The Queen’s Necklace is missing its pearls: Normally packed with bumper to bumper traffic, the iconic Marine Drive in Mumbai wears a deserted look
A business shutdown: Nariman Point, Mumbai’s business hub, normally a hubbub of activity, is devoid of any sounds as offices remain shut
Checking the virus: A policeman stops a couple in a car at Nariman Point in an attempt to keep denizens of Mumbai off the streets during the lockdown
All decked up & nowhere to go: Mumbai’s iconic CST building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is beautifully lit up in the evenings, but has no admiring passers-by
Train to nowhere: Usually ferrying millions of passengers daily, Mumbai’s lifeline, its locals, are now stranded at platforms
Red alert at the Corporation: The headquarters of the city’s municipal corporation, another Victorian landmark, have been key in the city’s fight back against the pandemic
A sight to behold: Western Railway’s headquarters set in the backdrop of beautiful blue skies went abegging for admirers
Spring blossoms: Trees lining up the Eastern Express Highway in Mumbai blossom with exotic pink flowers and lay a carpet for the few that pass by
The road not taken anymore: A lone scooterist ventures out on the principal artery connecting Mumbai to Thane, a large suburb about 50 km away
Wah Taj!: Jamshetji Tata’s most precious creation has few guests and practically no admirers
The barred Gateway: Mumbai’s best known tourist spot is missing the selfies
A red flag: Keeping residents of Mumbai away from their favourite Juhu beach
Lives to guard, but not a soul around: Life guards have been told to be at work at the beaches, even though no visitors are allowed
The lone visitor: A kite flying over a vacant Chowpatty beach in Mumbai
Caught in the net: With the entire country caught up with Coronavirus, the cricketing nets at Cooperage in south Mumbai await the players
No camera, no action: Jalsa, the home of film star Amitabh Bachchan, is missing the ‘jalsa’ of fans that throng the exteriors
The last show: Cinemas all over Maharashtra were the earliest victims to the lockdown
Policing the cinemas: The only ones queuing up outside theatres are Mumbai’s police officers who have the thankless task of keeping people indoors
Sun sets on free movement: A setting sun bids adieu to the Maximum City on the eve of the lockdown
A final goodbye kiss? As one of the last flights took off from Mumbai airport last week, a young couple exchange kisses on Carter Road seashore before the lockdown commenced
The Maximum City that has survived terror attacks, floods, riots and everything else that mankind or nature could throw at it has been shut in due to the nationwide lockdown. Stark empty streets, vacant beaches, deserted railway stations and abandoned tourism monuments have been the defining elements of the city since the lockdown began. A look at Mumbai in corona times.
