CTET Solved Paper - CTET September 2016 Paper2

What we call Old Delhi is actually only about 350 years old, which is not terribly ancient, considering that the city was inhabited around 1000-800 BC. But it is a good place to look because Old Delhi has retained its character from the Mughal days. Most of what we call Old Delhi was built by the emperor Shah Jahan who, with characteristic modesty, called it Shahjahanabad. The city was built around 1640-1650 AD (so, by Delhi standards, it is actually young!) and remained the capital of the Mughal empire ever since. India was one of the world’s richest countries in that age, so the capital’s commercial quarter was one of the most important trading and business centres in the East. The original Chandni Chowk was built around a canal of the Yamuna, which passed down the street, forming a pool that reflected the moonlight and gave the area its name. The business of Chandni Chowk was business only. Some people say that it was the ruthless reprisals from the British after the 1857 Mutiny/War of Independence that destroyed the peaceful character of Chandni Chowk as did the looting that was the hallmark of the East India Company’s soldiers. Others say that the rot set in after New Delhi was created in the 20th century. Either way, Chandni Chowk is a mess now. It is overcrowded, parts of it are dirty and its wonderful historical mansions are now in disrepair. In an era when the world’s great squares have become landmarks, why should Chandni Chowk become a slum?