Independence Day: How refugee real estate became Delhi's poshest areas

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Pakistan after the Partition, suddenly came to form nearly one-third of the city's population. From Shahjahanabad of Mughal influence, Delhi became a city of Punjabis. Brij Krishnan Chandiwala, a noted Congressman, once wrote to Jawaharlal Nehru about the growing Punjabi population in New Delhi after the Partition, and his concern regarding these outsiders outnumbering the natives of the city, mentions architect and urban designer Prerna Chatterjee in a research paper. “The people of Delhi are living a life of helplessness… They have on their own wiped out their exclusive identity forever… The Delhi residents have become strangers in their own house,” Chandiwala wrote. Nehru wrote back: “Some of the complaints you make are the unfortunate consequences of the Partition…. But Delhi has also become a cosmopolitan city with a large number of foreigners here…” Chandiwalla reacted to this statement, considering the uncertain future these foreign intermixes may call for: “… In this city everyone who resides has come from somewhere else. And over the years they became part of this city. I believe even these people (Punjabi refugees) will one day start identifying their selves as belonging to the city.” Punjabi refugees from Pakistan not only ended up identifying themselves with Delhi but also made Delhi identify with them. The names of many colonies in Delhi such as Kohat Enclave, Mianwali Nagar and Gujranwala Town bear Pakistani imprint, the names of their birthplaces the refugees brought with them. More than Delhi shaping them, they shaped Delhi, because much of the Delhi you notice today is the result of the sweat and spirit of refugee entrepreneurs.

Few would believe today that