City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XVIII, Indian Coffee House
A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 18th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…
Mission Delhi – Syed Ameen Meer Dehlvi, Chandni Mahal
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The cat is observing him. Syed Ameen Meer Dehlvi is helping his wife make tea. The Delhi Walla is standing outside their kitchen. The second-floor…
Photo Essay – The Geography of Face, Around Town
Portraits of Delhiwallas. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Photographing a person’s face is like stealing his or her life – a moment of it. Walking through the city, The Delhi Walla makes face portraits daily. These are long…
City Food – Raw Vegetables, Around Town
Heat relief. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi food is laden with butter gravies and tandoori meats offering no respite to the digestion. Relief is to be found in cut vegetables, served raw with a sprinkle of masala…
City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XVII, Indian Coffee House
A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 17th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…
City Notice – Urs, Mai Sahiba Dargah
Celebrating a woman Sufi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Urs, or the death anniversary celebrations, of Bibi Zulekha, the mother of Delhi’s 14th century Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, will be celebrated on April 22 and 23,…
City Library – Aatish Taseer’s Books, Rajesh Pilot Lane
A vanishing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One late evening The Delhi Walla knocked at the door of Aatish Taseer, a novelist. In his 30s, Mr Taseer lives in an apartment in Rajesh Pilot Lane, a quiet…
City Moment – Holding Hands, Barakhamba Park
The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One afternoon The Delhi Walla entered Barakhamba Park, a public garden in Nizamuddin West that is an unofficial home to the homeless. Nisha Begum, a park resident, was standing…
City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XVI, Indian Coffee House
A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 16th 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 – Saliva on the Street. Around Town
A quintessential Delhi sight. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Aak thoo. This, too, is art. It is always the men who spit their saliva in the streets of Delhi. The spit-forms are enchanting to look at. Some shine…
Recent Comments