among the capital's most ardent lovers, Smith believes in the power of observation and interaction. His travels across Delhi, most often in a DTC bus, examine the big and small curiosities - seamlessly juxtaposing the past with the present. Be it the pride he encounters in the hutments of one of Chandni Chowk's age-old beggar families, or his ambling walks around Delhi's now-dilapidated cemeteries, Smith paints with his words a city full of magic and history. This anthology features short essays on the Indian sultanate, its fall after the British Raj, and its resurrection to become what it is today - the National Capital Territory of Delhi. 'No amount of bookish knowledge can compete with the sort of insights and real, lived memories he [Smith] has.' -Rakshanda Jalil, LiveMint '... When it comes to writing on monuments of Delhi - known, little known or unknown - no one does a better job than R.V. Smith.' -Khushwant Singh, Hindustan Times
