Diary – Living in Jangpura Extension General by The Delhi Walla - November 27, 20077 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.House hunting in Delhi’s middle-class neighbourhood.[Text by Lesley E. The author runs the blogsite Bombay Boy. Picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]In August, 2006, I moved to Jangpura Extension. So many people I know love Jangpura Extension. I wanted to love it too. So what if the legendary Om Hotel serves awful oily glop. And so what if the equally legendary ham sandwich of Novelty Stores is of a type that only those with very low standards would call the best in Delhi. (The pudina chutney they serve with it is God-like.) Its numerous parks are full of gorgeous stray dogs and huge cats, all lovingly
Photo Essay – Turkish Delight in Delhi General by The Delhi Walla - November 22, 20075 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.When Konya’s whirling dervishes came to town.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]Sufis of Delhi get their high through qawwalis. In Turkey, they whirl around. Here in Nizamuddin’s tomb they clap, sing, shout, smile, jump, and wave. There in Rumi’s shrine, they quietly spin themselves into a trance.The other day the whirling dervishes came to the India International Center (IIC) where the open-air theater was packed with society ladies, retired bureaucrats, and goras of the expatriate community. Finally, a chance to see those white-robed performers you only see on National Geographic covers. And they were the real thing. Straight from Turkey. The troupe was sent
Special Report – New Stars in Delhi Theater General by The Delhi Walla - November 18, 20072 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.[Clockwise from left: Aditee Biswas, Rudra Deep Chakrabarti, Amitesh Grover and Sankar Venkateswaran]The emerging heroes of Mandi House.[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]A quick way to get noticed, even in the backslapping small world of Mandi House theatre, is to shock the audience. Reinterpret the classics, preferably heretically. Broach controversial themes (incest always helps). Ask questions, skip answers. Kick up dust. Stage acts that not many understand. Be post-post-postmodern. Indeed it is customary for the new generation, whose primary duty is to be ambitious, bold and different, to undergo this ritual. All this hard work,sometimes, concludes in stage thunder, strobe lightning, and glowing Sunday
Diary – A Karachi Walla in Delhi General by The Delhi Walla - November 12, 20073 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Curses are same but Bhai becomes Bhaiyya.[Text by Shandana Minhas; pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The author, an eminent Pakistani writer, visited Delhi to launch her novel 'Tunnel Vision' in Jamia Millia Islamia University. She lives in Karachi.This is a letter from a Karachiite in Delhi, which is somewhat akin to being an Englishman in New York. Same language, different rhythms. Most aptly illustrated by the use of the word bhai. In Karachi we say bhai. Here in Delhi I have only heard bhaiyya (which assumes a whole different connotation across the border) or bhai sahib. But the curses, as curses generally do, flow fluidly
Table for One – Nehru Memorial Canteen, Teen Murti Bhawan General by The Delhi Walla - November 9, 20073 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Food lovers’ guide to Delhi.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]This canteen profile is a part of the Table for One series.The Raj, Britain’s empire in India, is no more, but its successor, the Nehru Gandhi family, remains. The sprawling mansion of Teen Murti Bhawan, built for the British Commander-in-Chief, was eventually taken up by the anglophilic Prime Minister Jawarharlal Nehru as his official residence. Today it is a museum striving to sustain the allure of his descendants. Resist the dynasty's charm and instead ask for directions to the canteen.The Grand MansionThe museum canteen, like the museum, (usually) remains as quiet as grave. The surrounding
City Secret – Anjali Book World, Lajpat Nagar General by The Delhi Walla - November 7, 20072 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Here you get classic first editions for cheap.[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]Delhi is a city of surprises. Who could believe that great bibliophilic booty is lying right in the heart of Lajpat Nagar Central Market, of all places? This Alibaba's cave, innocuously called Anjali Book World, is unknown to many. Its patrons, some from as far as Chandigarh, are so protective about it that they wish it to remain a secret forever. "If too many people know about this place, the wonderful books here will be sold out sooner and I'll be the loser," said a customer who comes here all the way
Delhi for Children – National Rail Museum General by The Delhi Walla - November 5, 20070 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.A special Delhi guide for readers with children.Don’t let malls, multiplexes, and video games be the only memories your child has of her childhood. The Delhi Walla has started a new series - Delhi for Children. It will recommend those special hangouts which the city has for its non-voting citizens. Take your children on these entertaining excursions and re-discover your childhood in the process.National Rail Museum - Train to TrainistanAt an altitude of 206.70 meter, Museum Junction at the National Rail Museum is probably the safest train station in the city. No child-lifting gang operates here. Coaches don't move; steam engines don't hiss; signals don't
Delhi Diary – Star Gazing in Khan Market General by The Delhi Walla - November 2, 20074 GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Spotting filmstar Dimple Kapadia in Bahrisons bookshop.[Picture of Khan Market taken by Thomas Kappler; text by Mayank Austen Soofi]Yes, it was her. Dimple Kapadia. As I stepped inside Khan Market's Bahrisons bookshop, I saw her standing in front of the Lonely Planet shelf. Black top. Long black skirt. Auburn hair. Yes, she was Dimple. Of course, it is normal to spot celebrities in Khan Market, Delhi's uppity bazaar favored by the wealthy, the beautiful, and the influential. One evening in Khan Market's Café Coffee Day outlet I had found myself sitting next to charismatic Kashmiri politician Omar Abduallah (I swear he looked at me for