India, May 31 -- In the 1950s Model Town and neighbouring areas began developing in structured ways to make space for kothis. This colony structured itself around Naini Lake a previously natural lake now fed by borewells yet retained because living around a large body of water like that became a lifestyle for model town people. Houses over looked it and evening walks around the lake a community habit.

This house in Model Town is more familiar to me than others. There is something about life in old kothis that is comforting. Meet the Khuranas, old merchants of gold and silver from Chandini Chowk. As Delhi developed, merchants set shop in Chandni Chowk and built their homes in plots given to them. Rohit Khurana and his wife Alka, a young c...