Mumbai Turns Green On Maps As Traffic Flows Freely Amid Diwali; Netizens Call It 'Unbelievable'

Mumbai: In a scene resembling a surreal dream, Mumbai, the city notorious for its ceaseless traffic, came to a peaceful standstill during Diwali. For one day, the usual chaos gave way to an unexpected calm that residents and commuters found remarkable.

A snapshot shared on X by a user from Google Maps showed key traffic hotspots, normally marked in red, flowing freely at around 6:20 pm. The post captioned' Wow. All went to Lonavala/Karjat? Rare scenes from the City', in which areas like the Western Express Highway from Malad to Andheri, the Eastern suburbs of Mulund and Chembur, as well as critical connectors such as the Sion-Panvel Highway and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Trans-harbour link, all displayed unusually smooth movement.

The reactions from users reflected the rarity of the situation.

One X user remarked that they had travelled 24 km from the airport to Marine Lines in just 28 minutes, calling it 'unbelievable' for a city where such journeys often take hours.

Others cautioned that the calm was temporary

One user noted, “Check tomorrow, you will see complete red,” referring to the inevitable return of traffic congestion.

Another pointed out that areas like Malad and Goregaon railway stations would soon be crowded again, warning commuters of the recurring “nightmare.”

A third user writes, “Now show us rare scenes from Khandala, Lonavala, and the Expressway.”

While the silence on the roads was eerie, it was also deeply cherished. For Diwali season, the city collectively took a deep breath. By the following days, the familiar red lines on the digital map would return, and Mumbai’s vibrant, chaotic rhythm would resume but for those who witnessed it, this rare calm offered a glimpse of the city in peaceful repose.