Dateline New York – The New York Times Notices The Delhi Walla General by The Delhi Walla - August 9, 2011August 9, 20112 Little delights. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] The New York Times, the world’s best newspaper, reads The Delhi Walla. On August 3, 2011, Diner’s Journal, a section in the newspaper's website, published an article called What We’re Reading, a collection of links by the reporters and editors of the Dining section. The select listing carried links of established newspapers and magazines like The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Wine Spectator and The Washington Post. The Delhi Walla found himself in the same company. The link direct readers to the website's story on golgappas. (Click here to see the page.) Of course, being recognized by The New York Times, that too in passing, is no indicator of this website’s
City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid Moments by The Delhi Walla - August 8, 2011August 9, 20114 The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] One evening The Delhi Walla was in Jama Masjid, the grand mosque that Mughal emperor Shahjahan built in 1628. The gigantic courtyard was taken over by hundreds of men, women and children. Its open space made the dark-blue sky look as vast as an ocean. The domes, minarets and ramparts of the mosque were strung with fairy lights. It was about time to break the roza, the day-long fast that Muslims keep in the month of Ramzan. People were sitting on the stone floor in groups of families and friends, circling platters of sliced fruits, spiced chickpeas, vegetable fritters, potato chips, and soft drink bottles. The monsoon breeze was bringing
Hauz Khas Series – A House in the Village, Chapter 1 Life Regions by The Delhi Walla - August 7, 2011December 2, 20133 Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighbourhood. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The terrace of my apartment looks to the ruins of Hauz Khas, which were originally built as a mosque and madarsa by emperor Feroze Shah Tughlaq in 14th century. Tughlaq was buried in the same compound. The dome of his tomb soars above the other domes. The monument complex is landscaped with grass, which is scarred with dozens of brown patches. The entrance gateway has vines growing on its stony top. A visitor to the monument takes in the tombs, pillared halls, and dark chambers one at a time. From my terrace, I see it in its entirety, including the hauz, the water tank. The apartment is situated adjacent to
City Landmark – Nehru Archives, Teen Murti Bhawan Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - August 3, 2011August 3, 20111 It goes online. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Until August 2011, anyone with the ambition of understanding Jawaharlal Nehru had to fly to Delhi and spend hours at the members-only library in Teen Murti Bhavan, Nehru’s British-built residence that was turned into a museum after his death. Such a trip is no longer necessary. The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), the world’s leading resource centre on India’s first prime minister, has undertaken a massive digitization project. Its archives are being scanned, digitized, linked with metadata and uploaded. “Internet users can access the archives—as they keep being digitized—on our website, www.nehrumemorial.com,” says Gopa Sengupta, NMML’s project associate in the digitization team. That should open them up to more than the occasional scholar.