City Food – Litti Chokha, Around Town Food by The Delhi Walla - February 28, 2012February 28, 20125 Delhi’s best-kept secret. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] If Bihar were a country, Delhi should be its capital and litti chokha its national dish. The capital is home to a large migrant population from Bihar, but... ‘Just what is litti chokha?’ Smoked brinjal and baked dough. A rustic two-dish combination symbolizes the resurgence of a region that has been vilified for too long as wretched, lawless and corrupt. Litti chokha began as the food of the poor in what is now known as Bihar, and rarely appears on roadside carts or restaurant menus of big cities. Instead, it has largely remained confined to the home kitchens of Biharis. The Delhi Walla once had home-made litti chokha here. Litti chokha is soul
City Sighting – Arundhati Roy, Pragati Maidan General by The Delhi Walla - February 28, 2012February 29, 20128 Delhi’s principal mischief-maker. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One evening, The Delhi Walla sighted his most beloved Delhiite – author Arundhati Roy. She was in hall number 11, Pragati Maidan, a sprawling complex in central Delhi that was hosting the 20th New Delhi World Book Fair. People crowded around The Offender of Small Minds. Everyone looked a little wary of her. Ms Roy had arrived to launch the Hindi translations of her three books. Broken Republic, which is Aahat Desh. Walking With the Comrades, meaning Bhoomkal: Comradeon ke Saath. Listening to Grasshoppers, or Kathgare Mein Loktantra. The autograph seekers surrounded Ms Roy. She seemed Untouchable. Her black eyes shone behind her black-rimmed glasses. One woman whispered to her, “I