Dalhousie makes way for Aurangzeb's brother

NEW DELHI: Dalhousie Road will now be Dara Shikoh Road, with the British governor general making way for Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's eldest son, a champion of religious tolerance and a patron of the arts. Members of the New Delhi Municipal Council unanimously approved the proposal for renaming at a meeting on Monday.
Peacenik Shikoh appears to have trumped his younger brother Aurangzeb, who had him executed.In 2015, Aurangzeb Road was renamed after A P J Abdul Kalam, with supporters of the move saying the Mughal emperor reminded one of “cruelty“.
AAP opposed the timing of the decision, amid state polls. “Why did NDMC change the name of Aurangzeb Road in 2015 if they had to choose a name from the same family for Dalhousie Road,“ asked AAP's Surender Singh, a member of NDMC. I suggested an alternate name as Raja Surajmal Road but the council went ahead with Dara Shikoh Road,“ he said.
The proposal to rename Dalhousie Road, located 2km from Rashtrapati Bhawan, was submitted by MP Meenakshi Lekhi and NDMC vicechairman Karan Singh Tanwar. “Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan had promoted peace and concord between the followers of Hinduism and Islam and had interest in comparative religions, universal brotherhood, humanism and peace,“ the proposal said. Lord Dalhousie, on the other hand, served as governor general of India between 1848 and 1856, under the East India Company .
The move comes five months after Race Course Road was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg. AAP has opposed the decision, saying its timing was questionable. Dara Shikoh was a great patron of fine arts and music, and is remembered for commissioning some of the most exquisite examples of Mughal architecture. He was an admirer of the peaceful co-existence of religions and translated 50 Upanishads into Persian in 1657 so that they could be studied by Muslim scholars.A library in Kashmere Gate has been named after him for his contributions in the literary field.
NDMC vice-chairman Tanwar said there was no political motive behind the renaming of Dalhousie Road.“There is a library in Kashmere Gate which is named after Dara Shikoh. The idea of renaming Dalhousie Road was to name it after someone who was known for brotherhood, peace and harmony . There is no political motive behind this and it was unanimously approved by all council members in the meeting. The name plate will be changed by tonight or Tuesday morning by NDMC,“ said Tanwar.