City Food – Julia Child Cooks Litti Chokha in Mayur Vihar-I Julia Child's Delhi by The Delhi Walla - February 27, 2011February 28, 20114 The great chef's life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Mayur Vihar, Phase-I, a neighborhood near Akshardham Temple in east Delhi. A graduate in science from Bihar’s Ranchi Women’s College, Ms Child came to Delhi in 1982 following her marriage to Madhurendra Prasad Sinha, a journalist. For three years, the couple lived in a one-room apartment in Malviya Nagar, south Delhi. It was through her husband’s books that Ms Child was introduced to Russian authors such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Maxim Gorky. After the family increased and she moved across the Yamuna to a duplex apartment, her present house, Ms Child discovered children’s writer Enid Blyton - in the bookshelf of her daughters, Nimisha
Mission Delhi – Sakina Mehta, Greater Kailash-II Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - February 26, 2011July 8, 20151 One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gazing at her husband’s photograph, she says, “He taught me a lot.” A pause follows after which 80-something Sakina Mehta continues in her soft voice, “He gave me the courage to go out into the world.” Tyeb, Mrs Mehta’s husband, was one of India’s most celebrated modernist painters. In 2009, he died of a heart attack. Since then Mrs Mehta has been dividing her time between Bombay, where her son lives, and Delhi, the home of her daughter. The Delhi Walla meets her at her daughter’s second floor apartment in Greater Kailash-II. Thanks to a wall-sized glass window, the living room is filled with the clear
Photo Essay – Hauz Khas Lake, Near Green Park Photo Essays by The Delhi Walla - February 24, 2011February 24, 20112 An urban oasis. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The lake is still. Its dead trees lie marooned, partially submerged in water; the bare trunks standing erect. Ducks swim, leaving a trail of ripples behind them. Birds flap noiselessly, coming to rest on stranded boats. The faraway views are blurry because of the mist. Look, the sun is beginning to rise. The early morning scenes at the Hauz Khas lake in Deer Park, south Delhi, are one of the city’s most beautiful sights. You must come here before you die Where Deer Park, Near Hauz Khas Village Nearest Metro Station Green Park Best Time Sunrise All is still Ripples Partially submerged Reflections The road less travelled Breathing exercise The world unexplored Dead wood Hello duck Hello ducks Namaste sun Behind Hauz Khas Village
City Hangout – Shahpur Jat Village, South Delhi Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 22, 2011February 23, 20111 A designer getaway. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] In Shahpur Jat (SPJ) village, south Delhi, the turbaned elders smoke hookahs in street corners while primped mannequins gaze out through glass windows. More than a hundred stores – from those selling high-end designer gear to those hawking imported crap – are clustered on the periphery. The alleys are lined with tailoring sweatshops and hole-in-the-wall vendors selling beads and baubles. Unpainted brick buildings, overhanging wires and rudimentary stores (selling Vjohn shaving cream) sit next to shops with contemporary design that would not look out of place on the London High Street. Go to Bookwise (125a), if you love books (which could be expensive) or coffee (which is free). Spacious and stylish, the book
The Biographical Dictionary of Delhi – Mirza Ghalib, b. Agra, 1797-1869 Biographical Dictionary by The Delhi Walla - February 20, 2011February 21, 20111 The definitive directory of famous Delhiites. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Do we laugh or cry for Ghalib? Is it possible without writing a book-length biography to convey the contrasts of his low life and high career, and also suggest his astonishing feat of transcending a vanished era to become the greatest Delhi poet and a great letter writer of all times? Mirza Mohammad Asadullah Khan wrote in Persian and Urdu. Ghalib, meaning ‘most excellent’, was his pen name. Born in Agra to a family of military adventurers, he spent almost all his life in Delhi, which then was in a transition phase custom-made for poets. The Mughal dynasty fell, the British took over and a civilisation ended. Ghalib was a
City Faith – Urs Celebrations, Khawaja Qutub Dargah Faith Photo Essays by The Delhi Walla - February 18, 2011February 18, 20111 Delhi's oldest sufi shrine. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Reached via the congested bylanes of Meharuli, south Delhi, the shrine is entered through a broad uncovered pathway. Outside an old red mosque, sit the dargah qawwals. It’s a getaway from the city chaos. The tomb of Khawaja Syed Muhammad Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, a 13th century mystic, whose Urs – or the death anniversary – was celebrated on the night of February 17, 2011, is Delhi’s oldest and quietest sufi shrine. The Delhi Walla attended the evening. I went there a few days ago too and had talked to people there. Unlike in other Sufi shrines, the harmonium is never played in the inner courtyard. “It’s the wish of Huzoor,” said qawwal Haji
City Moment – The Family of Man, Galli Kaley Khan Moments by The Delhi Walla - February 14, 2011February 14, 20112 The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla was one afternoon taking a stroll at Galli Kaley Khan, a narrow passage in Daryaganj, a quarter in the Walled City. The alley was lined with tall residential buildings. I walked up the stairs of one such block, hoping to catch a view of the Old Delhi skyline. Instead, I witnessed an incredible sight. On reaching the fourth floor (the rooftop was on the fifth landing), a door opened, a young man emerged and after enquiring about this unexpected visitor, he invited me into his home for a cup of Nunchai, the salted Kashmiri tea. The living room was spacious. There were no sofas or chairs. The entire floor
Mission Delhi – Faisal Khan, Mehrauli Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - February 9, 2011February 12, 201318 One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Taking off his yellow T-shirt and flexing his muscles, he says, “I’m eating too much biryani. I need to tone up my body.” The Delhi Walla meets Faisal Khan, 24, at his one-room apartment in Mehrauli, one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods. Mr Khan, who works as a customer care executive with Lufthansa airlines at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, is however currently less focused on his abs, and more on his broken heart. His girlfriend is refusing to see him. “I’m a Muslim, she’s a Hindu,” he says. “Her parents promised to drink poison the day we would marry.” A native of Rampur, a town in
City Season – The Basant People, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah Faith by The Delhi Walla - February 8, 2011February 8, 20112 The yellow of the spring. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Every year as winter gives way to Delhi’s short spring spell, the Delhiwallas mark the shift in season by offering yellow mustard flowers at the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the 14th century sufi saint. On February 7, 2011, the eve of Basant Panchmi, the day that heralds the onset of basant - the spring - most pilgrims at Hazrat Nizamuddin’s shrine were either dressed in yellow clothes or had a yellow scarf. After the evening prayers, the qawwals of the dargah sang the Hindi poems composed by Amir Khusro. Seven centuries ago, poet Khusro, whose grave lies in the dargah complex, had worn yellow to bring a smile to his
City Hangout – The Art Galleries of Hauz Khas Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 6, 2011February 6, 20112 The 14th century village as an art destination. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Besides its haunting ruins, Hauz Khas Village in south Delhi is known for its designer stores, curio shops, two South Indian specialty restaurants, one lounge-bar and one 'travel' café. The new pull of this neighbourhood is its art galleries, which have been springing up in the past few years. Three galleries opened in the first month of 2011 itself confirming the village’s avtar as an art destination. Whether you are a serious buyer or merely want to rub your nose against the canvasses, Hauz Khas galleries are a good place to spend an hour or two. The Delhi Walla shows you some of them. Delhi Art Gallery In