'Gardens of Delhi': Book to offer insight on history, landscape of Delhi's green spaces

New Delhi: From historic gardens like Shalimar Bagh and Qudsia Bagh to newer ones like Sunder Nursery and the Garden of Five Senses in the national capital, a new book discusses history, flora, and tone of these gardens.

Published by Niyogi Books and written by sister-duo Swapna and Madhulika Liddle, "Gardens of Delhi" shows the city's green spaces through the lens of Prabhas Roy and includes many historical nuggets and anecdotes about Delhi.

"Even if you are a regular visitor to Delhi's many gardens, this book can help you see them differently by providing insights on their history, landscape and horticulture. For those who may not have been to these green spaces, 'Gardens of Delhi' is just the thing to tempt them, or to provide entertainment and information to the armchair traveller," Swapna Liddle said in a statement.

Often called a "garden city", Delhi has a relatively high green cover and many public gardens, some of which have a long and interesting history, going back several centuries.

While others are relatively new, they are still significant, be it for their design and variety of plants, or for the events behind their establishment.

The book explores some of Delhi's many gardens, introducing the readers to their histories, flora, and fauna.

"One of the greenest cities in India, Delhi is marked by a number of gardens. Many of these are historic, and all of them offer a chance for city-dwellers and visitors to spend some time with nature. Gardens of Delhi, inspired by the city's gardens and green spaces, is designed to acquaint the reader with some of the major gardens of Delhi," Madhulika Liddle said.

In the process of sharing the history of these gardens, the book also takes a long view of how the city, and particularly its green cover, has developed, and some of the problems and challenges of maintaining that green cover in the face of growing urban density.

"Delhi is known for its beautiful gardens -- some are rich in history while others are modern creations. They provide green spaces all year round, turn Delhi into a floral delight in spring and offer young and old alike a place to reconnect with nature," Trisha Niyogi, COO of Niyogi Books, said.

The book, priced Rs 1950, will be released on May 23 at the India International Centre.