New Delhi: For weeks now, the Sabz Burj roundabout near Nizamuddin has been a traffic nightmare. Blocked roads, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and a little too much footfall for even the most adept driver. Christmas and New Year have brought this swell. But it’s also the four new cafes that are adding to the choke.
Seven years ago, Sunder Nursery was opened to the public, giving Delhi a breath of fresh air. An oasis in the heart of the national capital, the heritage park has since matched the expectations Delhiites have time and again. With a weekly farmer’s market, concerts, and food festival, it has quickly become the ‘it’ place to be. In November, the park opened four new cafes adjacent to the exhibition gallery and the Humayun’s Tomb museum. And while they have quickly reached the top of almost everyone’s must-try list, some have also been upset over this commercialisation.
One person on X criticised the burgeoning cafes and exhibition venue, saying, “I love Sunder Nursery, but what is it becoming? What was once a fun public park — a quiet, green space with ecological and social value — is now rapidly being converted into a commercial cafe hub. A new expensive cafe opens every day, further restricting access. Increased traffic, parking pressure, and noise have replaced trees and quiet space. Can our cities still plan for green, low-intensity public spaces?”
Speaking of the ‘it’ factor of the place, Ashish Ahuja, 52, said, “We wanted this place at any cost.” He and his wife own the Cortasso Coffee & Bake House at Sunder Nursery.
His vision was simple: a “contemporary modern cafe that any world traveller would relate to.” Ahuja entwined aspects of the Nursery and Humayun’s Tomb in his restaurant; he wanted to create a space that spoke of communities mingling.
“I want to build a space that people can identify as their own. A place where communities gather.”
Ahuja has set up a community bookshelf and has plans to host community events at the cafe in the future.
“The idea is to have a vision, a vision that maintains the authenticity of Sunder Nursery. Something that is not over-commercialised,” he added. “Places like this are what Delhi has been missing.”
How the cafes came about
Conceptualised by Ratish Nanda, Indian conservation architect and Projects Director of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in India, the compound was previously a “nondescript” building which functioned as a government workshop for vehicle repairs.
According to regulations, no new building could be constructed, so the compound could only be made using the existing floor plan. In theme with the design elements of Humayun’s Tomb and the Nursery, Nanda described the area as “nothing sexy, just a facilities block that caters to visitors of the museum and the Nursery. Essentially, the compound aims to sustain the museum.”
“The plan was to open the cafes along with the museum, but the launch was delayed as the Trust wanted to ensure that all red tape measures were met,” said Nanda. He added that they actively try to employ residents and artisans from the region to work in the cafes and the museum as a means to enhance the experience.
The traffic mess
The Nursery, which celebrated five million visitors in August since opening its gates in February 2018, gets approximately 1.1 million visitors annually; Humayun’s Tomb gets double the footfall. Despite its popularity, Nanda pointed out, the Mughal monument does not have a separate parking lot, which adds to the traffic in the region. The nursery, he argued, has two designated parking spots, one for members and one for the general public.
“Apart from the issue of parking, it was the Uber drivers and autos who loitered the pencil-neck lane waiting for passengers that took up waiting areas outside both the Nursery and the Tomb,” he said. “There is no regulation.”
The blame, however, was not entirely on the patrons but also on the BSF Officers’ mess down the road that frequently shuts down traffic in the area. “The main thing is management. The new cafes are not the culprit; the police should be able to control the traffic better,” Nanda said.
A policeman at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Police Station said there is always traffic in this stretch and that the rush is mostly because it is the end of the year.
The police’s attempt at a solution to the traffic problem is putting a barricade where the roundabout meets the flyover, diverting traffic toward the Oberoi flyover and forcing visitors to take the U-turn at the Zakir Hussain Marg red light. The arrangement has been in place for almost a week now and is put up only on weekends during the rush hour, roughly from 1 pm to 7 pm.
The traffic police personnel stationed at the roundabout said there wasn’t much they could do about the traffic near the Sunder Nursery entrance. The best they could do was try to divert it. “How many cars can we tow?” he said.
“Aisa lagta hai puri Dilli yahan aa jati hai weekends par (It feels as if the whole of Delhi is here on the weekends)”.
But crossing the roundabout is like traversing a minefield. The bane of the Nizamuddin roundabout for most Delhiites is the tuk-tuk drivers who blatantly refuse to follow basic traffic guidelines. To make matters worse, unaccompanied children are routinely walking into the oncoming traffic, and jaywalkers are just the cherry on top.
A tourist from Bournemouth, England, who wanted to cross Humayun’s Tomb off his list, looking a little aghast, asked if the traffic was usually this bad. When told ‘yes, it was fairly typical’, he did not seem the least bit surprised.
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‘Authentic Delhi-ness’
The slots for cafes at the heritage park were put up for auction and, since their opening, have received an average of 350-400 customers a day, with more on weekends.
Cafe Dori has opened its third unit at the compound, whereas Perch Wine and Coffee Bar has launched its fourth. Meanwhile, Cortasso has opened its doors for the first time ever, ensconced in the courtyard.
“It was heaven. They have killed it. Extremely sad,” an X user wrote, referring to the new cafes.
Some saved their censure for those bringing their work to the sanctity of the cafe and the nursery. “I just don’t get why there are so many corporatecels working on their laptops there… u came to sunder nursery to WORK?? u don’t wanna just sit and enjoy the scenery??” a person asked on X.
But visitors still flock in hordes to the newly opened cafes. Muskan and Surbhi, two best friends whose first experience at Sunder Nursery’s Fabcafe four years ago was “pathetic”, said they came for the vibe.
“It’s a place where people like us are sitting — like-minded people. We feel that the people here are doing something good in their lives, which is rare in Delhi,” they said.
The friends proudly proclaimed that despite Delhi’s poor air quality, they would happily make the trek again. Even the chock-a-block traffic couldn’t hold them back, presumably a sentiment most of the patrons of the locale share.
“We met a lot of people here. We met an elderly couple who was celebrating their 40th anniversary. It has their community vibe. If Delhi has more places like this, it would be great,” Surbhi said, to which Muskan added, “It’s more like Delhi.”
The new cafes at Sunder Nursery, for Muskan, have the authentic Delhi-ness to them. “People outside of the city have an image of Delhi — they can experience it over here. This place is it, especially during the festive season.”
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)