A day in Delhi is anything but routine. With a growing population of 17 million people, the Indian capital has recently emerged as an ever-shifting global hub. Yet one thing has remained constant for generations: the echoing chants of the city’s pheriwhallas, or street vendors.

“People wake up to the sound of hawkers coming to sell eggs, fruit, [and] vegetables,” explains Rashmi Kaleka, a Delhi-based artist. “By the afternoon one has the cobbler—the chaader walla. On Sunday one gets the mala walla, the man who will mend your old jewelry.”

Kaleka may appreciate the vocal beauty of the city’s pheriwallas more than the average Delhi resident. She’s been recording their chants since 2005…

“Preserving the Fading Sounds of Delhi’s Street Vendors“, Sam Sturgis, The Atlantic Citylab.