Manoj Sharma

New Delhi

Metro Features Editor at Hindustan Times

Metro Features Editor @htTweets. Pursuing stories that fall through the cracks. #bookworm; a fan of Jagjit Singh, Ian McEwan, Paul Auster, Javier Marías.

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Articles

Skywalks as social spaces? Rethinking their role in city life

5 days ago | hindustantimes.com | Manoj Sharma

As these structures become an increasingly prominent feature of India’s urban landscape, a key question arises: should skywalks remain just mobility corridors to cross busy roads—or be re-imagined as public spaces that enrich city life? The question is pressing because, despite huge investment in building them, many skywalks remain underused.
HT Syndication: Rethinking skywalks as social spaces

5 days ago | htsyndication.com | Manoj Sharma

New Delhi, June 2 -- As Indian cities grapple with rising traffic congestion, shrinking footpaths, and unsafe pedestrian infrastructure, skywalks are increasingly seen as a fix. These long, elevated walkways, once a rarity, currently span chaotic intersections and crowded roads in cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. Take Kolkata, for instance. In April, it unveiled a 435-metre skywalk at Kalighat to manage temple-bound crowds.
Capital alerts: Delhi’s long tryst with sirens, from World War II to today

3 weeks ago | hindustantimes.com | Manoj Sharma

On Friday afternoon, a day before India and Pakistan called a ceasefire and halted military action, a wail-like sound rang through ITO, in the heart of Delhi. It was a long and metallic cry of an air raid siren atop the PWD building—part of a citywide revival of a wartime warning system. This was one of 500 sirens the Delhi government planned to install across the Capital, reintroducing a civil defence tool that once dictated everyday life during times of conflict.
HT Syndication: The rise of Anywhere City

1 month ago | htsyndication.com | Manoj Sharma

India, May 5 -- Gurugram's skyline glints with mirrored facades, soaring office towers, and luxury condominiums-symbols of aspiration in a globalising India. But to many long-time residents, such as Rajesh Bhardwaj, the city's transformation feels oddly disorienting. Visitors often tell him it reminds them of Dubai. "And I wonder why that is a compliment," he asks.
‘Homogenisation creates cultural amnesia’

1 month ago | hindustantimes.com | Manoj Sharma

Dikshu C Kukreja is a leading Indian architect and the managing principal at Delhi-based C.P. Kukreja Architects, one of the country’s most reputed architectural firms. A strong proponent of architecture rooted in its social, cultural and climatic context, he is known for blending contemporary design with local sensitivity. He spoke to HT’s Manoj Sharma about the importance of contextual architecture.
The rise of Anywhere City

1 month ago | hindustantimes.com | Manoj Sharma

Gurugram’s skyline glints with mirrored facades, soaring office towers, and luxury condominiums—symbols of aspiration in a globalising India. But to many long-time residents, such as Rajesh Bhardwaj, the city’s transformation feels oddly disorienting. Visitors often tell him it reminds them of Dubai. “And I wonder why that is a compliment,” he asks.
HT Syndication: Driving urban mobility, hostility: An auto story

1 month ago | htsyndication.com | Manoj Sharma

India, April 14 -- Autorickshaws were once the defining Delhi motif, often seen on book covers and tourist souvenirs. Over the decades, however, they've spread far beyond the Capital, becoming common fixtures in other metro cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, and others. Today, it's hard to imagine any Indian city without them. What hasn't changed, though, is their notoriety. Delhi's autowallahs have a reputation for charging exorbitant fares, refusing rides, behaving rudely, or worse.
Driving urban mobility, hostility: An auto story

1 month ago | hindustantimes.com | Manoj Sharma

Autorickshaws were once the defining Delhi motif, often seen on book covers and tourist souvenirs. Over the decades, however, they’ve spread far beyond the Capital, becoming common fixtures in other metro cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, and others. Today, it’s hard to imagine any Indian city without them. What hasn’t changed, though, is their notoriety. Delhi’s autowallahs have a reputation for charging exorbitant fares, refusing rides, behaving rudely, or worse.
Rethinking streets: Why cities need to make room for buskers

2 months ago | hindustantimes.com | Manoj Sharma

This is also in contrast to cities across the world such as London, New York, and Paris, where street performances are an essential part of urban cultural fabric. London’s Covent Garden, for example, is known for its lively street performers; New York City’s Times Square is a magnet for buskers, and Paris’ Place du Tertre in Montmartre has been a thriving cultural hub where artists and performers co-exist with locals and tourists.
Marking history: can the new blue plaque trend promote heritage conservation in Indian cities?

2 months ago | hindustantimes.com | Manoj Sharma

If you stroll through the historic districts of cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, or Kolkata, you’ll likely spot blue plaques adorning heritage buildings. Inspired by London’s renowned blue plaque programme, these markers honour the legacy of structures that have endured through time. Whether it’s an old haveli, a colonial-era institution, or the residence of a notable figure, these plaques put up by municipal corporations aim to make the past more visible in the present.