Delhi’s cyclists who journey between life and death

It’s 8.30 a.m. on an April morning. Soon, temperatures will build up to 40 degrees Celsius. Traffic peaks at a T-junction in south Delhi, about 15 kilometres from the Haryana border. The green light will turn to amber in 20 seconds. Vehicles race to make it through the signal. Ajay rises slightly off his bicycle seat, his torso pushing forward with each pedal, to gain momentum. A bus cuts close; horns blare. He moves among the cluster of 20-30 workers on bicycles. They jostle for space behind buses, e-rickshaws, cars, and motorcycles — the mixed traffic bane of a developing economy.

Delhi’s cyclists who journey between life and death. It’s 8.30 a.m. on an April morning. Soon, temperatures will build up to 40 degrees Celsius. Traffic peaks at a T-junction in south Delhi, about 15 kilometres from the Haryana border. The green light will turn to amber in 20 seconds. Vehicles race to make it through the signal. Ajay rises slightly off his bicycle seat, his torso pushing forward with each pedal, to gain momentum. A bus cuts close; horns blare. He moves among the cluster of 20-30 workers on bicycles. They jostle for space behind buses, e-rickshaws, cars, and motorcycles — the mixed traffic bane of a developing economy. “Jo 10 seconds isko cross karne mein bitate hain, yehi sabse bhari hai (The 10 seconds at this intersection are the hardest)”, Ajay says, pausing briefly. His thin, faded blue cotton shirt, damp with sweat,...