Many vendors who ran street food stalls or sold trinkets have taken up other means of livelihood as their goods were lost. On Friday afternoon, a small group of foreign tourists stood near the barricades as Iqbal, a 25-year-old guide, spoke to them about the incident. He has barely discussed anything else since the explosion.
“I used to take at least 10 sets of families or tourists around every day,” Iqbal told PTI. “Now those who visit Delhi are not coming to Red Fort. And those who do come, want to know about the blast. I take them till the barricade and explain what happened. For the last two days, this is what everyone has asked me about,” he said as he guided a couple of foreigners.
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Sohail, who has worked as a guide in the area for almost 10 years, said that the contents of his tour as well has taken a 360-degree turn.
“Chandni Chowk is the heart of Delhi’s tourism. On one side there is the historic market and on the other, there is the Red Fort,” he said.
“The first thing we do is bring tourists to this gate so that they can see the face of the monument. Now, instead of talking about Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his dynasty, we are explaining the blast and what the police has found so far. We have also lost more than half the tourists,” he added.
Sohail recalled the deadly night. “I was having tea with friends before heading home. Suddenly, there was a blast so loud that we could not hear anything for some time. My ears went deaf and we ran.” Rakesh Sharma, another guide who had finished his work for the day, said the scene changed within seconds. “I saw a flash and then people began screaming. Everyone ran. When I returned later, the road was covered in smoke and damaged vehicles,” he said, “Tourists keep asking if it is safe now. We can only repeat what the police tells us.” The blast has not only changed what people hear about Chandni Chowk but has also displaced lives and forced daily wage workers to choose a different source of income.
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Devender, 50, who sold toys and trinkets a few metres from the spot, said he thought a transformer had burst.
“The explosion was so fierce that it reached my stall and destroyed many of my goods. People ran in every direction and in the chaos, many of the pieces in my stall were strewn around,” he said.
“I lost most of my goods. Now I have taken a rickshaw on rent from a friend. I am running it since yesterday while waiting for them to let us return,” Devender added.
Mohammad Tahir, who ran a street food stall, also believed it was a transformer or cylinder blast until he saw people bolting. “I left my stall and ran for my life,” he said.
Tahir later returned to collect whatever was left. “I have taken up rickshaw-pulling to feed my family,” he said.
In a nearby lane, Joginder, a local resident and a regular at the area’s historic gurdwara, said the shock was felt across the neighbourhood. “The blast was so loud that our entire house shook. When we rushed out, we saw 500 to 700 people running,” he said.
“We could not sleep that night. We went to the gurdwara early next morning to calm ourselves. Throughout the day, people kept coming and talking. Many were still shaken and trying to get a grip on what happened,” he further shared.
A high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, gutting several vehicles and injuring many. Several of the critically wounded later died, taking the death toll to 13.
Today, guides and vendors around Red Fort are returning to their usual spots, but in a wounded Chandni Chowk. Their stories, which were once about history and heritage, now begin with the events of a single night that has cast a shadow over one of the most visited historical site in Delhi.
