The bustling routine around the Chandni Chowk gate—long a magnet for tourists drawn to the Red Fort and stories of Delhi’s Mughal legacy—has shifted dramatically since Monday night’s deadly explosion.

Tourist guides say footfall has dropped by half. Those who still arrive are more interested in hearing about the blast than the area’s heritage.

Meanwhile, many vendors who once sold food or trinkets are now scrambling to find alternative livelihoods after losing their goods in the chaos.

On Friday afternoon, a small group of foreign tourists stood near the barricades as Iqbal, a 25-year-old guide, recounted the incident. For him, it has overshadowed all other conversations since the blast.

"I used to take at least 10 sets of families or tourists around every day," Iqbal told PTI.

"Now those who visit Delhi are not coming to Red Fort. And those who do come, want to know about the blast. I take them till the barricade and explain what happened. For the last two days, this is what everyone has asked me about," he said as he guided a couple of foreigners.

Sohail, a guide with nearly a decade of experience in the area, said his tours have also changed completely.

"Chandni Chowk is the heart of Delhi's tourism. On one side there is the historic market and on the other, there is the Red Fort," he said.

"The first thing we do is bring tourists to this gate so that they can see the face of the monument. Now, instead of talking about Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his dynasty, we are explaining the blast and what the police has found so far. We have also lost more than half the tourists," he added.

Sohail vividly remembered the night of the explosion. "I was having tea with friends before heading home. Suddenly, there was a blast so loud that we could not hear anything for some time. My ears went numb and we ran."

Rakesh Sharma, another guide who had wrapped up for the day, said the scene changed in an instant. "I saw a flash and then people began screaming. Everyone ran. When I returned later, the road was covered in smoke and damaged vehicles," he said, adding, "Tourists keep asking if it is safe now. We can only repeat what the police tells us."

The blast has not only reshaped the stories told around Chandni Chowk but also upended lives, forcing daily wage earners to seek new ways to survive.

Devender, 50, who sold toys and trinkets near the site, first thought the explosion was a transformer bursting.

"The explosion was so fierce that it reached my stall and destroyed many of my goods. People ran in every direction and in the chaos, many of the pieces in my stall were strewn around," he said.

"I lost most of my goods. Now I have taken a rickshaw on rent from a friend. I am running it since yesterday while waiting for them to let us return," Devender added.

Mohammad Tahir, who ran a street food stall, also mistook it for a transformer or cylinder blast until panic took over. "I left my stall and ran for my life," he said.

When he returned later, little was left to salvage. "I have also taken up rickshaw-pulling now to feed my family," he said.

In a nearby lane, Joginder, a local resident and regular visitor to the historic gurdwara, described the widespread shock. "The blast was so loud that our entire house shook. When we rushed out, we saw 500 to 700 people running," he said.

"We could not sleep that night. We went to the gurdwara early next morning to calm ourselves. Throughout the day, people kept coming and talking. Many were still shaken and trying to get a grip on what happened," he further shared.

The high-intensity explosion, which tore through a slow-moving car near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, gutted several vehicles and injured many. Several critically wounded victims later succumbed, raising the death toll to 13.

Now, as guides and vendors slowly return to their usual posts around the Red Fort, they do so in a Chandni Chowk still reeling from the trauma. Where once they told stories of emperors and empires, their narratives now begin with a single tragic night that has cast a long shadow over one of Delhi’s most iconic landmarks.