Scorched Streets, Silent Struggles

As the city swelters under a relentless 45°C heatwave, the capital's homeless face a daily fight for survival

- IFRAH MUFTI @ New Delhi

The sun beats down mercilessly on Delhi as the temperature soars to a searing 45°C, turning the national capital into a furnace. As the sweltering heat casts its suffocating grip on the city, there is no escape for the homeless, whose struggles to survive in the relentless sun reveal the harsh reality of the urban poor in a city that, for many, offers little respite. On the streets outside the Kashmere Gate ISBT, a man dips a cloth in a few drops of water and places it on his forehead, his only attempt at alleviating the heat. Nearby, a mother fans her young child with a piece of cardboard, casting hopeful glances towards the passing crowd, but help remains elusive.

The city hums with the sound of air-conditioned cars whizzing by, as thousands like them endure the unforgiving heat with only their resilience to cling to, waiting for the cooler embrace of the evening breeze that seems like an eternity away.