How the Zutshi Family Helped Set Up Lajpat Nagar Post-Partition
The post-Partition establishment of the Lajpat Nagar neighborhood in Delhi was heavily shaped by the maternal family of filmmaker Chanda Narang, who ran the Rehabilitation Ministry at the special request of the first President of India. The family, descended from prominent freedom fighters of the Zutshi lineage, worked on setting up the locality during its foundational years.
The connection to Lajpat Nagar traces back to Narang’s great-grandmother, Ladorani Zutshi, who was married to Motilal Nehru’s nephew, Ladli Prasad Zutshi. Ladorani served as the President of the Students’ Congress Union. Her four daughters, known in Delhi as the Zutshi Sisters, played a significant role in the Indian freedom struggle.
The Zutshi Sisters initially began their political activism as revolutionaries within Bhagat Singh’s camp. They later transitioned into active pacifists under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi. Their political involvement led to them spending seven years in jail, prompting a Lahore headline at the time to declare, “The Zutshi Sisters are in Jail, Lahore can rest in Peace.”
Following Partition, the family shifted their focus to administrative rehabilitation. Operating under a direct request from India's first President, Narang's maternal family managed the Rehabilitation Ministry, dedicating their efforts to the setup and development of Lajpat Nagar until their final days.
Narang, a filmmaker known for directing "Ayodhya: A City Under Siege" (1990) and "Kash-m-kash" (1995), discovered a deep personal connection to this legacy through her housing. Her grandmother spent her final days in a government-allocated flat in Sujan Singh Park. Years later, Narang rented a one-bedroom apartment in the same complex, only to discover by coincidence that it was located directly above her grandmother's former home.
For Narang, the legacy of these fiery women remains tied to the modest, culture-rich community of Sujan Singh Park, where her family members lived out their final days after completing their historic rehabilitation work in Lajpat Nagar.
