City Special - Arundhati Roy on Capitalism

City Special – Arundhati Roy on Capitalism

The ghost story. [Photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The March 26, 2012, issue of Delhi-based Outlook magazine carries an essay on capitalism by Delhi’s greatest living writer, Arundhati Roy. Here’s the piece Is it a house or a home? A…

Hauz Khas Series – A House in the Village, Chapter 5

Hauz Khas Series – A House in the Village, Chapter 5

Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighborhood. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] My landlord has asked for the phone number of my nearest kin. If I suddenly die, whom would he call to dispose off the body? He produces a…

Mission Delhi - Billi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

Mission Delhi – Billi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He gazes down on the marble floor. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. Eleven minutes. He is immobile. Pilgrims walk around him. A few pat…

City Travel - The Heart of Sufism, Ajmer Sharif

City Travel – The Heart of Sufism, Ajmer Sharif

The soul of Delhi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi is the city of Sufis. It is traditionally known as ‘Bais khwaja ki chaukhat’, the threshold of 22 Sufis. To understand the soul of this city, you must…

The Delhi Walla Books – Enjoying a Long Life

The Delhi Walla Books – Enjoying a Long Life

More considered reviews and recognition. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] A cat has nine lives. The Delhi Walla books – all four of them – are enjoying the same fate. Published by HarperCollins India in 2010, the books were widely considered…

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians – XII, Indian Coffee House

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians – XII, Indian Coffee House

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 12th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…

City Season - Spring Delights, Around Town

City Season – Spring Delights, Around Town

Sweet and short. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At last it is spring. The Oxford English dictionary describes it as “the season after winter and before summer, in which vegetation begins to appear.” In the West, this is…

City Book – Delhi: 14 Historic Walks, Swapna Liddle

City Book – Delhi: 14 Historic Walks, Swapna Liddle

Walking with a guide. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Considering the disrespect that car drivers give to pedestrians in Delhi, it is tough to believe that the Capital is meant for leisure walking. But here are the secrets. You can spend…

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians – XI, Indian Coffee House

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians – XI, Indian Coffee House

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 11th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…

Photo Essay - Sleeping, Around Town

Photo Essay – Sleeping, Around Town

Our fundamental right. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In February 2012, the Supreme Court of India declared that a citizen has a right to sound sleep because it is fundamental to life and falls within the purview of…