Between 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic transformed Delhi, like many other cities across the world. Streets once bustling with traffic stood empty, parks and playgrounds became deserted, and markets were barricaded, leaving only ‘essential’ shops open with strict queuing protocols. Public transport, like buses and metros, ran nearly empty as people avoided crowded spaces. Homes, too, were reshaped. Gated communities turned into fortified zones with guards enforcing mask mandates, thermal checks, and sanitisation at entrances. Living rooms doubled as offices and classrooms, blurring the lines between work, education, and private life. Institutions adapted swiftly, religious centres shifted to mass food distribution for migrants, while schools and offices embraced digital tools, leaving physical spaces vacant.
This photo essay, through students of the 2020 batch of the Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology course, captures these stark changes. It reveals how fear of the virus and government regulations forced Delhi to reconfigure itself, while resilience emerged in community efforts and makeshift solutions. The pandemic did not just pause the city; it changed its rules, leaving lasting imprints on how urban spaces are used and perceived.
Empty outdoors
The empty outdoors reflected a sudden disruption of everyday social life. Public spaces like parks and playgrounds, once central to leisure and community bonding, became deserted, symbolising social withdrawal. Markets, vital for both economic survival and daily interaction, were mostly shut down, showing how livelihoods and informal economies were put on pause. Transport systems, usually crowded with diverse commuters, turned into isolated spaces with only a few essential travellers. The emptiness reveals how collective life is shaped by physical spaces. When these are abandoned, it exposes the fragility of social routines and the deep interdependence between people, places, and spaces.
Fortified Homes
Communities transformed into self-contained biospheres, redefining social boundaries and routines. Society entrances became controlled gateways, where guards enforced thermal screening, mask mandates, and the use of touchless sanitisers. These checkpoints symbolised a new form of bio-surveillance, where safety became a collective responsibility. Meanwhile, the boundary between office and home collapsed. Living rooms turned into workspaces, merging professional and personal life. This shift reveals how the pandemic reshaped spaces and roles, blurring public-private divides.
Institutional Measures
Institutions rapidly remodelled their purposes in response to the crisis, reflecting adaptive social functions. Residential Welfare Associations (RWAs) acted as proxies for the state, taking on governance roles by enforcing lockdowns, distributing masks, setting up homoeopathic dispensaries, and marking homes with “QUARANTINE” notices—shaping community behaviour through normative control. Religious institutions, like the ISKCON temple, shifted from spiritual to humanitarian roles, leading to mass food distribution. Schools, traditionally centres of learning, were repurposed as quarantine facilities. This highlights institutional flexibility and how crises redefine roles, blurring lines between state, civil society, and community.
Labour and Inequalities
The pandemic magnified urban inequalities, making class divisions visibly stark. The mass migrant exodus, seen in the “Shramik Special” trains and long government ration queues, exposed the fragile existence of the urban poor. In contrast, the privileged stayed safely indoors, spending time on hobbies and self-care. This contrast highlights how social stratification benefits some while disadvantaging others. Labourers stood for hours just to receive food, while others faced boredom. Sociologically, the situation reflects how structural inequalities are embedded in urban life, where access to safety, stability, and dignity is determined by class position, deepening the divide during times of crisis.
Lasting Impact
COVID-19 forced Delhi into a harsh and revealing experiment in urban restructuring, where the vibrant spontaneity and density of the city gave way to a model of segregation and surveillance. Streets once alive with informal economies, close social interactions, and shared public spaces became zones of restricted movement, monitored health, and digital substitution. This shift reveals how crises act as accelerators of existing urban trends, amplifying inequalities while encouraging certain innovations. Digital connectivity provided some with continuity through remote work, education, and virtual communities, but it also widened the digital divide. The city’s essential workers, often from marginalised backgrounds, face heightened risks without the protections afforded to those working from home.
The post-pandemic city still bears the scars and adaptations of this global rupture. Remote work accelerated during the pandemic continues to reshape urban economies and lifestyles. The conflict between privilege and precarity remains unresolved. This photo essay is not just a record but a manual that reflects and warns against enduring urban frailties and charts paths toward resilience. As COVID-19 resurges and other crises loom (e.g., climate disasters), the above photos remind us that cities must balance adaptability with equity or they risk fracturing further.