The Biographical Dictionary of Delhi – Dr Yunus Jaffery, b. Old Delhi, 1930 Biographical Dictionary by The Delhi Walla - October 10, 2011October 10, 20114 The immortal love of a Persian scholar. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] An heir of Old Delhi nobility, he speaks classical Persian as his first language. Dr Yunus Jaffery, a Persian scholar, was described as an “archetypal Delhi-wallah” in William Dalrymple’s City of Djinns. Dalrymple wrote, “He wore white Mughal pyjamas whose trouser-bottoms, wide and slightly flared, were cut in the style once favoured by eighteenth-century Delhi gallants. On his head he sported a thin white mosque-cap. Heavy black glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, but the effect was not severe. Something in Dr Jaffery’s big bare feet and the awkward way he held himself gave the impression of a slightly shambolic, absent-minded individual.” Dalrymple’s book came out in 1993.
City Season – October Optimism, Around Town General by The Delhi Walla - October 8, 2011October 9, 20112 The end of summer. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Mid-morning. Kasturba Gandhi Marg: the biker in a long sleeved shirt. Safdarjang's Tomb: the stones of the monument no longer burn the bare feet. A bungalow in Green Park: blankets drying off on balcony railings. Kinari Bazaar: quilts on sale. Matia Mahal bazaar: beggars wrapped up in woolen shawls. This is October. The Delhi Walla is in Connaught Place. William Dalrymple’s City of Djinns — A Year in Delhi is in my shoulder bag. I take it out, flip through pages and stop at page 46. “… October was a season of strange and fiery sunsets… Compared with the months before the temperature was suddenly quite bearable. Up in the high Himalayas the
Photo Essay – The Doors, Around Town Photo Essays by The Delhi Walla - October 6, 2011October 6, 20112 The noble entrances. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The entrance doors of a few houses and mosques and monuments in old parts of Delhi such as Mehrauli, Nizamuddin Basti and Matia Mahal have an artistic character. They add dignity to the sad streets that are filthy, congested and full of stench. There is simplicity of style and nobility of elegance. Sometimes it’s a tattered old curtain that adds grace to its door. But Delhi, like any living city, is changing. Old buildings are being demolished. Havelis with inner courtyards are giving way to apartment complexes. The carved wooden doors set in arched entrances are becoming rare. Soon, they will survive only in photographs. Chitli Qabar Matia Mahal Bulbuli Khana Safdarjang's Tomb Chawri Bazaar Paharganj Chandni Chowk Khari Baoli Hauz
City Travel – Nainital, North of Delhi Travel by The Delhi Walla - October 2, 2011July 3, 20151 In search of lost time. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] At a height of 1,938m, giddy tourists gratify themselves by boating on the lake, riding the ropeway trolley and shopping on Mall Road. That’s Nainital, the hill station in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region, 330 km north of Delhi. The sensitive traveller goes back with memories of smog and crowd, trash and traffic, tipplers and honeymooners. Most of Nainital is as scarred as other north Indian hill stations, like Shimla or Mussoorie. Mall Road, the principal promenade, is littered with plastic packets. The hill slopes are pockmarked with hotels. The mossy rocks are painted with ads. The tree branches are entwined with electric cables. Throughout the day, the hills echo with the sound