Photo Essay – Traffic Jam, Kasturba Gandhi Marg

Travel Travails

The carefree hours.

[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]

The cop has surrendered. The traffic lights are not working. The scooters, cars and buses are not moving. You are no longer caring for your appointment. This must be the classic Delhi traffic jam.

“Whether you live in the posh Sainik Farms or in Sultanpuri slums,” says Ranjana Sengupta, the author of Delhi Metropolitan – The Making of a City, “You have to put up with jams and that’s very democratic. It unites people from different walks of life into one common thread.”

During a major traffic snarl, the part of the city which is directly affected becomes civilized. Drivers stop blowing horns. The road becomes quiet. You could actually enjoy the ‘spare’ hours. People catch up with sleep or Dan Brown or the newspaper’s crossword puzzle. Or they give surprise phone calls to long-time-no-see friends.

This is what The Delhi Walla saw when caught up in a jam in Kasturba Gandhi Marg in Central Delhi. Enjoy the pictures.

Calling a friend?

Travel Travails

Bad karma perhaps

Travel Travails

The silence of the horns

Travel Travails

Grin ‘n’ bear

Travel Travails

Good business, girl?

Travel Travails

Dream on, sir

Travel Travails

Just like home

Travel Travails

What can be done?

Travel Travails

Happy driving

Travel Travails