BHOPAL, March 2 -- When erstwhile rulers decided to cover open drains with locally available red sandstone slabs or patiyas, little did they realise that they were unwittingly creating the mise-en-scene for a city tradition that simply refuses to die.
Back in the day, the few affluent in the city entertained guests in the deodhis or foyers of their houses, as the purdah tradition forbade menfolk from inviting outsiders into the sanctum of their homes. The deodhis were only open to invitees.
If the elite had access to these private entertainment spaces where men gathered for discussions, debates, qissas, and leg-pulling, the hoi polloi had found an equivalent on the patiyas that had apparently been planned to curb cholera, a killer disease...