Not really a city of gardens today, but it is said Delhi had dozens of large gardens since the Tughlaq-era or even before. Sheikh Abu Bekr bin Kallal of Damascus who briefly stayed in Delhi during the reign of Muhammad Tughlaq writes, ‘…the city of Delhi is full of gardens. Gardens extended on the three sides of Delhi in a straight line for twelve thousand paces. The western side bordered on a mountain.” The construction of gardens continued later under Sultans and the Mughals. Glad to have designed a visual treat, a large format book (The Garden of Pride) on the restoration of Bagh-e-Bahaar, a 13th century Tughlaq-era monument in Vasant Vihar. The restoration of the monument, the garden, and the rejuvenation of water bodies around it, was a local community effort.

Book Design Project: The Garden of Pride: Vasant Udyaan