The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.The Sufi underworld.[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]Shh, there are not seven but eight cities in Delhi. The eighth is the most exciting. It has love, passion, music, poetry, tombs, domes, djinns, hashish, haleem and also biryani. This city of Sufis is totally Islamic but non-Muslims are welcome.With no fixed geography, it is spread all over – from Mehrauli to Turkman, from Kaka Nagar to Karkardooma Mor. It’s identifiable by its dargahs. They’re everywhere. There’s one outside the Jama Masjid; there’s one outside Oberoi Hotel. Around some, entire

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Looking at Delhi with new eyes.[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]The Finnair flight from Madrid, via Helsinki, landed in Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on September 27, 2009, at 3.23am. In the arrival lounge, only one of the four pre-paid taxi booths had a man behind the counter. He was sleeping on the floor. Outside, The Delhi Walla had to stand in a long queue to get a cab. A mile later the cab veered off to the pavement while bypassing a truck on the wrong side. A dust

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.The last day in the Spanish Capital.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]9pm. Begona metro station. Walking down the stairs. Ticket counter. Waving at the lady behind the glass. We are friends. One euro for Chueca. Now running down the escalators. Turning right. A long corridor. Left. Escalators again. Platform. Four minutes for the next train. Sitting down on the floor. Reading Mansfield Park (bought from a bookstore in Callao; three euros). The train coming. No hurry. The train stopping, doors opening. Getting up, casually; entering the train. Feeling cent

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Poetry in the heavens.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]When I’m back in Delhi, everything about Madrid will fade with time, except the sky. I had imagined that the sky is at its best when it’s deep blue. But the Madridi sky gives different hues in different times of the day and looks stunning no matter whether it’s cloudy or not. In fact, it’s the clouds that add to the city’s sensuousness. Their changing pattern makes the sky appear a sort of poetry. While some Madridis told me that the

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Portraits from Spain.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]Most Madridis look good; most have no prominent paunches, but that’s not the point. What matters is that they are very gentle. If you are crossing the road, they stop their cars even if the traffic light is green. They are also very open in expressing their sentiments. If they want to hug or kiss their lovers, they just do it, wherever they are. Madridis are also very affectionate with their non-romantic partners. If someone is walking with his parent or friend,

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Time out in the Alonso Martinez stop.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]Most of these metro station musicians are not Spanish. They come from either east European countries like Russian and Poland, or they arrive from Latin American nations. They are men, women and boys, also. They sing, or play their guitar or violin and earn through donations by grateful commuters. These images are from Alonso Martinez station, a junction with three lines. While the commuters walked past them, these singers, when really in the mood, would close their eyes,

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.Time out in the Spanish Capital.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]Unlike in the Delhi Metro, doors in the Madrid's do not open automatically. You have to press the green button when the train stops at the station. Also, unlike us Delhiwallas, Madridis do not storm in like jungle beasts.That said the Madrid Metro does not have many rules. No special seats for women. No bar on sitting on the floor. No ban on eating. The Display of Public Affection is common and creates no fuss. When I boarded

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.A well-kept secret.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]The exterior of Hotel Taj Mahal, close to old Delhi railway station, is as stately as the old wing of Bombay’s Taj. Its carved columns, coloured glass windows, and curvy balustrade expresses the same genteel dignity. But this Taj is a well-kept secret. Even though travel glossies have featured it and Bollywood films have been shot in it, most Delhiites are unaware of its existence.It could be because this Taj Mahal is a no-star hotel. There is no parking area, no doorman,