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A reminder of the city’s participation in the June 1857 revolt, residents got this piece of land after the British forces demolished hundreds of houses around the Lodhi Fort suspecting revolutionaries in the area.
After a gap of a couple of years, a few houses came up but a large chunk of land still remained as open space. The area was later levelled and hence named daresi, which means to level. Come June and the ground will be 152 years old.
During the early days, the ground was used for organising political rallies by revolutionaries to awaken the masses. Post Independence, it was being used for a variety of purposes including poetical symposiums and discussions on spiritual subjects.
“A small bagichi was also made where people used to enjoy their meals. In winter, residents used to cook and eat here. This bagichi is now a barren land,” said Dr Ravinder Vatsayan, an old resident of the area.
Jagdish Behl, 85, a resident of Purana bazar said,” Even classical singers used to perform here but now the place has lost its charm. It is surrounded by encroachments and hardly anyone knows of its historical importance. It is only used for organising Ramleelas.” “The ground was dotted by wells and a mosque. In 1965, people had made trenches in the ground during the Indo-China war,” recalls Dr Vatsayan. — Raakhi Jagga
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