Delhiwale: A corner in the chaos

In central Delhi, a sleek skywalk offers a serene refuge amid chaos, where citizens share meals and find peace, contrasting the busy city life.

In a megapolis of millions, here’s a table for two. It is actually a bench, and this afternoon, two citizens sitting on it are sharing a meal from the same plate. The next bench has a citizen in kurta-pajama lying sprawled along its length, sleeping.

In a megapolis of millions, here’s a table for two. It is actually a bench, and this afternoon two citizens sitting on it are sharing a meal from the same plate. (HT Photo)

The setting could be a public park with grass, flowers and trees. Nothing of that sort. It is all concrete. This infrastructure utility came up six years ago in central Delhi, and is part of a network of pedestrian overpasses, called skywalk, connecting the Supreme Court Metro station to scores of tree-lined avenues that span out of the area. For many citizens, this corner of the sprawling complex is just another public facility, and is not to be thought of until one is obliged to navigate it as a commuter. For a few among us, like these three men, the same corner has evolved into an accessible refuge from the city’s hectic pace.

The architecture of the corner is uncommonly sleek. The pillars are sturdy straight lines shooting out of the tiled earth to hold in place the seemingly super-light frame of panels, passageways and ceilings. The staircase going up to the skywalk stretches out like the bellows of an accordion. The skywalk itself is a picturesque entanglement of passages where one can stroll for hours while being awed by a panoramic view of the vicinity.

The place also harbours a snack vendor. Her kiosk under a spindly Ashoka tree is older than the fancy skywalk. She says she has two names, corresponding to her bonds with two cities. “In Dilli, I’m known as Daman; in my home town Chennai, I’m called Dhanam.”

As the afternoon progresses into evening, the daylight trespassing into the infrastructure utility gets more playful with the spreading shade. Watching these meet and merge brings supplementary sukoon.