It is almost winter. In Vasant Vihar, a posh colony in South Delhi, the new multi-storeyed apartments are decked in fairy lights. There ar...
It is almost winter.
In Vasant Vihar, a posh colony in South Delhi, the new multi-storeyed apartments are decked in fairy lights. There are no old fashioned lamps. The families are preparing for Diwali and their homes are filled with boxes of sweets and anticipation of celebration. The puja corners have new idols.
Down one leafy, quiet lane of the colony is a B2/16 a large house but we cannot see it because the gates are shut tightly. There are barriers around the building and security men standing more alert than the occasional guards outside the apartments.
Below the barriers are a few tiny tents pitched in a row. These are refugees, who have been protesting here for several weeks. They were not always inside tents. Some weeks ago, they had slept in the open. When it rained, they had taken shelter in the nearby market. Then someone – they did not know the lady’s name – had given them these tents.
After a month, the refugees attracted some media attention. In The Times of India, for instance, a report by Priyangi Agarwal offered snapshot portraits of each of the protestors and highlighted their demand for resettlement.
Nowhere to go, refugees stay put on road in Delhi's Vasant Vihar hoping for better future...
