What cannot be removed must be hidden, the city fathers believe. As Delhi readies to host the Commonwealth Games next year, it is looking to show its painted face to the world while hiding slums behind bamboo screens.

Realising that uprooting slum clusters from all over the capital and rehabilitating its inhabitants is not a pragmatic solution - especially as the deadline for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is drawing to a close - the Delhi government has decided to literally screen the not-so-welcoming sights from the many visitors expected for the event.