Delhi will never have a flâneur like RV Smith, friends remember the man of the world
Before heritage walks became a trend, before the term street food was coined, before it became fashionable to be a flâneur, there was an unassuming man who redefined the way one looked at their city. RV Smith to the world, and Ronny to his friends, he died in the early hours of April 30. He was 83. Those close to him say that he was hospitalised for two days and had been ailing for some time.
Author, chronicler, food connoisseur, qissago (storyteller), Smith donned many hats in his lifetime, each with perfection. He had a small circle of friends whom he hosted with the generosity of someone who can be called a man of the world. His life was as colourful as the stories he culled out from the gulleys and koochas of the Capital city. It wouldn’t be entirely wrong, then, to call him the King of Queens. His friends recall their memories with him, and how he would win hearts in just one fleeting moment.
Author Rakshanda Jalil, says, “He was very fond of food. He could recall flavours, tastes and textures. He remembered in minute detail the gulleys and mohallas of Delhi, and that set him apart. Always an anecdote, a qissa on his fingertips that he would recall from memory. He was, in true sense, a flâneur. He discovered the city by walking around; his feet have discovered Delhi. He was not very tech savvy and continued writing on his typewriter. He would have to go to an internet café to open an email.”
Author Sadia Dehlvi, says, “He was a very simple, hardworking, humble person. I have known him since I was 18 years old and had just started writing. Even Khushwant (Singh) would say that he is the best chronicler of Delhi. He was there and it was comforting to know that he was there. I would check my facts with him when writing on Delhi. He would host a Christmas lunch every year which would always have biryani and qorma. Ronny would write hand-written articles and wasn’t into marketing. He lived in his own world; he didn’t belong to this world. His stories were legendary and he was very popular with women before he got married.”
Author Rana Safvi, says, “Delhi is bereaved because it has lost its chronicler and beloved son. Whenever I wanted to find something very uncommon and unknown about Delhi, I would turn to his works. There is a Bheem ka Patthar in Mehrauli about which there is no mention in history books and which probably no one has ever seen. It remains largely a part of folklore, but when I wanted to write about it, I referred to his work. Things you could not find anywhere were available in his books. He has chronicled things which no one else could reach. We look at a place from the point of view of history, but he saw it through the lens of folk tales and qisse-kahaaniya.”
Publisher Priya Kapoor of Roli Books, says, “He was very old world. We never met during the whole process of publishing the book because he had sent us the submission in hard copy. He would correspond over hard copies, landline phone calls or postcards. The last postcard I received from him was over a year and a half ago.”