Delhiwale: This way to Esplanade Road

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Esplanade is 'a large open level area for walking.' This is Oxford Dictionary's definition, and Old Delhi's Esplanade Road does possess such a trait. Though the wide road is so excessively crammed with street stalls that it is as cramped as a street. The dictionary further dissects the word as a 'level space separating fort from the town.' Purani Dilli's Esplanade Road is indeed close to the Red Fort. It spans out from Chandni Chowk, going all the way to Cotton Market, which stretches out to the great Jama Masjid, which overlooks the Walled City's crowded galis and kuchas. (HT Photo)
This afternoon, a man is lying flat under the shade of an Esplanade Road bargad; a tattered teddy bear is tied tightly to the tree trunk. 'I am Devender. I used to work in printing press. I'm now too old to work. I beg.'
Devender is among the many Esplanade Road dwellers, most are daily-wage labourers and street-stall entrepreneurs. The next bargad tree, for instance, functions as citizen Munesh's cycle rickshaw repair stall.
This humble cycle rickshaw happens to be the soul of Esplanade Road, which is full of cycle rickshaw shops. So much so that folks here refer to the place as Cycle Market. Hari Chand Juneja & Co. is particularly picturesque with its installation of cycle wheels. The store assistant is currently idle, but rickshaw pullers from across Delhi visit Esplanade Road to get their cycle rickshaw.
The street is otherwise speckled with weary buildings bearing old-fashioned doorways, staircases and balconies. These are punctuated with exceptionally beautiful temples. The wall of Hanuman Mandir is painted with illustrations of elephants, langurs, and tigers. The wall beside Jagannath Mandir is less artistic, painted with an astrologer's WhatsApp number. The temple's doorway however is striking in blue, red, and yellow. More colour is lent to the scene from the colourful bedsheets drying on the balcony above. It is impossible not to click a photo (see other photo!).
A section of the street is in fact dedicated to photography—but as it existed before the mobile phone camera. A dense bunch of camera repair stalls and photo printing studios lie packed along a row. Among them is Ashoka Studio, a veteran in the 'converting of negatives & slides into media format.' And yet, despite the many cycle and camera shops, the street is extraordinarily multifaceted with businesses of other kinds. Chedilal has his eye glasses stall. Mithun has his jalebi cart. Raja has his chai stall. It is Deepak who has the street's most unique stall. He sells old currency notes and coins, collected from all over the world.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Devender hasn't moved an inch from under the bargad. His eyes are wide open, scanning the sky above.