New Delhi: Delhi is often seen as a city of flyovers, traffic and ever-growing skylines. But beneath this fast-paced urban life, its villages are alive with stories, traditions and memories.To preserve this fading legacy, the heritage cell of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has begun a unique exercise to document the culture and customs of 100 villages across the capital.“We are not talking about history, we are talking about traditions,” an official said. “History comes from recorded sources, but traditions live in people’s memories — very close to history, yet more personal, intriguing.”While Delhi has about 350 villages, officials said 100 have been selected to avoid repetition and ensure diverse documentation.Among the first villages visited by the team was Mundka, a 1,000-year-old settlement that used to be a prosperous agricultural village, largely dominated by the Jat community and now transformed into a major industrial hub.“Conversations with elderly residents unfold like living archives. Their eyes light up as they recount stories passed down through generations,” an official said.The name ‘Mundka’ is derived from the Sanskrit word Muṇḍa, meaning ‘head’. Local legend links it to an episode involving Lord Krishna and Shishupala. It is believed that after Shishupala was beheaded, his head fell into a nearby pond — referred to as the Shishupal or Shishuwala pond — giving the village its name.“Whether myth or memory, such stories form the soul of the place,” the official said. The area is also associated with the Dada Bhairav (Bhairon) temple.The documentation journey also covers Mehrauli, where layers of history and legend coexist. Some believe the name evolved from ‘Mihirawali’, the home of Mihir Bhoja of the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. Others attribute it to Mehrawali Mai, a local deity associated with blessings, or ‘mehr’. “Multiple narratives exist, each reflecting a different thread of the past,” the official said.The project goes beyond places and focuses on people. Teams are engaging with elderly residents, including women, to reconstruct everyday life as it once was.“Members are asking simple yet revealing questions — where was the first school, how did children travel to study, what songs were sung at weddings, what traditions were followed, and what food was prepared,” the official said.Women, in particular, bring alive vivid memories of wedding rituals — the songs, customs, and traditional cuisines of the time.However, alongside nostalgia comes concern. Elders pointed out that with time, Hindi became the link language, while local dialects gradually faded.“There was a time when language changed every few kilometres. A popular saying goes, ‘Kos kos par badle paani, char kos par vani’. Today, many of those dialects survive only in fragments,” an official said. “We aim to document and preserve them so future generations can access and understand their roots.”As Delhi’s villages rapidly urbanise, their identities risk being absorbed into the expanding city. Changing lifestyles, migration and development threaten intangible heritage — stories, dialects and customs.“Through this initiative, the civic body hopes to safeguard these fading traditions. The collected material planned to be compiled into a book and made available online, ensuring that the voices of Delhi’s villages continue to be heard for generations to come,” the official told TOI.
