A legendary showroom patronised by Maharajas and Prime Ministers.[Text and the picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]They sell such stuff as dreams are made on. Tulips and Hibiscus, bracelets and key-chains, liqueur tankers and cruet sets - all in 92.5 sterling silver. The modest exterior of the Cooke & Kelvey showroom at Connaught Place stands in sharp contrast to the boastfulness betrayed by the owners of its legendary clocks. Mr. T S Chatterjee, the showroom's manager for 30 years, remembers his appointment with Rajiv Gandhi. When asked for time, he checked his wrist watch and said, "quarter to nine, Cook & Kelvey time."Founded by Robert Thomas Cooke and Charles Kelvey in Calcutta a year after the first war of independence, the

How not to let the city's perverts snatch away your freedom to explore and have fun.[By Pearl Toppo; picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]No, I'm not paranoid. I just live in Delhi! Born and brought up here, I know the place like the back of my hand and like exploring new places in the city but let's confess - unknown faces make me nervous. It's not only my fear of being attacked by a pervert, but also because some places make me uncomfortable. Like the way the people look at me.Ok, there's nothing out of the ordinary about my look. I dress up appropriately too. So then why the stares?You see I'm a movie buff. Due to demanding work hours, I

[Weekly list, from June 25 to July 2, compiled by Khan Market's Bahri Bookshop; some of the comments might be in response to older lists; picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]Dalrymple falls, Hillary Clinton rises and Khaled Hosseini rules.NON-FICTION1. India After Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest DemocracyRamachandra Guha; Rs.695.002. India’s External Intelligence: Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)Maj Gen VK Singh; Rs. 4953. The SecretRhonda Byrne; Rs.495.004. A Woman In ChargeCarl Bernstein; Rs.895.005. The Clash Within – Democracy, Religious Violence and India’s FutureMartha C. Nussbaum; Rs.595.006. Confessions of a Swadeshi Reformer – My Years as Finance MinisterYashwant Sinha; Rs.450.007. Military Inc. – Inside Pakistan’s Military EconomyAyesha Siddiqa; £ 19.998. Indian Summer : The Secret History of the End

Dining in the thin air.[Text by Mayank Austen Soofi; picture by Ville Miettinen]If a revolving salon is judged by its views and height, then Parikrama (rotation for Hindi), 240 feet above Connaught Place in Antriskh Bhawan, scores an A grade.Opened in 1991, it is Delhi's oldest and India's tallest revolving restaurant. "We carry the idea of rooftop dining a step ahead by presenting not one but all sides of the city," said GM Rajneesh Khanna.So let's dine and do Dilli Darshan. Ignore the dumpy interior. Sip Fruit Punch (Rs 70) while gazing at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Feel uninhibited if the Jama Masjid dome inspires you for mutton Salakhi Kebab (Rs 260). Even non-vegetarians must try the crisp yet soft Paneer Tikka

Conversations with a Delhi writer on her first personal blog.[Ms. Manika Dhama works in media. She is also a writer for The Delhi Walla; interview and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]Ms. Dhama, what prompted you to start your new blogsite?I had been musing about it for a while. Sometimes I pen down the arbitrary thoughts that come to my mind in a diary. With a blog there is the option of putting your thoughts out in the open for people to read and perhaps react to. Of course I don't know if people will read the blog or enjoy it! I've just begun, fingers crossed and all that. (Smiles)Why the name Myriad Musings and More? What's the theme?The name happened

Musings of a woman born and brought up in Delhi's most elegant address.[By Meenakshi Chauhan; pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]Almost everyone I know has lived in different houses but I had only one home since the day I was born...Sujan Singh Park.Ever since the Delhi Walla Mayank Austen Soofi asked me to write on what it is like to live in this "elegant address" I have thought a lot about it. Each time it turns out to be a story of my life which is categorically not what he wants! Sorry Soofi, if I want to pen down my thoughts about this Delhi landmark, it will have to be about my life and there is no getting around it.Talking History

City bands go global with foreign tours and firangi fans.[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]After 16 years in the spotlight, the Parikrama band is to shove rock ‘n’ roll back to where it came from: England. It will perform this month at the prestigious Download Festival in Donington Park. Both hope and anxiety are running high. "If we click, doors would open for other bands too", says Dilip, the drummer. The audience in John Lennon’s land could be tough to please. Things cool in Delhi might not be so in London. So the boys are gonna make their sound heavier. They’re not leaving anything to chance, in other words. "It doesn't matter if we have had more than 1,000

The Japanese art of conversation reaches the capital.[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]On a rainy Thursday night last May, a panel of designers, writers, photographers, urban thinkers, and a solitary antique collector, set about 'Mapping the City' in the British Council. It was the third Pecha Kucha Night in Delhi.The concept, devised by two Tokyo-based architects in 2003, has individual designers presenting 20 slides for 20 seconds each. The speakers need to be fast, concise, and in sync with the quickly changing slides making the air abuzz with Pecha Kucha – Japanese for the "sound of conversation." Held regularly, the movement has spread to around 80 cities worldwide.Since the theme was the city itself, well-worn words like 'showy', 'shallow',