I live in Delhi. The city is noted for its fine buildings and big shopping centres. I live in a double- storeyed house in Connaught Place, the ultra-modern1 market of the city. The window of my room faces a busy street. I usually sit in my window and enjoy the view of the street.
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The street is always full of people from early hours of the morning. The confectioners and barbers have a rush of customers with the first rays of the sun. Scooter, motor-rickshaws, motor-cars start plying up and down the street and fill the atmosphere with dust, smoke and noise. I see many boys and girls with shining faces and school uniforms going leisurely to their schools. The news-paper seller and bread-sellers also join the crowd.
By nine o’clock the rush is at its peak. Thousands of office-goers are on the roads rushing to their place of business either on foot or on cycles. There are two bus-stops in my street. I see long queues of passengers waiting to board the buses as and when they should arrive. By twelve o’clock the rush slows down. By about 2 in the afternoon the street looks completely deserted. The shopkeepers have a well-earned respite. They put down their shutters for two hours for lunch. Restaurants, however are still busy. There is a rush of customers. Some take milk while others prefer a cup of tea.
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After three o’clock the street once again comes to life. The customers are seen moving from one shop to the other. By five the street is again full of the deafening noise of scooters, rickshaws, taxis and private cars. The rush goes on increasing till it is time to close the shops.
There is a confectioner’s shop just in front of my house. Closeby is a betel-seller’s shop. The rush at these shops is the same the whole day long. The shops in my street are all top class. The shopkeepers deal in all sorts of merchandise but charge high rates. Why should they not do so? After all they pay heavy rents. There is the shop of a general merchant in front of my house. I can have full view of his shop from my window. There I see a few women entering the shop in search of a few items of luxury goods, I see the shopkeeper taking them round his shop. They select a few but I cannot say exactly what they have bought. The shopkeeper thanks them for their visit. The rush of traffic in the street continues unabated till night.