Delhi Sanitation Crew Clears Leaves at City Hall Dawn

Pale morning light breaks through low grey clouds, falling across the wide stone steps of Delhi City Hall. Municipal sanitation workers in orange high-visibility vests stand amidst piles of wet, brown autumn leaves. They lift heavy bundles of soaked foliage against the open rear of a white municipal truck parked at the bottom of the stairs. The damp leaves rest in rough burlap sacks, their dark colors against the pale weathered granite of the building facade. Mist rests on the ground where the workers stand, and the first rays of sunrise catch the wet texture of the leaves on the stone surface. A wet leaf lies flat on the edge of a canvas sack, its veins visible in the soft light.