Delhi: A Novel: Character Mind Map & Summary
The key characters of Khushwant Singh's Delhi: A Novel (1990), grouped into branches, with the key episodes, a quick summary and the exam facts that come up again and again in UGC NET.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
The Sikh Guide
An ageing, womanising Sikh journalist and tour guide who loves Delhi as he loves Bhagmati, a hijra. His story alternates with the voices of people from Delhi's past.
Ending: the 1984 anti-Sikh riots👑 The Present
The narrator's worldBhagmatiA hijra
Role: Ugly, poor and loving; she is a symbol of Delhi itself.
🏠 Voices of the Past
Historical narratorsMusaddi LalA medieval Hindu
Role: Converts in the age of the Delhi Sultanate.
Timur & Nadir ShahInvaders
Role: Describe the sack of Delhi.
AurangzebThe emperor
Role: Speaks of his faith and his loneliness.
Mir Taqi MirThe poet
Role: Laments the ruin of Delhi.
Bahadur Shah ZafarLast Mughal
Role: Tells of 1857.
Key Episodes
The turning points examiners love to ask about.
Quick Summary
The story, stage by stage.
Stage 1Narrator
- Modern Delhi.
Stage 2Sultanate
- Musaddi Lal.
Stage 3Mughals
- Aurangzeb and invaders.
Stage 41857
- The fall of the Mughals.
Stage 51984
- Violence in the present.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Time
Took about twenty-five years to write.
Structure
Alternating chapters between the present and history.
Symbol
Bhagmati = Delhi: abused, yet always alive.
Author
Khushwant Singh also wrote Train to Pakistan.
Additional Revision Notes
Extra character, historical and literary details for exam preparation.
Delhi as Protagonist
The novel moves across periods of the city's history, showing Delhi as a meeting place of cultures, rulers, violence and recurring transformations.
Narrative Relationship
The narrator's association with Bhagmati, a hijra character, frames much of the work's exploration of marginality, intimacy and urban identity.
Historical Method
Historical reconstruction and irreverent personal storytelling are interwoven. Pay attention to the shifting time periods instead of treating the book as a conventional chronological history.
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