November 02, 2004

Raisina Hill

Raisina Hill is the site in New Delhi where Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Secretariats are located. Some conscious symbolism was intended by the British architects who placed these structures on top of the hill, and Parliament at the base. Still, the address is frequently used as a synonym for the central government or the political establishment in New Delhi.

Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore live in a world very far from Kolkata and Kochi and they want to know what the arrival of the comrades on Raisina Hill means for them. (The Indian Express, May 17, 2004)

Kargil war's shadow continues to hover over the Raisina Hill. (The Pioneer, 18 June 2004)
Usage is by no means standard. As the following examples show, there are far too many seats of power in Delhi for one address to reign supreme. In the last citation, Raisina Hill is used in a narrower sense, for the President of India.
Nearly a decade of being 'nice' to the Americans as a policy is coming to its logical cul-de-sac in New Delhi’s Raisina Hill. That policy started with stray, isolated gestures during the days of P.V. Narasimha Rao’s prime ministership, when South Block was told by 7, Race Course Road, the prime ministerial home, that the United States of America was the most important foreign policy priority for India and that the Americans needed to be wooed. (K P Nayar, The Telegraph, November 13, 2002)

Since the 'Constitution Review' is premised on the Vajpayee Government's penchant for 'stability', the presidential remarks once again underline the divergence in thinking between Raisina Hill and Race Course Road. (The Hindu, January 26, 2001)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

So if I understand correctly Raisna Hill is to India what 1600 Pennsylvania avenue is to the USA in terms as a 'synonym for the central government or the political establishment'