DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2015.v03i03.015

Pages: 692-694

The announcement of the transfer of capital from Calcutta to Delhi was made at the Delhi Durbar of 1911 by George V. With this decision, the process of making the new capital was set in motion and the next 20 years would see hectic building activity leading to a transformation of barren land to a visual treat. The commanding height of the Government House and Secretariats, the wide roads lined with carefully selected trees and shrubs, the Gymkhana and Chelmsford Clubs, the offices of the bureaucracy and the homes of the officials would all come up to bring to life the new capital. This paper begins by exploring the debate on the question of Delhi being a permanent capital of the British Empire. The next issue facing the administration was that of providing housing to the government officials who would be living and working in New Delhi. This paper tries to understand the housing crisis that unfolded in New Delhi in the 1930s. The shortage of homes for officials, clerks and menials reflected the stark contrast between the theory and practice of the colonial administration. I have studied the files and documents at the National Archives of India, New Delhi to bring out this contradiction in the making of the new capital.