Delhi to Tokyo
[By Mayank Austen Soofi]
The four-volume The Delhi Walla series have become a constant fixture in Delhi’s bookstores. Being its author and photographer, I like to believe that they are considered as a serious attempt to interpret the city. So, it’s very hurtful when some people I know dismiss the volumes by casually referring to them as ‘booklets’. Once, a friend of a friend called them ‘pamphlets’.
Therefore I was pleasantly surprised when one The Delhi Walla reader pointed out that a Tokyo-based style magazine called Pen has mentioned my booklets on its pages. It’s just a few lines, but look at my smile(!)
However, I cannot determine if Pen has written good things or bad things about The Delhi Walla pamphlets. I’m enrolling in a Japanese language course.
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You are now officially the most famous Delhi Walla in Japan. Maybe even other countries. You have brought so many hidden secrets to light that foreigners wouldn’t know where to go for free without your books. For example, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. They should rename it Mayank Austen Park because of all the foreigners you sent there.
This was priceless.
Congrats Mayank.. you Rock
Mayank,
Congratulations! and you can use translate.google.com rather than enroll for courses
.
yup..use google translate n congrats!!
As a Japanse Delhi-lover, it’s so nice to see you in a Japanese magazine, not just on your website!!
Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. Here I would like to share an English translation I made below (and also I input the original article, in case of a Google translation, or of your future endeavour to study the language!?).
—-
[Photo Captions]
左:マヤンク・オースティン・スーフィー。カーストã€å®—æ•™ãŒç‰¹å®šã§ããªã„ペンãƒãƒ¼ãƒ ã«ã—ãŸã€‚下:著書ã¯ãƒãƒ¼ãƒ‘ー・コリンズ刊。å„199 INR
(Left: Mayank Austen Soofi, a caste/religion-nonspecific pen name that he chose. Below: His books have been published by HarperCollins Publishers. Each volume costs Rs.199.)
[Headline]
é ã®ä¸ã§ã€ãƒ‡ãƒªãƒ¼æŽ¢è¨ªã«å‡ºã‹ã‘よã†ã€‚
(“Let’s go for an exploration of Delhi, in your mind!”)
[Article Text]
 ライターã§å†™çœŸå®¶ã®ãƒžãƒ¤ãƒ³ã‚¯ãƒ»ã‚ªãƒ¼ã‚¹ãƒ†ã‚£ãƒ³ãƒ»ã‚¹ãƒ¼ãƒ•ィーã¯ã€åœ°å…ƒã£åã®è¦–点ã‹ã‚‰ãƒ‡ãƒªãƒ¼ã®æ—¥å¸¸ã‚’æ‰ãˆã‚‹è‹¥æ‰‹ã 。ãã‚“ãªå½¼ã®é›†å¤§æˆã¨ãªã‚‹è‘—書『The Delhi Walla(デリーã£å)ã€ãŒå®Œæˆã—ãŸã€‚
 『食ã¹ç‰©ç·¨ã€ã€Žå¨¯æ¥½ç·¨ã€ã€Žå²è·¡ç·¨ã€ã€Žãƒãƒ¼ãƒˆãƒ¬ãƒ¼ãƒˆç·¨ã€ã®4冊シリーズã§ã€å½¼ãŒãƒ‡ãƒªãƒ¼ã‚’ãã¾ãªãæ©ã回ã£ã¦æ’®ã‚Šä¸‹ã‚ã—ãŸé…力的ãªå†™çœŸã«ã‚ãµã‚Œã€æ·»ãˆã‚‰ã‚ŒãŸæ–‡ç« ã‚‚èªã¿å¿œãˆã‚り。ãšã£ã¨æ‰‹å…ƒã«ç½®ã„ã¦ãŠããŸã„ガイド本ã§ã‚ã‚‹ã¨åŒæ™‚ã«ã€æ–°æ—§ã‚’織り混ãœãŸãƒ‡ãƒªãƒ¼ã‚’ã™ã¿ãšã¿ã¾ã§æ©ã„ãŸæ°—分ã«ã•ã›ã‚‹å†™çœŸé›†ã¨ã—ã¦ã‚‚ã€éžå¸¸ã«ã‚¯ã‚ªãƒªãƒ†ã‚£ãƒ¼ã®é«˜ã„本ã¨ãªã£ã¦ã„る。通りã„ã£ãºã‚“ã§ã¯ã‚ã‹ã‚‰ãªã„ã€äººã€…ã®ãƒŠãƒžã®æš®ã‚‰ã—ãŒè©°ã¾ã£ãŸä¸€å†Šã€‚è»½ãæŒã¡é‹ã³ã—ã‚„ã™ã„サイズ感もã†ã‚Œã—ã„。
Mayank Austen Soofi is a young writer and photographer who grasps people’s daily lives in Delhi from a local’s perspective. Such works of his have been compiled into a book series titled “The Delhi Walla”.
The 4 volumes of “Food”, “Hangouts”, “Monuments” and “Portraits” are filled with attractive photographs which the author took when exploring all over Delhi, and the accompanied essays are really good reads. As guide books which you would feel like keeping around, and also as photo books which would make you feel as if you had walked throughout the city in a mixture of old and new aspects, the volumes are of greatly good quality. A work full of the city folk’s lively lives which you could not find out on a superficial visit. A welcome feeling to its easily portable size of the books as well.
Thank you for the translation! Good to know the books haven’t been called pamphlets.
oh ho,Congratulations ji
@Japani Delhi Walla: Arigato … shimashe for translation
@MAS: Balle Balle, Oye Balle Balle… bhai tu chaa gya ..shava shava … burrahhhhhhhhhhhhhh