Unmasked, unfazed: How Delhi welcomed 2022!

Covid-19 cases might be on a rise in the city, but Delhiites felt it was important to ring in the New Year with aplomb. Many queued up at public places such as Humayun’s Tomb, Lodhi Gardens, and Sunder Nursery, on January 1.

New Delhi

The entry gates of Delhi’s Humayun’s Tomb were thronged on January 1, and visitors paid little heed to social distancing. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

Between December 31 and January 1, Delhi reported 2,716 new Covid cases, which is being reported as the highest single-day spike since May 2021. And it’s around the same time that Delhiites decided to throng some of the historical monuments and public parks in the city, throwing caution to the wind! Of course, the occasion of ringing in the New Year and celebrating the moment to the hilt, seemed to be more overpowering. As if the visuals of crazy crowds at popular city markets and malls, in December, weren’t enough that you get to picture this — queues at places such as Humayun’s Tomb, Sunder Nursery and Lodhi Garden.

With the New Year, the footfall at Delhi’s historical monuments and public parks almost doubled up. For many, picnicking at these spots on January 1, it seemed to be a revenge for not being able to throng cinemas, multiplexes and malls, due to the restrictions as per the yellow alert in Delhi. Spotted with food baskets placed on bedsheets spread over the green lawns, many a Delhiites welcomed 2022, while being unmasked, paying little thought to social distancing, and certainly collecting in large numbers!

One would want to believe that the spike in Covid cases would have discouraged people from visiting public places, but the situation was the opposite. Ranajit Roy, a tourist guide at Humayun’s Tomb, informs us that the footfall nearly doubled, of what he saw in last December end, and claims that the weekend made New Year revellers hurdle at the 16th century monument. “Many temples are closed, the malls are allowing limited entry, and cinemas are completely shut. So people are turning up at monuments like these. I can surely say that the number of visitors are definitely double than what I saw in November last year. Some people are following Covid rules, but many are visibly not interested.”

According to an official statement, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), recently said: “This time of the year usually sees an increase in footfall, since people like to spend year-end festive time and holidays at heritage monuments. Our data shows an increase in footfall. This time, we are requesting all visitors to follow all Covid norms. Our staff has placed sanitisers in the monuments premises, and regularly urges people to mask up and socially distance.”

Many visitors queued up at the ticket counters of Sunder Nursery on January 1. (Photo: Manoj Verma/HT)

That is, however, not really how the visitors at historical monuments are behaving. Nikhil Gupta, who we met while he was on his way to buy tickets for his wife and himself, for an entry to Humayun’s Tomb, tells us, “It sure is difficult to control a huge crowd. Iska toh koi kuchh nahi kar sakta. Bahar red light par Covid violations ke challan kat rahe hain, and inside the monuments people can be spotted with their masks casually pulled down. Me and my wife aren’t taking off our masks, even for a second! We do want to enjoy the rest of the year in a healthy way, and not fall prey to the virus.”

And Bittu Pandey, a Delhi-based college student, who was visiting the Bada Gumbad in Lodhi Garden, says, “I’ve come here with my friends. We’re all from different colleges, and are meeting to celebrate the New Year. We’re not very fearful because we are following all Covid protocols. We are only taking our masks off to click photographs.” Many like Pandey were spotted picnicking at this popular spot, and Manish Sharma, a guard on duty at Lodhi Garden, says: “Ek toh New Year ho gaya, phir Saturday-Sunday ho gaya. Sabko relax karna hai, enjoy karna hai, isiliye yahan aa rahe hain. Par Covid se pehle wale time se tulna karo toh jitne log aye hain iss saal New Year par, woh kam hain, par kaafi log ho gaye hain, bheed badane ke liye.”

Devika Sakhuja, a city-based wedding planner says, “I came to Sunder Nursery with my friend Disha, in the morning, to have a relaxed. But as soon as the clock struck 2, we saw the crowd getting swell inside the nursery, and in quite a haste we walked out. Thank God we left before an encounter with such a crowd, and exposing ourselves to so many people at the same time. It’s purely by chance that we timed our visit well!”

One good thing is that the crowd is helping small businesses stay afloat. Dev Singh, an autorickshaw driver who usually plies around the area of Humayun’s Tomb, informs, “Abhi tak toh business kaafi down tha hum logon ka. Par December ke last week se logon ka yahan aana badha hai. Abhi utne log nahi aate jaise corona se pehle aate the, par uss time bheed hoti bhi thi toh safe tha bahar nikalna. Saal ke pehle din toh sawari achchi mil gayi, bas sabki sehat bhi achchi hi bani rahe. Sab bhagwan bharose hai.”

Footfall doubles at Delhi’s monuments

As per the ticketing data from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Humayun’s Tomb saw a footfall of more than 2,300 adults, on one of the days between 20 to 27 December 2021. At Qutub Minar, the highest footfall has doubled and gone up from 2,600 during the same week in November to 4,900 in December. Even at the Red Fort, most of the last week of November saw a footfall under 1,500 adults. But come December end, and most days witnessed a footfall well above that point, touching 2,000 and even reaching 3,655 and 3,803 on two days in December’s last week.

Author tweets @siddhijainn

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