Pushed into action by the unfolding global Covid-19 pandemic, India on Sunday practised social distancing on a never-before scale through a“janata curfew” that kept the country’s 1.3 billion population indoors all day and delivered more than a few fringe benefits — sparrows and pigeons frolicking on otherwise congested streets, national landmarks bereft of surging weekend crowds and air purer than it has been in a long time.
Pictures of Delhi’s Connaught Place overrun by flocks of pigeons trended on social media, inviting philosophical responses that spoke of the one bright spot in the looming coronavirus cloud — a bustling, overcrowded city finding safety and solace in the sound of silence.
Behind closed shutters at some of the popular weekend haunts, cafe stools were stacked upside down. Lanes lined wi
