Delhiwale: Monument of ‘love’

The monument is like a lovers’ notebook. Every inch of the monument’s surface is scratched over with I-Love-You scrawls, along with the names of what one presumes to be people in love. Some of these names are ornamented with heart-shaped drawings. A few scrawls seem to be mobile phone numbers.

By Mayank Austen Soofi

UPDATED ON MAR 15, 2021 06:40 AM IST

It could be any of its cousins. This Lodhi-era tomb is looking as ignored and unremarkable as any other Lodhi-era tomb of Delhi, its centuries-old stones blackened with time.

The impression dissipates on closer survey. The tiny monument—Kali Gumti, in south Delhi’s Deer Park — has something that makes it stand out. It is like a lovers’ notebook. Every inch of the monument’s surface is scratched over with I-Love-You scrawls, along with the names of what one presumes to be people in love. Some of these names are ornamented with heart-shaped drawings. A few scrawls seem to be mobile phone numbers.

Here’s a sample:

Swati loves Sahil

I love you Mahi

Simran love (sic) Sumit

The walls of the monument are covered with such bold declarations. They haven’t been made with a pen or pencil, but rather seem to have been scratched on the stone with pebbles, or perhaps, in some cases, with fingernails. One exception is “I love you Shiva”, written with a piece of coal.

The tomb is tucked within a cramped enclosure, smaller than a badminton court. The western side has a wall with beautifully sculpted niches, and large hearts haven’t spared them either. Some drawings are so deeply embedded into the stone that one wonders how much pain and time the lovers took to immortalise their romance into this relic.

While reading these pairs of names, you might feel upset about the treatment given to this monument by fellow citizens. You might also be curious about how these love stories ended. There is no way of knowing, of course, unless you decide to risk dialling the phone numbers listed on the tomb.

Now a man and woman appear. They must be a couple for each is in the same kind of red T-shirt, except that his has “Sher” printed on it, and hers has “Sherni.” They enter the tomb, take a selfie and exit.

The tomb is again empty but it doesn’t feel empty. As if the lovers on the wall remained in the vicinity, in spirit.

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