On 24 July, 2013, students of class 4 and student-members of the Heritage Club, accompanied by their seniors from class 12 went on a Heritage Walk to Firuz Shah Tughlaq's Tomb at Hauz Khaz. The excursion was organized as a part of the ongoing attempt to spread awareness about Delhi's unsung heritage among our younger students. The tomb has been assigned to our School as a part of the "Adopt a Monument" project initiated by the Archaeological Survey of India.
On the bus ride to the tomb, the senior students chatted about the importance of preserving our heritage. The children were briefed on the Emperor's short, yet turbulent reign. We asked each student what their favourite monument was and why. We got varied answers; from the Eiffel Tower to the Char Minar!
Upon arrival, the classes, now divided into groups, were lead by class 12 students around the small cluster of structures that once was a part of the city of Siri ( one of the 7 cities of Delhi). This cluster forms what is known as Hauz-i-Ilai or Hauz-Khaz. Hauz-Khaz means 'Royal Tank' and indeed, the area was home to one of the oldest reservoirs of Delhi. During Allauddin Khilji's reign, the tank irrigated the whole city of Siri. Later, during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq, the area was expanded to hold a new mosque and a madrasa. This madrasa was the most famous in Asia and at the time, rivalled the popularity of the one in Baghdad.
[gallery columns="2"]Following a brief introduction about the history and architecture of the monument, the 5 groups of students along with their guides from senior school went off to explore the monument. The children were taken around the area in an guided manner. The architecture, the environment and the layout of the tomb, each, came along with it's own story. The students listened in attention as their seniors explained the significance of calligraphy (the art of handwriting) and of the geometric patterns that characterise Islamic architecture.
We also went to the madrasa to see how children were taught in 14th century India. This was followed by a visit to the mosque in the premise and to a panoramic view of the Royal Tank, all the while guided by class 12 students.
Soon we were back on our bus-ride back to School in quiet awe of the several lesser known but vivid wonders that Delhi is home to.
Some reminiscences below.
We had a lot of fun taking care of the kids and acting like tour guides. It was an insightful experience and we got to experience the true charm of sharing knowledge. We hope to get such opportunities in the future as well.
We told them that the area was also a grave yard of spiritual teachers who taught at the madrasa. We shared with them the story of the day of judgement.
At the top of the pack were 2 " know-it-all kids" whose names, I'm sorry to say, I can't remember. I loved the way their hands shot up even before I had completed what I had to say. There were also the quieter ones. However, even as they hardly seem to pay enough attention to what I had to say.... they stole stop jaw-dropping glances at the tomb and the lake behind it!"
After two years of rigorously studying the subject, its easy to forget why we found history intriguing in the first place. However, being there, with those kids we were reminded about the exciting possibilities of our past and how its a wonder to unravel these mysteries with our little theories and speculations. In teaching them, we rediscovered the marvel and wonder thats called our heritage.
Report by Sanchari Banerjee and Ishaan Mehandru, XII C
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