Like most ancient cities, Delhi is also full of interesting historical surprises. In the southern part of the city lies Hauz Khas Village, a small township that traces its roots to the early 14th century, and yet, it remains the most “upscale” spot of the capital in present times.

From quirky curio shops to fancy multi-designer stores, one notices a visibly evident transition here. The narrow street, which was once famous for its “alternate crowd”, is now growing vertically at a pace faster than a blink of eye. And, recently, when the Smoke House Deli opened its doors for foodies, it celebrated the spirit of 25 years of this cultural gully.
Designer Bina Ramani, who first spotted the potential of Hauz Khas, remembers that in 1987, when she first saw the ancient havelis and monuments in their natural surroundings with a lake in the milieu, she was enchanted by the untouched beauty of the area.
She says, “Around 25 years ago, I was just back from New York and looking for a place to start my designer store. One day I drove to this part of the city, which was like any other village next to the capital. The chief of the village showed me a haveli for my shop, and I immediately fell in love with the place. At that time, one could experience the beauty of sunrays falling on the lake and hobnob with the most talented artists in that quaint lane. I still remember that Suresh Kalmadi was one of the initial investors who developed properties in this area.”
Dilip Cherian, columnist and image consultant, recalls one of his initial ventures in the Hauz Khas Village, and mentions about how good food and music were the main attractions in this area. He says, “Around 20 years ago we started a fine dining restaurant in Hauz Khas Village, which instantly got popular with the alternate crowd of that time. We called the place ‘Touch of Class,’ and at that time we had only four items on the menu in each category. It was a quaint place, and many romances bloomed in that eatery, where couples would fall for each other over our famous dessert — Death by Chocolate. I believe each city has its own escape zone, and that time Hauz Khas Village was the ‘out-of-the-box’ escape zone for us.”
Sunil Sethi, president, FDCI, feels that Hauz Khas Village is to Delhi what Via Monte Napoleone is to Milan or Fashion District to Los Angeles, a historic lane where one can trace the heritage of fashion flourishing under a common roof.
He says, “My first introduction to HKV was in the early ’90s when I attended the off-site Yves Saint Laurent show with the lake and monuments in the backdrop. In those days, this area was considered to be one of the ‘arty’ hubs, where one could find an art gallery, some eateries and music joints in the vicinity. The proximity of NIFT to this place played a very important role in making it a designer’s favourite. At that time young NIFT passouts could afford cheap rents and start their stores here.”
Aashti Bhartia, director of Ogaan, recalls that Hauz Khas Village was one of the first few places she got familiar with. She says, “As a child I used to visit my mother’s (Kavita Bhartia) store all the time. Ogaan was established in 1989, and architect Revati Kamath used elements from the village to design it for us. For many years we used the natural earth plaster on the walls of the store. The Village at that time was very quiet and looked like one of the heritage lanes where one could bump into peculiar designer stuff and buffaloes on the roads at the same time.”