Step back in time on Jama Masjid's staircase

There are exactly 69 steps between the new Meena Bazaar and Gate 2 of Jama Masjid. First 15, then a landing, 15 more, another landing, then a wide step and 31 up to the landing before the majestic arch. Finally, four low steps bring me level with the Masjid&rsquos courtyard.

Wasim taps my shoulder and says, &ldquoOne-fifty.&rdquo Still camera, I tell him hopefully. But he says it does not matter, &ldquoOne-fifty.&rdquo Have it your way, I say, I&rsquom not going inside. But he doesn&rsquot like my sitting down on the steps either. Half a minute later, he taps me with a broken plank. &ldquoSit elsewhere.&rdquo

The May sun is living up to its 2pm reputation, which no doubt explains the lack of life on the Masjid&rsquos steps. It&rsquos not long since the 1.15 namaaz got over but the courtyard inside is quiet. Only a group of young boys &mdash locals, I am sure &mdash a few poor, weary families and two chana sellers have apportioned the gate&rsquos slim shadow on the top landing.

The cop at the police checkpoint halfway down the steps does not even look up as I trot past him, all the way down and then on to Gate 1, which overlooks Matia Mahal. There&rsquos a bustling market across the road from the Masjid on this side but I only notice the shops selling religious books and kebabs.    

Gate 1 is only half as big as Gate 2, with only half as many steps leading up to it &mdash 32, to be precise &mdash but it is equally lifeless. The darban, Munne, who is at least twice Wasim&rsquos age, sits calmly inside the gateway. He has served at the Masjid for 22 years. I ask him about his routine, and that of his fellow attendants who opens the door and when, who cleans the steps and so on, and get the most uninteresting reply &ldquoI do.&rdquo

&ldquoThis is the most important gate,&rdquo he says, &ldquothe first to open and the last to close &mdash most people enter and leave the Masjid through it.&rdquo The three gates have different timings &ldquoYes, Gate 2, which is known as the Shahi Darwaza as it was meant for the emperor&rsquos entry, has always opened at 12 noon and closed at 7pm, while Gate 1 remains open from 4am to an hour after the last namaaz, which takes place at 8.45pm in summer.&rdquo

Are the steps always so deserted, I ask Naseem. &ldquoMost of the time now,&rdquo he says, adding, &ldquothere was a time when people from nearby areas spent summer evenings enjoying the breeze on the Masjid&rsquos steps. In winter, they gathered here during the afternoon to soak in the sunlight. And regardless of season, there was always a crowd of railway passengers killing time on the steps before boarding their trains from the Old Delhi Railway Station nearby.&rdquo

&lsquoSpecial&rsquo tea has arrived. The older cop says it is the ultimate restorative. Sure, one cup has enough sugar for six, possibly more. So, when are the steps most crowded, I ask Naseem. On Thursdays and Sundays, he says. Sundays I can understand, but why Thursdays &ldquoBecause that&rsquos when the Prophet&rsquos relics are displayed inside the Masjid.&rdquo

It&rsquos half-past-three as I cross the Masjid&rsquos courtyard over to Gate 3 on the Dariba side. This gate is even quieter, if anything. I count aloud &mdash 36 steps &mdash much to the amusement of Syed Waqar Ahmed, hereditary caretaker of the Prophet&rsquos relics. &ldquoIt&rsquos not like the old times anymore,&rdquo he says on learning of my purpose, &ldquoour elders told us of the times when the leading lights of the Independence Movement held discussions on these steps. Even we grew up seeing impromptu mushairas and kite flying on the steps. Pigeons used to be sold here, and bhishtis (water carriers) used to clang their silver bowls musically. And can I ever forget the kakri sellers&rsquo spiel, &ldquoLaila ki anguliyan, Majnu ki pasliyan, chaar aane ki dus le lo (they are as delicate as Laila&rsquos fingers and Majnu&rsquos ribs, take 10 for four annas).&rdquo 

I spend some time chatting with Syed saab, discussing a book on Delhi&rsquos history that he&rsquos editing. By the time I return to Gate 2, it&rsquos 4.30pm and things are looking up. Meena Bazaar is alive, there are people on the steps, although not as many as I had imagined there would be. The biryaniwalas and the sherbatwalas are doing brisk business. The bhishtis have taken up positions on the steps and are pouring water out into silver cups from their goatskins. Soon the Masjid&rsquos loudspeakers begin summoning the faithful to the 5.30 namaaz, the crowds around the steps get moving.