In The (Un)Governable City: Productive Failure in the Making of Colonial Delhi, 1858-1911, Raghav Kishore explores the transformation of urban governance in Delhi in the nineteenth century, demonstrating that many of the clashes and conflicts in urban planning were ‘productive failures’ that allowed the state to expand its control and the local population to assert their rights and space in urban planning. This is a must-read book for all history enthuasists, writes Gayathri D. Naik, and is also recommended to town planners looking to understand the legacies of this era of planning today. The (Un)Governable City: Productive Failure in the Making of Colonial Delhi, 1858-1911. Raghav Kishore. Orient BlackSwan. 2020

Naik, Gayathri D.

English

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	The	(Un)Governable	City:	ProductiveFailure	in	the	Making	of	Colonial	Delhi,	1858-1911	byRaghav	KishoreIn	The	(Un)Governable	City:	Productive	Failure	in	the	Making	of	Colonial	Delhi,	1858-1911,	Raghav	Kishoreexplores	the	transformation	of	urban	governance	in	Delhi	in	the	nineteenth	century,	demonstrating	that	many	of	theclashes	and	conflicts	in	urban	planning	were	‘productive	failures’	that	allowed	the	state	to	expand	its	control	and	thelocal	population	to	assert	their	rights	and	space	in	urban	planning.	This	is	a	must-read	book	for	all	historyenthuasists,	writes	Gayathri	D.	Naik,	and	is	also	recommended	to	town	planners	looking	to	understand	thelegacies	of	this	era	of	planning	today.	The	(Un)Governable	City:	Productive	Failure	in	the	Making	of	Colonial	Delhi,	1858-1911.	Raghav	Kishore.Orient	BlackSwan.	2020.Find	this	book	(affiliate	link):	The	city	of	Delhi	possesses	historical	strategic	and	cultural	significance,	being	thecentre	of	power	in	both	the	Medieval	Mughal	era	and	the	majestic	Imperial	British	Raj.It	was	to	Delhi	that	the	revolutionary	soldiers	from	surrounding	cities	like	Meerutmarched	during	the	1857	Revolt	to	meet	and	greet	their	Emperor,	Bahadur	ShahZafar	II.	Though	the	revolt	ended	the	Mughal	rule,	the	strategic	importance	of	Delhinever	ceased.	From	1858,	the	city	witnessed	a	productive	phase	until	the	imperialcapital	was	shifted	to	Delhi	from	Calcutta	in	1911.In	The	(Un)Governable	City,	Raghav	Kishore	provides	a	glimpse	of	the	historicelements	of	building	‘New	Delhi’,	exploring	the	complexity	of	interactions	betweendifferent	state	departments	and	officials	and	how	their	contradictory	visions	andpriorities	clashed,	leading	to	conflicts,	but	at	the	same	time	reflecting	a	‘productivefailure’.	Kishore	discusses	the	complexities	of	planning	and	enforcement	where	theplanning	process	was	shaped	by	the	varying	logics	of	different	planners	and	thecustoms	and	rights	of	the	local	population.	Through	various	examples	from	differentsectors,	he	highlights	that	many	of	these	failures	in	implementing	developmental	planning	were	fruitful	for	the	state,allowing	it	to	expand	its	control	and	the	local	population	to	assert	their	rights	and	space	in	urban	planning.The	(Un)Governable	City	takes	the	reader	through	five	different	scenarios	to	understand	the	making	of	colonialNew	Delhi.	It	begins	with	the	aftermath	of	the	1857	Revolt	when	the	colonial	administration	took	over	the	city	andoutlines	the	challenges	it	faced.	In	addition	to	law-and-order	challenges,	the	civil	and	military	administration	of	thecity	faced	other	troubles,	including	disciplining	the	local	population	and	identifying	loyal	residents.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: The (Un)Governable City: Productive Failure in the Making of Colonial Delhi, 1858-1911 by Raghav Kishore Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-08-05Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2021/08/05/book-review-the-ungovernable-city-productive-failure-in-the-making-of-colonial-delhi-1858-1911-by-raghav-kishore/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Image	Credit:	India:	part	of	a	panoramic	view	of	Delhi	taken	from	the	Jami	Masjid	mosque.	Photograph	by	F.	Beato,c.	1858.	Credit:	Wellcome	Collection.	Public	Domain	MarkThough	the	administration	decided	to	compensate	loyal	residents	during	the	demolition	drive,	giving	rise	to	urbanmarkets,	this	process	was	not	without	its	faults.	Identifying	loyalty	and	addressing	the	concerns	of	local	elites	wastricky.	Unwilling	to	pay	the	compensation	and	facing	a	lack	of	required	properties	during	the	revolt,	the	governmentresorted	to	the	market	as	the	primary	solution	and	was	left	with	the	need	to	balance	market	governance	againstfinding	loyal	supporters	for	future	city	management.	Everywhere,	complications	evolved	with	conflicts	over	severalplans	and	the	decisions	of	different	departments,	including	supporters	of	recognising	the	customs	and	rights	of	thelocal	population.Given	power	after	1858	to	address	sanitation	and	public	order,	newly	formed	municipalities	increasingly	intervenedto	improve	public	health	and	‘civilise’	the	local	population.	For	this,	they	tried	to	differentiate	between	public	andprivate	spaces.	In	Chapter	Two,	Kishore	highlights	that	this	process,	however,	was	chaotic,	inconsistent	andirregular.	There	was	inconsistency	in	understanding	local	rights	and	the	customs	of	native	residents:	for	example,the	setting	up	of	sabzi	mandi	(vegetable	markets)	and	the	removal	of	chabutra	(the	front-raised	portions	of	shops).Kishore	also	points	to	the	inconsistencies	in	funding	and	implementation	that	caused	challenges,	but	thoseinstances	proved	helpful	in	reinforcing	and	reiterating	the	power	and	authority	of	local	governments.Throughout	the	book,	Kishore	stresses	the	conflicts	over	decisions	and	implementations	between	variousdepartments	in	municipal	governance	and	urban	planning.	At	the	same	time,	the	positive	impacts	created	by	suchconflicts	for	the	local	population	in	enabling	the	construction	of	better	amenities	and	the	improvement	of	localspaces	are	also	emphasised.	In	all	these	instances,	the	self-declared	aim	of	the	moral	uplift	of	the	colonial	statealongside	the	protection	of	the	local	population’s	rights	and	customs	was	involved.The	attempt	to	uplift	the	local	population	morally	and	improve	their	public	health	also	led	to	interference	in	theirreligious	activities,	such	as	processions.	Discrimination	between	majorities	and	minorities	when	it	came	to	allowingreligious	activities	to	be	carried	out	in	public	spaces	created	rifts	among	groups,	significantly	impacting	their	age-oldcustomary	engagements.	An	example	of	Saraogi	Processions	(a	religious	procession)	by	Jains,	an	influential	groupin	industrial	Delhi	but	a	minority	in	the	overall	population,	explains	this	context.	Such	issues	of	access	to	the	street,as	in	this	example,	provided	occasions	for	each	religious	group	to	assert	their	power	over	new	material	forms	of	citylife.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: The (Un)Governable City: Productive Failure in the Making of Colonial Delhi, 1858-1911 by Raghav Kishore Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-08-05Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2021/08/05/book-review-the-ungovernable-city-productive-failure-in-the-making-of-colonial-delhi-1858-1911-by-raghav-kishore/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/While	all	these	instances	describe	the	conflicts	between	the	state	authorities	and	the	locals,	many	planningprocesses	like	the	construction	of	the	railways	in	Delhi	created	contestations	between	different	units	of	the	Imperialgovernment	–	the	Government	of	India	and	the	Delhi	Municipality.	However,	these	failures	or	contradictions	turnedout	to	be	positive	and	productive	in	building	the	New	City	in	1911	by	enabling	the	authorities	to	build	a	very	plannedcity,	demarcating	spaces	of	new	Delhi	for	the	rulers	and	old	Delhi	for	the	locals.The	(Un)Governable	City	offers	a	historic	narrative	that	sketches	the	creation	of	New	Delhi	and	how	thecontradictions	between	and	overlapping	claims	of	the	Imperial	government	and	municipal	authorities	createddifferences	between	the	new	city	and	the	old	city	that	continue	into	today.	These	planning	failures	proved	productivefor	the	city’s	people	to	assert	their	claims,	and	enabled	the	possibility	for	sanitation	workers,	like	lower	gradesweepers,	and	local	politicians	to	be	corrupt.	They	often	supported	law-breaking	by	locals	by	either	overlookingillegal	activities/encroachments	or	allowing	such	law-breaking	for	monetary	benefit.Through	various	examples,	the	book	provides	an	account	of	the	unheard	history	of	colonial	Delhi,	the	built-up	citythat	is	now	the	seat	of	power,	and	shows	contestations	among	all	stakeholders.	Kishore	argues	that	planningfailures	can	be	recognised	as	productive	failures,	considering	their	contribution	to	all	stakeholders	and	their	role	informing	a	base	for	creating	a	class	of	noble,	elite	and	loyal	subjects	of	the	Imperial	Raj.Nevertheless,	in	the	long	term,	the	question	still	looms	on	the	horizon:	were	those	failures	indeed	productive?	Theplanning	failures	of	the	Imperial	Raj	that	arose	from	confusions	and	differences,	the	lack	of	coordinated	approachbetween	units	of	administration,	the	improper	devolution	of	power,	power	assertions	on	one	side	and	the	politicalnecessity	of	creating	a	loyal	class	leading	to	a	biased	approach	to	addressing	claims	and	compensations:	these	allhave	reverberations	in	the	present-day	political	economy	of	the	city.	As	Kishore	points	out,	city	planning	to	createnew	world-class	infrastructure	and	improve	public	health	and	sanitation	has	been	hindered	by	these	historicalplanning	failures,	and	the	unavoidable	claims	of	the	population	that	forms	the	voter	base	are	a	challenge	eventoday.	A	must-read	book	for	all	history	enthusiasts,	The	(Un)Governable	City	also	provides	a	good	read	for	townplanners	to	understand	historic	counterproductive	faults	and	failures.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics	and	Political	Science.	The	LSE	RB	blog	may	receive	a	small	commission	if	youchoose	to	make	a	purchase	through	the	above	Amazon	affiliate	link.	This	is	entirely	independent	of	the	coverage	ofthe	book	on	LSE	Review	of	Books.	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: The (Un)Governable City: Productive Failure in the Making of Colonial Delhi, 1858-1911 by Raghav Kishore Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2021-08-05Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2021/08/05/book-review-the-ungovernable-city-productive-failure-in-the-making-of-colonial-delhi-1858-1911-by-raghav-kishore/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book review: The (un)governable city: productive failure in the making of colonial Delhi, 1858-1911 by Raghav Kishore

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Book review: The (un)governable city: productive failure in the making of colonial Delhi, 1858-1911 by Raghav Kishore

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