In the centre of the roundabout, a group of nine workers are busy on a humid August day. They unload and level soil in a freshly made red sandstone octagonal walkway in the centre of the roundabout. In a sharp contrast to the chaos that surrounds the rotary, a tranquil art-piece is in the process of being constructed here.

Five white marble elephants are placed neatly in the middle of an elevated platform enclosed by seven 15-metre-high palm trees on the traffic island. Black granite enclosure in the centre is surrounded by installations of water geysers and LED lights.

The efforts are part of a project costing around ₹1 crore where the 60m-wide roundabout will be transformed into a usable public space with water channels, sculptures, illumination and greenery.

It is only the latest in the series of rotaries in New Delhi being given a new look and are being adorned with sculptures, fountains and ornamental features.

The process of revamping roundabouts – an iconic feature that links New Delhi with its colonial past – started ahead of G20 summit in 2023 when 17 sculptures and 14 fountains were added to roundabouts. In its second phase now, senior NDMC officials say that this time, around six more roundabouts have been picked that will get art installations and a revamp in phases.

Satish Upadhyay, vice chairman of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), said that the New Delhi area acts as the face of the country as it ends up playing host to a wide variety of important international conferences and events, usually in quick succession. So, it is important that the area depicts the diverse culture and ethos of the country.

“The largest push in recent years to redevelop the intersections and roundabouts came ahead of the G20 summit and the work is being carried forward with the coordination of ministry of culture and Lalit Kala Academy. All these spaces are being upgraded so that New Delhi can truly depict the face of the Capital,” he added.

History of roundabouts

The New Delhi area – the seat of the Union government which plays host to all key ministries, courts, embassies and some of the most sought-after localities in Delhi – comprises 1,298 km of road network that are punctuated by 52 big and small roundabouts that now give Lutyens Delhi its distinctive character.

Tree-lined streets radiate from the Central Vista and converge at the hexagonal nodes in form the larger rotaries while smaller rotaries have three to five arms. New Delhi was built between 1912 and as a site to replace Calcutta as the capital of India – a work that culminated in 1931.

The roundabout-based layout of streets was suggested by Lord Charles Hardinge in 1913 as an alternative to the New York-like street grid at right angles to mitigate the intensity of dust storms that Delhi frequently sees. These public spaces could double as prominent sites to showcase imposing statues of viceroys and generals, officials say.

In her book “Connaught Place and the Making of the New Delhi” author Swapna Liddle writes that the town plan in terms of how the roads were laid out was quite distinctive and a scheme of hexagons and equilateral triangles was adopted and the road consequently radiated from multiple roundabouts. “In a speech in 1933, Lutyens acknowledged Hardinge’s rile in determining this as well saying the new city owes its being to Lord Hardinge… His command that one avenue should lead to Purana Kila and another to the Jumma Masjid was the father of the equilateral and hexagonal plan. This was a sorry nuisance to all whose thoughts could not merge beyond the right angles of New York.” Liddle writes.

In 1931, the length of road network in New Delhi was 180km and the roads were transferred from CPWD to the council. Since then, it has grown to 1,298 kms today.

Revamp push

A senior NDMC official said the rotaries around the Central Vista were originally envisaged by the British to host the statues of former viceroys Lord Hardinge, Lord Irwin, Willindon and Chelmsford with similar additions to be made in future years. However, the post-independence nationalistic fervour rejected the presence of colonial symbols in public spaces and most of them ended up in Coronation Park in north Delhi, private collections or being transported back.

“Over the decades, these rotaries have been added with sculptures and installations especially around major events like Asiad games and Commonwealth Games,” official added.

The push last year came in the form of G20 summit with series of marble elephants, lions, horses, lotus installations among other additions. NDMC member Kuljeet Chahal said that the rotary near the PM house and Ashoka Hotel saw a new illuminated fountain with two white sculptures of lions on opposite sides and a lioness of black granite with her two cubs on another. A Buddha statue with fountain was added near the PMO roundabout and uplighters with new red sandstone walkways to highlight the Teen Murti roundabout.

Other additions include a horse family sculpture at a roundabout near the vice-president’s house; a polo horse sculpture at Vinay Marg intersection; and two pairs of white elephants with raised trunks at the roundabout along Akbar and Tughlaq roads. A total of 24 fountains and sculptures from the Central Cottage Industries Emporium were added to the rotaries and intersections. A second set of 12 sculptures developed in a camp organised by the Lalit Kala Academy were added on key road leading from airport to the venues. The sculptures from the Lalit Kala Academy are mostly carved out of grey or black marble and can be seen along SP Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent and Dilli Haat.

New additions: Good, bad, ugly?

The latest additions came last month while Delhi was hosting 46th edition of the World Heritage Committee meeting at the Bharat Mandapam.

Chahal said six public art installations and sculptures have been added after securing approval from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) with sculptures at sites like Mandi House roundabout, near Tughlaq police station, rotary near Hotel Leela Palace and Le Meridian Hotel.

Chahal said that this took the total number of redeveloped roundabouts to 27 so far – the eventual plan is to revamp all 52 rotaries in phases.

But experts have questioned the choice of design of the latest additions.

However, an NDMC official who did not wish to be quoted, said that some of the new installations have also seen oppositions as they do not feel in congruity with the landscape and architecture of New Delhi.

Gopal Krishna Kotwalwale, who heads the New Delhi RWA federation, and is a resident of the area since 1974, said that the New Delhi area has been known for its architectural symmetry and calm green spaces, however some of the new public art features do not match with the character of the city.

“These metallic objects with rusty colours don’t stick out the New Delhi area. This is just wastage of money. I hope they are being added temporarily. People from all over country and foreigners visit Lutyen’s Delhi and more care should be taken before making changes to public places in this area,” he added.

An NDMC official said that the work of redevelopment is ongoing process and the old sculptures and installations are not being disturbed in this process.

“The common features of these redevelopment projects are sculpture, fountains, footpath and landscape. Some of the roundabouts have their own themes and sculpture such as chariot at Sardar Patel Marg, horse family at Maan Singh Road and Akbar Road lion and lion family at smart roundabouts and elephants at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) round about. Apart from this, lotus fountains along with Simon Bolivar Road at Sardar Patel Marg,” official added.

The installation at Mandi House is named as “Natya Shastra” and it depicts a dancing woman with conch shell, tablas and Indian drums and an open book in white stone-like finish. Chahal said that the roundabout has many renowned institutions associated with arts and theatres and the installation captures the essence of the area which has been marked as art-district by the NDMC.

The new installation at Le Meridian roundabout is 20ft high iron towers with stone work in between in which imagery related to tribal symbols has been cut out – hunting parties, animals, dances among other images. During a spot visit, HT found that the foundation work was still being undertaken.

NDMC official said that that the rotary opposite the historic Tughlaq Road Police Station has seen an addition of 20ft high “Kalptaru” installation in stainless steel made by Vibhor Sogani from National Gallery of Modern Art. “The work embodies the sacred tree in ancient lore. A symbol of abundance prosperity and the fulfillment of desire. Kalptaru serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of creation and potential of achieving our aspirations,” the artist writes.

The council has added a 25-foot high and 10-ft wide metallic tower near the Hotel Leela Palace roundabout with a title “Toys of India.” The installation states that the artist attempts to capture the memory of playing in park and essence of childhood games and thrill of exploring whimsical environment. It compares the work to a “fairytale castle” with towering turrets.