Lajpat Nagar

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Lajpat Nagar is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the South East Delhi district of Delhi. It was named in honor of Lala Lajpat Rai.<ref>"6 Saree Shops You Should Absolutely Checkout For Wedding Shopping in Lajpat Nagar". Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2016.</ref> This area is not to be confused with the Lajpat Nagar in Ghaziabad in the NCR region.

In the recent years, Lajpat Nagar has become a preferred residential neighborhood for tourists and certain refugees from various countries, including Afghanistan, who often travel to New Delhi as medical tourists, owing to the presence of affordable quality health care in the capital. It is common to see individuals from different parts of India and Afghanistan in this neighborhood.

Overview

The area is divided into four parts: Lajpat Nagar I, II, III (north of the Ring Road) and IV (south of the Ring Road). Housing colonies like Amar Colony, Dayanand Colony, Double Storey (also known as Nirmal Puri), National Park and Vikram Vihar are also located in it. Lajpat Nagar is famous for its Central Market, a popular shopping destination, and also is known for the garments and textiles which are sold there.

The area falls partially under the Kasturba Nagar Constituency and part of it is in the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency.

History

Lajpat Nagar was developed in the 1950s and most of its early residents were Hindus and Sikhs moving east from newly formed Pakistan following the partition of India in 1947. As such, many of these individuals are Saraikis and Sindhis.<ref>Sharma, Mohit (24 April 2014). "The Afghan trail". Millennium Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014. It is transforming an identity which once was dominated by migrated refugees (Saraikis and Sindhis) from Pakistan after Partition.</ref> One part of Lajpat Nagar IV (Dayanand Colony) was named after Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, by Mr. B.N. Puri in 1957. The residential colony was built on the acquired village lands of Zamrudpur.,<ref>Thapliyal, Uma Prasad (1987). Gazetteer of Rural Delhi. Gazetteer Unit, Delhi Administration. p. 285.</ref> which was historically a village of the Gurjar community.<ref>O’Leary, Heather Elaine (2014). *Uneven Absorption: World‑Class Delhi, Domestic Workers and the Water that Makes Them* (PhD dissertation). University of Minnesota. p. 43.</ref>

Initially, refugee camps were set up in Purana Quila, and refugees were allotted plots in areas like Lajpat Nagar, Patel Nagar, Rajendra Nagar. The plots were of 15x60 feet constructed like army barracks. The houses were all single story, with asbestos roofs, in the beginning, but now most of the houses are multi-storeyed in this neighborhood.

The colony also housed a refugee camp for Bengali widows, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, known as Kasturba Ashram. In 1960, Servants of the People Society (founded by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1921 in Lahore) after functioning for many years since Partition of India, shifted from the residence of MP Lala Achint Ram to a new building known as Lajpat Bhawan.<ref>"Head Office". Servants of the People Society. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2014.</ref>

The number of Afghan Indians, as well as Afghan students, workers and refugees, living there has resulted in the nickname of the locality, Afghan Nagar.<ref name=Das>Das, Bijoyeta (3 June 2013). "Afghan students flock to India's universities". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2014.</ref><ref>Sharma, Mohit (24 April 2014). "The Afghan trail". Millennium Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014. Often called 'Little Kabul', 'Afghan Nagar,' amongst other polysyllables, nomenclature twisting is the latest pastime in the vicinity.</ref> The suburb has two Afghan "bakeries and three restaurants, and many guesthouses and apartments housing Afghan students, guests, medical refugees and asylum seekers."<ref name=Das/> As such, Apollo Hospital in Delhi "has translators on staff, a website in Dari, and even a separate payment desk for Afghans."<ref>Sharma, Mohit (24 April 2014). "The Afghan trail". Millennium Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014. The Apollo hospital in the city's southwest has translators on staff, a website in Dari, and even a separate payment desk for Afghans.</ref> Most of the Afghanis in Lajpat Nagar speak Pashto or Dari.<ref>Sharma, Mohit (24 April 2014). "The Afghan trail". Millennium Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014. Pashto and Farsi chatters, Burqa clad women, glistering restaurants adorned with linguistic signposts mark Delhi's most thronged Lajpat Nagar market.</ref> GK Vij, a resident of Lajpat Nagar, "whose father migrated after Partition and has spent his whole life in the area," states that though people "enjoy the big ‘naan bread’ which Afghans prepare, the rising number of Afghan restaurants has overshadowed the indigenous Punjabi cuisine to some extent."<ref>Sharma, Mohit (24 April 2014). "The Afghan trail". Millennium Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014. Vij added that though they enjoy the big 'naan bread' which Afghans prepare, the rising number of Afghan restaurants has overshadowed the indigenous Punjabi cuisine to some extent. 'The lane in which we stay has dozens of Afghan restaurants which has surfaced in the past two-three years,' Vij added.</ref>

Accessibility

Lajpat Nagar is well connected by Delhi Transport Corporation bus services and the Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System. Route number 543 connects Anand Vihar in East Delhi to Lajpat Nagar, and Teevr Mudrika connects Lajpat Nagar to Rohini in North Delhi and Punjabi Bagh in West Delhi. The Lajpat Nagar Station of the Delhi Metro has elevated platforms lying on Delhi Metro's Violet Line and underground platforms on Delhi Metro's Pink Line. The station was opened to the public in 2010 along with the first section of the Violet Line. An underpass connection was opened in 2014 below the Defence Colony-Lajpat Nagar flyover between Lajpat Nagar and Jangpura for easy access to areas like Jangpura Extension, Bhogal, and Nizamuddin. The area is also connected to the Delhi Suburban Railway with the Lajpat Nagar railway station

The nearest metro station to Lajpat Nagar Central Market is Lajpat Nagar. When exiting from Gate no. 5, it is located at a distance of around 1&nbsp;km (10 minutes walk).

The average daily footfall in the Lajpat Nagar market is around 10,000 people.<ref>Mishra, Ashish. "Lajpat Nagar market set to be developed on Karol Bagh model". www.hindustantimes.com. HindustanTimes. Retrieved 28 April 2024.</ref> The crowd can get a little bigger on weekends.

Popular culture

Lajpat Nagar is home to a large Punjabi community that is featured in multiple movies.

• In the film Do Dooni Chaar (2010), directed by Habib Faisal, the Duggal family house is located in Vinoba Puri, Lajpat Nagar.<ref>Kamath, Sudhish (9 October 2010). "Fantastic four". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025.</ref>
• Portions of the film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), directed by Dibakar Banerjee, were filmed in Lajpat Nagar.<ref>Ashraf, Syed Firdaus (28 November 2008). "Go for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025. We see homes located in different localities like Delhi 6, Karol Bagh, Lajppat Nagar, Rohini and the plush South Delhi pockets.</ref>
• In the film Cocktail (2012 film), the character Kavita Kapoor, played by Dimple Kapadia, is from Lajpat Nagar.<ref><!-- not stated --> (13 July 2012). "Review: Cocktail". GQ. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2025. Imtiaz Ali (a sort of guru in the rom-com genre) does a fine job with the script in the first half, which consists of seemingly genuine light-hearted camaraderie between the leads, comic moments (provided by Dimple Kapadia playing Khan's loud Punjabi mother from Lajpat Nagar) and some great tracks by Pritam; at this point, you feel Homi Adjania (of Being Cyrus fame) has got it right again.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)</ref>
• Vicky Donor (2012 film), directed by Shoojit Sircar, was based out of Lajpat Nagar.<ref>Duara, Ajit (24 April 2012). "Vicky Donor". Open. Open Media Network. Retrieved 5 February 2025.</ref>
• In Buniyaad, a television series based on Partition of India. The lead gets house in claim in Lajpat Nagar.<ref>Shukla, Vivek (9 August 2024). "Delhi: Finding 'Buniyaad' in Lajpat Nagar". The Patriot. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2025.</ref>