WHAT does New Delhi look like during #lockdown? Manny_Pacquiao walks around and shows you. EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS INSIDE!

[Real McCoy]

14 hours ago, sandeep said:

Social distancing, lockdowns and staying home aren't just for personal benefit.  You could end up being fine, but carelessness can lead to you being part of an infection chain that will end up killing others.  

 

13 hours ago, sandeep said:

Obviously not.  I would not be surprised to see little Manny show up in one of those videos where thullas are beating down stupid kids with a stick for loitering during the lockdown.  He's obviously a kid that is unable to grasp the situation with his little brain.

Although I believe everyone will be fine, it is our duty to follow guidelines set by the PM. He looked real serious yesterday. @Manny_Pacquiao better stay home. I'm also staying at my home not due to concern for my own safety but in consideration of other people. You can have lots of money in your wallet but when lockdown order is issued, police won't hesitate to beat you up, lock you down and even quarantine or kill you. They can always take your money and still beat you. One of the CMs issued a shooting order if I'm not wrong Telengana to avoid gathering for a new years festival. Keep that in mind before venturing out. I heard from somebody that maids and other workers are being questioned by the police. You better have a good enough reason for going out. People like you are the reason many people near you are getting beatdown and rightly so.

[WC2011INDIA]

17 hours ago, Manny_Pacquiao said:

Everybody is wondering what life is like during lockdown. How are people reacting? What is going on? Are people actually doing what the government says? IS EVEYRYONE PANICKING AND DYING AND KILLING THEMSELVES?!!?!?!!

 

With answers unclear, as most of you lock yourselves into your rooms and look for information online....I, manny_pacquiao, decided to go outside, walk around and give you a first hand look at the city of new delhi under #lockdown.

 

i'm not gonna tell you which neighborhood this is, for privacy reasons of course. but i can assure you...this a very common, lower-middle class neighborhood. the kind where older government employees (civil servants) usually buy an apartment. I do NOT live here.

 

i took these pictures right around what would normally be considered evening rush hour, when people commute back home from the office. we had some light rain (if you're wondering about the puddles).

 

let's begin.

 

 

 

 

This is how it looks outside most people's apartments. Completely deserted. You'll see a car or two driving by, but nobody is walking outside. On a normal day, you'll see cars lined up on the roads and many people on the sidewalk.

 

 

Let's walk to the park. normally, this entrance is filled with people. no huge crowds but you'll usually see around 25-30 people. Today, completely empty.

 

 

Inside the park. completely deserted. on a regular day, lots of old people and kids walking around, sitting on the benches, etc.

 

 

Another view from inside the park. I don't know who is maintaining the flowers, but he's doing a good job.

 

 

Let's walk onto the main road. Some traffic at one of the bigger intersections, but nothing when compared to a regular day. I saw a few buses (mostly empty), and quite a few police cars. Some motorbikes and cars. For the most part, very quiet. The by-standers and roadside "vendors"....all gone.

 

 

Some free brand promotion. Gas station to the left had a few people. Everyone was wearing a mask. normally, you would see bumper to bumper traffic on this road.

 

 

Lane discipline!! amazing how easy it is to follow rules when the road is clear. what a miracle.

 

 

 

Another intersection. If traffic always looked like this, would the roads be in better condition?

 

 

On a regular day, you see cars and motorbikes on both sides of the road. Today, nothing. except for those two guys.

 

 

How peaceful. It was like this for about 10 minutes walking down the street. Almost zero litter. Trees everywhere.

 

 

 

This is a VERY UN-SECULAR photo:

 

 

But THIS is a VERY secular photo. i could not confirm whether the dog is a muslim.

 

 

At the end of the road, another crossing. Few cars here and there. Normally, traffic completely stops at this location. You have no room to move. Most surprisingly, by standers, roadside vendors on the side of the road...all gone.

 

 

 

and by now it was dark, and the lights came on. A few people here and there, few cars. but that was it. again, nothing like a normal day.

 

 

 

Moral of the story: if you want a city to look reasonably live-able....just enforce curfew and de-populate the roads. Who knew it was so simple?

 

Feel free to share the pictures around.

 

Give me suggestions!! Where should manny_pacquiao go next?

 

should i do a supermarket tour tomorrow? let me know.

You should go to dwarka, Noida, Connaught place, India gate, rohini, saket area and gurgaon.

[Clarke]

The few days when one would want a supercar on some of the Indian roads.

[R!TTER]

2 hours ago, WC2011INDIA said:

You should go to dwarka, Noida, Connaught place, India gate, rohini, saket area and gurgaon.

Why not Rashtrapati Bhawan? Get oneself a nice & cool cell in the midst of this all 

[Manny_Pacquiao]

Frequently asked questions

 

1) WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES?!

A) Government guidelines are clearly defined here https://mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Guidelines.pdf Note that many essential businesses and offices are still OPEN. The economy ISN'T shutting down. Social distancing does not imply social seclusion. People are still allowed to walk around, either alone or in pairs. From what i've heard and actually observed, patrols are common, and police are using megaphones advising groups of multiple people (rare) to stay home. Amazingly, people are very well disciplined. At least, this is true for New delhi. (BTW, i never thought i'd see a day when citizens of delhi actually follow the laws! LOL)

 

2) HOW THE HELL ARE YOU ABLE TO WALK AROUND LIKE THIS AND NOT GET STOPPED?!

A) I have family members working in private hospitals and banks. I have a degree of...*ahem*... access that many aam aadmi don't have, and we can drive around freely (within certain areas). One thing i have certainly learned, is to exercise more discretion. I can't walk around like a dumbass tourist (like i did a few times before, LOL). People are visibly on-edge, which is a good thing (respect for the law). I had to be more discrete while taking all these pictures.

 

There are MANY places i will never show (around/inside the offices of a major bank, or a hospital, clearly defined locations on or around major roads/landmarks) for obvious reasons. But i can confirm that there is a sense of preparedness, and people know what they're doing. These photos are of 'insignificant' locations, which you find anywhere in Delhi.

 

Yes, there are many offices still open and functional (turn off your TV and read the fu**ing pdf in answer 1). HOWEVER, traffic in and around many neighborhoods is tightly controlled, and many roads have been barricaded. You cannot get through them without talking to police. Without revealing too much, i can tell you certain doctors actually have a "clearance" which they present to police if or when they are stopped (happens frequently when moving from one section of the city to the other). Hospitals and other offices, at least the ones i'm familiar with, communicate with local police departments. Based on what i have seen over the last 2 days, police are well-briefed on who's allowed to travel around and who isn't. They know what to look for. And no, contrary to popular belief, police aren't going around whacking random people.... you idiots. It's surprisingly well-coordinated. Which leads us perfectly to the next question:

 

3) WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ALL THIS?!

A) Firstly, because i can. Secondly, because i'm on vacation, and this is fun. And thirdly, and most importantly, i'd like to give people a sense of what's actually happening on the ground so nonsensical rumors aren't spread. The replies on this thread are a good example of nonsensical rumors (even if they're meant to be a joke). Consider this a public service.

 

There is far too much nonsense out there. The media is guilty, as they count on their audiences, but i'd like to provide a different (and more realistic) perspective. Reality, and facts, as you know, aren't SEXY enough for media (or their audiences). "POLICE BEAT UP DOCTOR!!"...sounds more sexy than "POLICE CALMLY ALLOW DOCTOR AND TRANSPORT VEHICLE TO PASS THROUGH INTERSECTION". So...a lot of my pictures are...incredibly UN-SEXY, or boring. "haan, road khaali hai...toh kya hua, bh*sdi ke?" but its REAL. I'm showing you WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS, not what it "MIGHT BE". Therefore...my thread is probably a better source of information than the shitty television channels and social media accounts you are watching. For example: the information in answer 2 is something you probably wouldn't be aware of, if it wasn't for me.

 

Finally, contrary to popular belief, this lockdown thing is not only being enforced, but the response has been very positive. Not many falling out of line, strong cooperation. Which means...north India...or at least, new delhi, CAN handle this situation much more efficiently than people think. In fact, from what i know, the enforcement (and response) in delhi has been BETTER than where i'm from: new york city. So some of this is actually eye-opening. But we'll see how this plays out, because there's a long way to go.

 

And no...i will not infect anyone. Show me some bloody gratitude, you ungrateful bastards. and i definitely won't be going around every day, movement is far too restricted. Maybe when the metro re-opens.

 

With that, let's move onto day 2.

 

The lockdown finally became serious. The car you're seeing was stopped at the traffic light, and eventually let through. we had to do the same. here, and at several other places as well. There was fairly strong police presence everywhere, some senior looking guys and your usual thullas

 

 

This is close to a school. On a regular day, you'd see school buses parked, few vendors and lots of people walking around. Today, completely empty.

 

 

This place was clear. Normally, a very busy road with traffic from multiple directions.

 

 

Government guidelines mentioned banks and ATMs were to be open, but to my surprise, many ATMs were actually closed.

 

 

...but some were open.

 

 

Random back alley. Hardly a soul in sight, except for a few stray dogs. most of the smaller gullies looked exactly like this. note: i have NOT visited the most densely populated poorer neighborhoods, around old delhi, uttam nagar, karol bagh (ghaffar market) etc. that will probably be my next trip.

 

 

Different day, different park. Just as empty. usually you'd see many people on or around those exercise machines.

 

 

and these.

 

 

No loitering here. except for me taking pictures, of course.

 

 

Lockdown means locked public restrooms. sorry ladies.

 

 

...and gentlemen. (those blue signs said female and male in hindi, btw).

 

 

But you can still walk your dog around. Like this girl:

 

 

 

Some more emptiness.

 

I'm too lazy to upload the rest. bye

 

 

[mishra]

^ Actually it’s deserted evewhere. Whats the point of you showing empty park pics. 
Lockdown is for a reason. I know you know the reason and logic behind it. Be responsible. No one is interested in those pics when potentially atleast 2 crore Indians can die due to virus in next 2 month.

 

[Texy]

wow no one's taking a sh*t on the road? no orgies for Kejru

Edited March 25, 2020 by Texy

[Manny_Pacquiao]

Today, you'll see what its like to go SHOPPING during lockdown. 

 

Note that the only supermarkets that are open, are the indian-owned ones (reliance, more, etc.). The foreign owned places (SPAR) are closed. All the usual fast food places, whether foreign (KFC, Burger king, etc.) or indian (haldirams) are closed.

 

Modi government has often been accused of "rigging" rules in favor of Indian companies against foreign ones, and that's true based on this evidence. I have no problem with this, btw.

 

This is how the supermarket looks during lockdown.

 

First, the entry. The guard at the front would you give you a ticket with a number. you take the ticket, sit down in the chair. you have to wait for the people inside to finish their shopping and exit. Once they do, the guard allows you in. No more than 2 people per ticket.

 

 

Only essential items - mostly food and grains - are accessible. Everything else is off limits.

 

 

 

No lines, cashiers wait for a few minutes, and often inform customers to 'hurry up'.

 

 

Here's what you can buy. plenty of supplies, you can 'hoard' as much as you like but most people were responsible.

 

 

 

 

These were reasonably fresh.

 

Every cashier wearing masks, gloves with hand sanitizer close by. I'm not complaining :D

 

 

Not that many people parked. Usually this road is packed, with traffic going both ways

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20 hours ago, mishra said:

^ Actually it’s deserted evewhere. Whats the point of you showing empty park pics. 
Lockdown is for a reason. I know you know the reason and logic behind it. Be responsible. No one is interested in those pics when potentially atleast 2 crore Indians can die due to virus in next 2 month.

 

 

I disagree. People ARE interested. Read some of the garbage being posted in other threads. We have a guy saying somebody was beaten up for buying milk. We have another guy saying that nobody is respecting lockdown, people are playing cricket and walking around in groups. We have people, in this thread, suggesting that police will beat people up. While i don't deny those incidents take place (if and when confirmed by police), imagine if those WERE THE ONLY OPINIONS you ever read about the lockdown. That's why this thread is important.

 

Refer to the FAQ i posted above.

 

 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Manny_Pacquiao

[Manny_Pacquiao]

Forgot to mention, they're running normal hours. Closing time is 11 PM, if i remember correctly

[Khota]

Interesting stuff.