Delhi has long been a cultural center, attracting the best of painters, musicians and dancers. Though today’s patrons have changed, Delhi is more than ever the cultural capital of the country, and is also visited by foreign dancers, musicians and theatre groups en route to the Far East.

The best of the performing arts representing the range of classical dance forms and schools of music from all over India can be viewed at Kamani Auditorium, the Chamber Theatre at Triveni Kala Sagam, FICCI Auditorium, the India International Center, Siri Fort, LTG Auditorium, Pragati Maidan and Sri Ram Centre, where Delhites can enjoy the privilege of seeing, and listening to, the legendary gurus as well as their disciples.

October witnesses the popular Qutub Festivals where reputed musicians and dancers offer captivating renditions with the Qutub Minar as the backdrop. Film buffs eagerly await the National Film Festivals and the bi-annual International Film Festival, held in January. Apart from commercial cinema houses, films are periodically screened at the Max Mueller Bhawan, the Alliance Francaise, the Japan Cultural Centre, the British Council Division, the Russian Centre for Science and Cultural and the Hungarian Information Centre.

Traditional crafts too have long been practiced in Delhi. The city was particularly well known for its silver and gold enameling, and zari or embroidery in gold thread. Master-craftersmen in both crafts still live in the Walled City where there are also miniature painters. Delhi also has fine potters, wooden toy makes, kite makers and lacquer craftsmen. In Old Delhi it is not unusual to come upon a traditional workshop. The wealth of Indian handicrafts can be enjoyed at the Crafts Museum at Pragati Maidan, at the State Emporia on Baba Kharak singh Marg, and at Dilli Haat, which is Delhi Tourism’s popular venue for crafts bazaars throughout the year.

Crafts create mirror images of society. Any change in the lifestyle of its people affects their craft. So when the Mughal emperors decided to withdraw the royal patronage during Delhi’s declining years, many crafts went through a period of lull. Some survived, others lost in the mists of time.

Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi as it is called today, is the richest of the legacies: not only because it is the closest to us chronologically but also because the Mughals were great patrons of arts and crafts. An important craft that developed during the time was ivory carving. But then came the ban on ivory. The skilled craftsmen had no option but change their raw material: they started using bones of buffaloes and camels instead of ivory. Go to Matia Mahal’s Pahadi Bhojla and you will find umpteen shops of jewellers who fashion beautiful bangles and necklaces out of bone.

Creating magic with golden thread embroidery or euphoria with semi-precious stones, there are the zardozis in the neighbourhood. Zardozi is the art of embroidery with gold thread. These craftsmen work intricate designs on silk, velvet, and even tissue materials. Insignias, pulpit covers, embroidery on the robes of bishops and even the Pope are all created here.

The medicinal value of silver paper (varak) is well known. Thin sheets of silver paper are still wrapped around sweets and even betel leaves. If you are looking for the authentic one, go to Matia Mahal again. A few of the craftsmen who beat silver into thin sheets by hand still live here. There was a time when there were so many of them that you could just follow the sound of the hammer and reach them. Today you have to do a little asking around to reach the small workshops.

The famed meenakari work, where paint is embossed on silver or gold to give it the look of a precious stone, was once a thriving business of Shahjahanabad. Turbulence of Delhi, ever since Nadir Shah and later the colonial rule, pushed the artisans away to peaceful climes. This group moved partly to Rajasthan, while those who make bangles from lac moved to Hyderabad in the Deccan.

Lacquer work bangles are one of the old art forms still alive in Shahjahanabad. Bright shades of yellow, red, and blue are perked up with tiny pieces of mirrors and gold-coloured borders with beads to add that extra touch.

Common to many parts of Delhi are the potters. Not only do they fashion pots for the hot summer, which, in spite of refrigerators, are still greatly in demand, they also fashion beautiful clay and papier-mâché dolls. These clay dolls, some as toys and some as decorations and some even as clay idols during festivities, are still popular with the rural-urban migrants. The special areas in the capital where these toys are available in can, bamboo, tin and pottery, and sometimes involving the ingenious use of Indian textiles and costume jewellery, are Ajmeri Gate, Chandni Chowk, Hauz Khas, Paharganj and Ramakrishna Puram. Earthenware figures can be obtained in many places including Ajmeri Gate and Sarojini Nagar.