City Landmark – SKV School, Zeenat Mahal, Lal Kuan

City Landmark – SKV School, Zeenat Mahal, Lal Kuan

A neighborhood’s future. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A cat’s drawn-out meow cuts through the squawking of chickens. These sounds, typical of Old Delhi, recede as the empty yard fills. The morning assembly at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya (SKV)…

City Hangout - Tilak Nagar Central Market, West Delhi

City Hangout – Tilak Nagar Central Market, West Delhi

Two hours in the West. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tilak Nagar Central Market (Wednesday closed) in West Delhi can be regarded as the chicken curry for the desi soul. Congested and cosy — it has the small-town…

Delhi Metro – United Colors of Helmets, Janpath

Delhi Metro – United Colors of Helmets, Janpath

Divided by the headgear. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The permanent and temporary employees in the construction sites of Delhi Metro are divided by the colors of their helmets. The white is for the officers of Delhi Metro…

City Style – The Classy Delhiwalla, Golcha Cinema

City Style – The Classy Delhiwalla, Golcha Cinema

Searching for the stylish. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla saw this man standing outside the Golcha Cinema in Daryaganj, a neighborhood on the outskirts of the Walled City. His navy-blue overcoat was unbuttoned and revealed…

City Culture - Rekhta, Urdu Poetry

City Culture – Rekhta, Urdu Poetry

Click on Ghalib. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] With the launch of Rekhta, the most comprehensive website on Urdu poetry, the 800-year-old tradition finds itself dragged screaming and kicking into the 21st century. Unveiled in January 2013 at…

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XXXVI, Nicholson Cemetery

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XXXVI, Nicholson Cemetery

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 36th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…

City Food – Paneer Dosa, Naivedyam

City Food – Paneer Dosa, Naivedyam

Delhi’s dosa. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi has not succeeded in corrupting the dosa, the south Indian pan-fried dish of urad dal and rice batter. The classical masala dosa – so pervasive across the country that it…

South China Morning Post Review - On Nobody Can Love You More

South China Morning Post Review – On Nobody Can Love You More

Life in the red light. [Text by Victoria Burrows; the above picture was mailed to The Delhi Walla by an unspecified person. If you are this image’s photographer, kindly mail your name so that it can be credited] Victoria Burrows…

City Hangout - Deer Park, South Delhi

City Hangout – Deer Park, South Delhi

Gangnam, DDA style. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] As seen on a board in south Delhi’s Deer Park: • Stand erect • Feet together • Jump stride • Bringing arms to shoulder level Follow these instructions and, the…

City Faith - Ghusal Sharif, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

City Faith – Ghusal Sharif, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

The long night of Sufi songs. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Ghusal Sharif, or birth celebrations, of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the 14th century Sufi saint, was held on the night of January 8 2013. It took place…