City Faith – Dargah Sabri, Daryaganj

City Faith – Dargah Sabri, Daryaganj

Alone with a Sufi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tamarind tree. Chess board floor. White arches. Blue lamps. Green dome. The dargah of Shah Sabir Bakhsh Chishti in Daryaganj, central Delhi, has a marble courtyard, a mosque and…

City Landmark - St Stephen's College, North Delhi

City Landmark – St Stephen’s College, North Delhi

The algebra of infinite merit. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sorry, Stephanians. You will never get as majestic a view as enjoyed by the college across the road. “Hinduites are so lucky to have us facing them,” says…

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XV, Indian Coffee House

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XV, Indian Coffee House

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 15th 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 – Tasleem Bibi, Matia Mahal

Mission Delhi – Tasleem Bibi, Matia Mahal

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] She is sitting at the entrance of Syed Rifani mosque, next to Shreen Bhawan sweet shop. It is 6 am. She has just woken up….

City Series – Stones of Jama Masjid III, Shahjahanabad

City Series – Stones of Jama Masjid III, Shahjahanabad

Delhi’s grand Friday mosque. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sitting on the stairs of Jama Masjid, I turn to a travel article on Delhi that novelist Anita Desai wrote for The New York Times in 1989. It is…

City Notice - The Delhi Proustians, 15th Meeting

City Notice – The Delhi Proustians, 15th Meeting

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The 15th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust, could not take place last week. Sorry. I will give you the…