An appreciation of shared experiences highlights aspects of what makes Touchstone truly ‘Touchstone.’ Team building opportunities emphasize our collegiality and commitment to a profound purpose at Touchstone Partners, and the far-reaching impact we come to bear.
Feroz Shah Kotla
January 31, 2023
Our Touchstone Partners Delhi team enjoyed a day outdoors, sightseeing and learning about the fascinating medieval history and culture surrounding an ancient Indian fortress, the Feroz Shah Kotla. Built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, a Muslim ruler from the Tughlaq dynasty in circa 1354, this fortress and citadel marked the olden capital city, Firozabad, now known as Delhi.
Led by renowned academic and historian, Sohail Hashmi, this immersive tour was an intriguing journey into Delhi’s classical past, delving into a chronicle of the monument’s purpose, architecture, features, and relevance over time. First, a historic Muslim city and then a famous refugee camp during India’s partition from Pakistan in 1947, this site has served as a remarkable residence and fort through centuries. The time-worn stone ruins include a mosque, a ‘baoli’ or step well and reservoir, a strategic quarter to attract and capture enemy, and weathered areas and arches reminiscent of bygone markets and public spaces. Our exceptionally well-informed guide punctuated facts with anecdotes and humour. His authentic narrations sprinkled stories of Islamic jinns and fairies whose prolific followings continue with ardent reverence at the site, even today. Insightful questions stirred our conversations to divulge more of the history that has shaped the city of Delhi, as we know it today.
Moving back to contemporary times, the team then travelled to an older part of the city, some in cycle rickshaws, to access narrow winding lanes laden with bustling outdoor shops and date and fruit stalls, all lined with teeming crowds looking for a bargain or some lunch! We settled into a delicious meal at the famous, quintessential Karim’s, a Mughlai and ‘kebab’ restaurant near the renowned Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. Popular consensus on relished dishes revealed the mutton ‘seekh kebab,’ a rice ‘biryani,’ and a classic rice pudding, ‘kheer.’
An appreciation of such shared experiences highlights aspects of what makes Touchstone truly ‘Touchstone.’ Together, we aim to strengthen our three pillars, namely, our firm culture, our team, and ourselves. Team building opportunities emphasize our collegiality and commitment to a profound purpose at Touchstone, and the far-reaching impact we come to bear.