Talk to him about Delhi, and you can’t help but hear the love for the city in his silvery voice. Eeshaan Kashyap, the man who wears multiple hats, has his hands in almost everything even remotely related to design. His talents stretch across various fields, taking him from food and beverage curation to being an artist, designer and much more. What ties all of his pursuits together are those delightful, indirect references to Delhi. On this World Tourism Day, we sit down with him as he crafts an insider’s tourist guide for our next visit to Delhi—trust us, it’s nothing like what you’ve seen before!
What draws you to Delhi?
For me, Delhi is not just a place that feels like home; it is also an absolutely inspiring city in terms of culture, people and its rich history. Even though I was born and raised in Delhi there are so many places that I have never been to. I am a brave diner, and I love experimenting with food. I am a very visual person so for me all the inspiration in terms of design and what I do comes from literally just walking without understanding where I am going most of the time.
Some of his personal favourites: Ghazipur Phool Mandi, Lodhi Colony Market, Humayun’s Tomb and Sundar Nursery
What experiences would you suggest our readers enjoy in this city?
First, a cultural walk—a very specific one. One must go to Sundar Nursery, look at the beautiful old monuments; right next to it is Humayun’s Tomb, which also has a museum now. If you are lucky and it’s a Thursday evening, one must definitely go for the qawwalis at Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.
For food: near Jama Masjid, Chittaranjan Park around Durga Puja time, the Ghazipur Flower Market is absolutely enticing, visually provoking, and if somebody likes the idea of colours, photography, and watching people, it’s the best place to be.
How does the city influence your work?
You know, a lot of pieces that I initially started when the table scape began were inspired by food, and a lot of food was inspired by the city. I made these beautiful vases, which were actually a hookah stand inspired by the old Mughal bidri work and the Nizami bidri work from Hyderabad and Delhi obviously, was a base.
I went back and saw the motifs of the hookah bases, which were in silver, copper, and bronze, and then we made them in clay and glazed them in copper, which turned out beautifully. I love the idea of creating thalis, and in fact, one of the thalis we made was a Mughal platter, almost like a reimagined version of a dome. We really haven’t dedicated a collection to Delhi per se, but there have been a lot of indirect influences of design reflected in the work I do.
Can you share a memorable experience or a conversation about art and design that has stayed with you
At one of the projects, I created a gingerbread house around Christmas time, which was all edible but inspired by Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The idea was to take tradition and marry it with something current. And the idea of Jantar Mantar, which is completely associated with the pole star being exactly at the top of the vertics of the structure was absolutely thrilling because at the top of the Christmas tree is always a star. And for me, amalgamating and marrying the ideas of flavours, architecture, art and history was phenomenal.
Rapid Fire with Eeshaan
Best food: Mumbai or Delhi
Your go to cafe or restaurant in Delhi:
Carnatic Cafe, Cafe Lota at National Crafts Museum. If I need to go on a date night, then I will probably go to the Orient Express at the Taj Palace.
Your frequent order at this place:
Lota Cafe- sabudana popcorn with mirchi chutney, Carnatic Cafe- Bombat Dosa, Orient Express – macaroni
One thing you would want to do in the city that you are otherwise not allowed or have not done before:
I want to go inside the hammam in the Red Fort. It has been told to me by a friend who is a historian that the channels running through the hammam to carry water were actually filled with perfume. So when you enter the hammam, there is a gallery or fountain of perfume, which I have always wanted to see in the Red Fort.
If you could write a book on Delhi, what would it be called?
My Love Affair with Delhi