Street photographers have for decades captured memories for tourists visiting the India Gate, but the Central Vista project in New Delhi has pushed them to the margins
Anuj Behal
Anshul Rai Sharma
A street photographer at India Gate in New Delhi. Tanuj Yadav/The Migration Story
New Delhi: Awadhesh Dixit, 40, known to most as Bunty, stood on the edge of Kartavya Path, his eyes scanning the sparse crowd, a camera slung over his shoulder. A few meters away, his colleagues paced along the main road, occasionally stopping, trying to promise tourists the perfect shot with India Gate in the backdrop.
They have had little luck since the iconic India Gate lawns were redesigned as part of the Central Vista project and declared a no-vending zone, forcing photographers like Bunty to operate from distant locations to the archway, impacting their earnings.
Photographers now operate from locations hundreds of meters away, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the inner hexagon that brought them steady work for years. "We’re barely visible here," Bunty, lamented, gesturing to the throng of walkers and joggers who strolled past, uninterested.
For 11 years, Bunty has captured memories for families, friends, and couples at India Gate, a career he stumbled into after moving to Delhi from Morena district in Madhya Pradesh. He came to Delhi seeking a better income as agriculture was no longer lucrative for his family.
“We had less than an acre of land in the village where we grew three crops a year (bajra, mustard, and wheat), yet it was difficult to make ends meet. My father insisted that I come to Delhi, as some of our relatives were already here. It was an easy option, so I moved to Delhi in 2000,” he told The Migration Story.
Street photographer Awadesh "Bunty" Dixit poses for a picture in front of India Gate.
Tanuj Yadav/The Migration Story
"I never thought I'd become a photographer. It just happened to me," Bunty said, adding that he initially started a small press of his own in Chandni Chowk, printing wedding cards. But the job required substantial investment and carried significant risk of losses. A friend who worked as a photographer at India Gate used to come to his press to get his photographs printed and suggested he join him.
“I learned the work from him, bought a camera with borrowed money—some from a friend, some from a relative, costing around 30,000 rupees—and have been working here since 2013,” he said.
THE PERFECT SHOT
India Gate, built in 1931 as a war memorial honoring the soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in World War I, sits at one end of the historic Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path. The iconic stretch, with the Rashtrapati Bhavan at its opposite end, has long been a focal point for the Republic Day parade. Surrounding the India Gate are sprawling lawns that have served as a bustling public space, popular among families, street vendors, and photographers.
More than a decade after he moved to earn a better income at India Gate, Bunty is once again struggling to make ends meet. This time it is due to the changes brought by the Central Vista project, an ambitious redevelopment initiative aimed at modernizing the administrative heart of New Delhi. The project includes the construction of a new Parliament building, revamped government offices, and redesigned public spaces, while also impacting the traditional use of spaces.
When the construction for the project began, vendors including photographers were asked to sell on neighbouring streets. They assumed that after the project was completed, they could return to India Gate in keeping with the New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) Town Vending Committee norms.
A picture of India Gate from the inner hexagon, where photographers once stood to capture iconic shots and is now out of bounds for them. Tanuj Yadav/The Migration Story
But the arbitrary measure continued and in December 2022, two months after the official inauguration of the Central Vista, the Delhi police declared the area as a no-vending zone. This declaration was contested by vendors, leading to a protest at Jantar Mantar in 2022, organised by National Hawkers Federation.
Following this incident, new regulations, agreed upon by Delhi police and NDMC, were introduced which banned vendors beyond Man Singh Road _ one of the arterial roads encircling the iconic India Gate, forcing them to operate outside the main India Gate complex.
For the photographers, this meant a distant view of the structure, making it difficult to capture it in its entirety for tourists.
“You can reposition the other vendors further out of the frame, but our requirements demand that the India Gate remain in view and in close proximity,” Bunty explained.
On a December evening, Kusum Rani, 26, from Mathura, was eager to capture a photograph with her husband in front of India Gate. "I need the full India Gate visible to show friends and relatives," she said, gesturing towards Kartavya Path. "Why should I settle for this spot? I'll go closer inside. Look at the number of people coming in the background. Closer the better."
This sentiment echoes the frustration of many photographers, who note a sharp decline in interest as tourists seek proximity to the monument for their pictures. The footfall is significantly higher near the inner hexagon, just 40-50 meters from India Gate, compared to Kartavya Path, which lies about 250 meters away and is viewed more as a walking trail than a prime photography spot.
A street photographer clicks a couple with the India Gate in the backdrop on Man Singh Road in New Delhi.
Tanuj Yadav/The Migration Story
This shift has severely impacted photographers' incomes. With Rs 20 for an image transfer to a phone and Rs 50 for a printed photo, Bunty estimates, “Earlier, when we were able to operate from inside, we could easily make up to Rs 2,500 to 3,000 everyday. But now, with the same effort, one can only earn a maximum of Rs 1,500 a day.”
With a wife and two school-going children to support, Bunty feels the pressure daily. The high rent for his 1 BHK in West Delhi’s Bhajanpura and nearly an hour's commute on his bike, is eating into his earnings.
Over the past two years, Bunty, with assistance from the National Hawkers Federation (NHF), has written at least four formal letters to the Chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). He has not received a single response yet.
The Migration Story reached out to Keshav Chandra, Chairman of NDMC, over the phone to inquire about the reasons photographers are not allowed in the Inner Hexagon. However, no response was received. This story will be updated if a response is provided.
LEARNING ON THE JOB
Photographers at India Gate mostly operate in groups. For instance, Bunty currently has three photographers working under him. He provides them with cameras and a mobile printer, taking a 50% share of the photographs they sell.
Karan Kumar, 21, migrated from a village in Aligarh and joined Bunty less than two months ago. “Being a halwai in the village paid me only Rs 100 daily, a mere Rs 3,000 per month. Here, it's my own will and potential that determine how much I make,” he said.
“When someone comes to me from the village, they usually don't know photography,” Bunty added. “I teach them the basics. In one or two days, they get used to the camera and self-learn the rest, like angles and poses for clients. It's not very demanding since it's a tourist spot, and tourists are generally satisfied with simple, tilted angles. The finesse in this type of photography isn't required much.”
Photographers standing around the lawns of India Gate, with their cameras out, patiently waiting for clients.
Tanuj Yadav/The Migration Story
Although photographers are prohibited inside, a few can still be seen trying to get clients. “If you bribe the guards and police, you can manage it,” Bunty explained.
However, the separate payments to the police and guards are unaffordable for many photographers. “Before the Central Vista project, we used to pay a daily bribe of Rs 100 rupees for our entire group. Now, we have to pay Rs 100 to the police and Rs 100 to the security guard individually to access the inside for photography,” he alleged.
SHO Jatinder Singh at Kartavya Path dismissed such claims by photographers about bribery at India Gate. “Our role here is to maintain law and order, and we don’t allow anyone unauthorized access inside. Forget about bribes; such accusations are baseless,” he said, maintaining that the rules were strictly enforced to preserve the sanctity and security of the site.
Despite the Central Vista project's emphasis on ‘providing adequate space and facilities’, worker rights campaigners say that this prioritization of aesthetics and middle-class comfort comes at the cost of the urban poor who depend on it for their livelihood.
Rajesh Singh from the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) believes India Gate is now tailored for the middle class, confined, and spatially managed. "It used to be a refuge for those lacking personal open spaces, where people without access to gardens could enjoy the outdoors," Singh noted.
"This new form is now an area which prioritizes the 'new middle class' as its ideal visitors, moving away from its role as a communal space for everyone, especially those with nowhere else to go."
LACK OF LEGAL PROTECTION
The year 2014 should have been a turning point for workers like Bunty. The Street Vendors Act 2014 promised regulation and protection, culminating years of struggle for vendors' rights. This legislation broadly defined street vendors, including those offering goods or services in various urban spaces such streets, sidewalks, parks, and even private areas.
A photographer at India Gate shows pictures he has taken of a group men from Nepal, who are part of an organisation that works on raising awareness on climate change. Tanuj Yadav/The Migration Story
Ironically, while the Act aims to protect vendors, it fails to address the specific challenges faced by migrant workers. The legislation doesn't even mention the category 'migrant', despite the fact that most street vendors in urban areas are migrant workers.
"Migrants are the predominant category that should be addressed in street vending legislation. Their unique vulnerabilities such as lack of local networks, language barriers, and unfamiliarity with local systems, make them particularly prone to exploitation,” said Puja Guha, an expert on urban informal economies from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.
Following the 2014 legislation, states were tasked with implementing the act. Delhi government took action in 2017, notifying the Delhi Street Vendors Rules. The implementation map was further detailed in 2019 by the National Capital Territory of Delhi Street Vendors Scheme.
Currently, basic amenities are scarce at India Gate, vendors must buy bottled water to endure long workdays which adds to their expenses. Guards strictly enforce regulations, preventing vendors from even sitting on the lawns to rest.
A citywide survey is crucial to enumerate vendors and is the first step to initiate the rights process. However, at India Gate, under the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) jurisdiction, remains unsurveyed.
Street vendors, including ice cream sellers, food stalls and toy vendors, hawk their goods from the ‘vending plaza’ on Kartavya Path, where they have been relocated. Tanuj Yadav/The Migration Story
In March 2024 the chief minister promised the long-overdue vendor survey after the elections. This survey, mandated by the 2014 legislation, should be cause for celebration. Yet, there has been no progress.
Years of struggle have taught them that official promises often fall short in practice. Bunty commented, "Even if the survey brings some administrative recognition, it won’t change our daily struggles overnight."
The financial tightrope they walk, the shrinking spaces they're allowed to occupy, the lack of basic amenities are deeply rooted issues that workers fear will persist long after the surveyors have come and gone.
Hope and skepticism mingle in equal measure as we discuss the future. "In this city, everyone has to fend for themselves," Bunty says with resignation. "The government rarely helps."
Anuj Behal is an independent journalist and urban researcher primarily focusing on urban informality, justice, gender, and sexuality
Anshul Rai Sharma is an urban geographer. His work engages with urban policy, law and sustainability in the Global South
