Decoding Jantar Mantar: From historic open-air observatory to protest hotspot and centre of contention

Vibha Sharma New Delhi, Oct 16 (UNI) For decades now, Jantar Mantar has been Capital Delhi's designated protest site where marginalised citizens, activists and common people have held dharnas to make their voices heard, while hoping that journalists visiting the nearby seats of power-government offices, Parliament House etc-would also offer them visibility in the media. To those not familiar with New Delhi and its bylanes, located adjacent to the iconic Connaught Place (now Rajiv Chowk) Jantar Mantar is an 18th-century open-air astronomical observatory with giant geometric instruments to track the movements of planets with the naked eye Around 1993, after…