Manoj Sharma is Metro Features Editor at Hindustan Times. He likes to pursue stories that otherwise fall through the cracks.
Articles by Manoj Sharma
Reshaping our cities, one bite at a time
The neglect towards food is changing with cities working towards creating sustainable, efficient, and inclusive food systems
Updated on Jan 08, 2024 05:14 AM IST
Once a key business street, Asaf Ali road now a derelict road
A sought after address by businesses in 1950s and 1980s, Asaf Ali Road in central Delhi, is now a picture of civic apathy
Updated on Dec 11, 2023 11:06 AM IST
Libraries seeing revival under Smart Cities mission
Cities in India are investing in the revitalisation and digitalisation of libraries to improve cultural, intellectual and academic vitality. More than 80 digital libraries have been developed as part of the Smart City Mission, including the Modern Doon Library in Dehradun and the Nalanda Parisar Oxy Reading Zone Library in Raipur. The Allahabad Government Public Library in Prayagraj is also undergoing a revamp. These libraries are not only offering a diverse range of academic resources but are also becoming centres of community engagement and cultural activities.
Updated on Nov 27, 2023 06:04 AM IST
Double-decker buses making a comeback in India
Hyderabad and Kolkata have already brought these giants on wheels back on the streets, with Ahmedabad and Bengaluru in the process of doing the same
Updated on Nov 06, 2023 08:15 AM IST
Turning clock towers back to past glory
Clock towers, once iconic city landmarks, are being restored and revived in cities across India. Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Mumbai, Ludhiana, Karimnagar, and Srinagar are among the cities restoring their historic clock towers, while Mysuru and Chennai are planning restoration projects. Vintage clock restorers are experiencing a surge in demand, but some cities are opting for modern electronic GPS-enabled clocks. Clock towers in India were built during the mid-19th and early 20th centuries and were symbols of progress and urban development. They are now being recognized as integral parts of a city's heritage and identity.
Updated on Oct 23, 2023 04:54 PM IST
New infra brings Dwarka sub-city back in demand
Over the past decade, Dwarka has transformed from a suburb saddled with myriad civic problems into one of the most sought-after addresses in the Capital
Updated on Oct 09, 2023 06:06 AM IST
Cities switching to robots to tackle water, sanitation issues
Indian cities are increasingly using AI-powered robots to tackle water and sanitation challenges. Robots are being deployed for tasks such as cleaning manholes, inspecting water pipelines for leaks, and clearing trash from water bodies. Start-ups led by young engineers are at the forefront of developing these robotic solutions. These robots offer sustainable solutions and eliminate the need for humans to work in highly hazardous environments. They also help improve the efficiency of water distribution networks and address water pollution issues. The use of robotics and AI in urban ecosystems is seen as transformative and has the potential to create autonomous cities in the future.
Updated on Sep 26, 2023 04:14 PM IST
How two global events left a mark on Delhi
The 9th Unesco general conference in 1956, and the Asia 72 global fair in 1972 gave the Capital three modern icons synonymous with Delhi.
Published on Sep 04, 2023 10:04 AM IST
Old Delhi’s havelis now reborn as new cultural centres of city
In the three months since its opening, Kathika has become one of the most popular cultural spots by hosting book readings, poetry recitations, workshops
Updated on Aug 27, 2023 11:57 PM IST
Indian cities using QR codes for services
QR codes are essentially two-dimensional barcodes that can store information, and cities across India have begun using them for a host of purposes.
Published on Aug 07, 2023 05:09 AM IST
Cities across India are remaking their streets
The idea behind the redevelopment of these streets is to make them spaces that are attractive, accessible, and prioritise the safety and mobility of all users
Updated on Jul 23, 2023 11:40 PM IST
Chronicling the living heritage of India's cities
A growing community of architecture and history buffs documenting on Instagram the built heritage of their cities across India
Updated on Jul 10, 2023 05:37 PM IST
Cities reclaim space under flyovers
Indore pioneered the concept in 2021, when it set up an exclusive sports complex under the Pipliyahana flyover, but many other cities across the country seem to have taken cue
Updated on Jun 29, 2023 04:17 PM IST
Town halls, symbols of civic pride, see revival
Built between the early 19th to the early 20th centuries, most of these colonial mansions built in Greco-Roman style, have been restored over the past few years
Updated on Jun 19, 2023 06:01 PM IST
Bhiwadi: NCR’s low-cost industry, housing hub
Once a sleepy village in Rajasthan’s Alwar, Bhiwadi — located 70km from Delhi’s Connaught Place — has over the past two decades emerged as one of the biggest industrial hubs in NCR
Updated on Jun 07, 2023 05:36 PM IST
Rohtak: Haryana’s new education, industrial hub
HT spotlight on lesser-known NRC towns, their rise to becoming cities in their own right, and the challenges that have been brought within
Updated on May 23, 2023 06:19 PM IST
Meerut on cusp of great socio-economic change
HT’s spotlight on lesser-known NCR towns, their rise to becoming cities in their own right, and the changes that have been brought within
Updated on May 08, 2023 01:38 PM IST
Fields to apartments: The silent rise of Haryana’s Sonepat
Over the next few weeks, in a series of stories, HT will turn the spotlight on the lesser known NCR towns, their rise into cities in their own right, and the change that has brought within. The first: Sonepat
Updated on Mar 29, 2023 08:14 PM IST
The eclectic world of Delhi Metro’s lost-and-found
It’s around 1pm, and a sling bag has just been brought to Anil Kumar’s desk at the Delhi Metro’s Lost and Found Office (LFO) at the Kashmere Gate Metro station
Updated on Mar 24, 2023 11:39 AM IST
Delhi bookstores turn new chapter as better sales, lower rent push growth
In 2010, Ajay Jain, a travel writer and photographer, opened Kunzum Travel Café in Delhi’s Hauz Khas village
Updated on Jan 18, 2023 06:43 PM IST
Class act: 2 decades of Delhi Metro, the great leveller
The first Delhi Metro train rumbled out of the Shahdara station on this day two decades ago. Since then, the service has become the city’s transport backbone, being used by millions a day and bringing nearly every corner of the Capital together.
Published on Dec 24, 2022 04:50 AM IST
Manoj Sharma, New Delhi
Upgrades give Constitution Club brand new lease of life
Set up in 1947 to provide members of the Constituent Assembly a space to socialise outside Parliament, the club fell on bad times in the 1980s due to neglect and became a derelict place. But in recent years, its footfall has more than tripled and in its restaurants and cafe, one can see not just politicians and their families but also ordinary city residents
Updated on Dec 12, 2022 12:27 PM IST
How Delhi became the setting for racy crime novels
In the past few years, an increasing number of writers, some famous and some not-so-famous, have been exploring the dark underbelly of Delhi in their novels
Published on Nov 22, 2022 08:25 PM IST
Urdu publishers struggle to stay afloat as readership bottoms
Till the late 1990s, there were more than 100 Urdu publishers in Delhi, most based in the walled city, bringing out hundreds of titles every year – fiction, non-fiction, biographies and children’s books. However, most of them have shut shop along with Urdu printing presses, and barely 20 have survived
Updated on Nov 22, 2022 06:09 PM IST
Inside India’s 200-years quest for vernacular medical textbooks
The initiative by the Madhya Pradesh government marks an important chapter in India’s 200-year-old quest to impart medical education in vernacular languages.
Updated on Oct 31, 2022 04:58 PM IST
Manoj Sharma, New Delhi
Are analogue cameras making a big comeback in the Capital?
With an uptick in sales, it appears that there is a revival of the old-fashioned cameras, primarily as an art form
Published on Oct 11, 2022 07:31 PM IST
Electric cabs find niche in Delhi’s green mobility push
In the past few years, several electric cab services—such as BluSmart, Plug Mobility, Evera, and eeeTaxi—have been launched in Delhi/ NCR.
Updated on Sep 26, 2022 12:06 PM IST
Manoj Sharma, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Plays, politics coalesce at Delhi’s Ramlila
Lavkush Ramlila is Delhi’s biggest and the grandest, which has over the years seen the prime ministers and chief ministers as chief guests on Dussehra day
Updated on Sep 19, 2022 11:30 AM IST
Unfazed by politics over name, revadi makers of Meerut prepare for winter sales
New Delhi/Meerut: Sunil Gupta, an otherwise reserved person, is quite loquacious when he talks about revadis-- the traditional candy sweet made from jaggery and sesame seeds
Updated on Sep 12, 2022 12:37 PM IST
Sprinkled across Delhi, shops hold on to family history, pre-Partition legacy
Even as the country saw a flurry of name changes after Independence, the owners of these businesses have stuck to the original names -- many for emotional reasons, the names being the markers of their personal histories, others for purely business ones
Updated on Sep 07, 2022 04:55 PM IST