ABSTRACT
A curious phenomenon observed at numerous locations around New Delhi is for religious structures to be found on streets, that is, on the asphalt-paved traffic lanes that are intended for use by vehicles (also known as the ‘carriageway’). Bottlenecks of traffic result, as one lane of the street is effectively lost, and regained only after passing the protruding structure. This chapter inquires how such anomalies occur within a city that is otherwise planned and managed according to modernist principles, indeed deriving its name from this distinction. These religious structures represent informality in the sense that they stand clearly in contradiction to rational systems of planning, but are tolerated nevertheless, and yet also continue to be a source of anxiety for the state. It is with this general understanding of the term – lived spaces and activities falling outside the State's standards and regulations – that this chapter approaches informality.
