City Walk – Lodhi Road, Central Delhi Walks by The Delhi Walla - November 8, 2013November 17, 20132 The tree-lined pathway. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A great multitude of giant-sized trees gives Lodhi Road its grave dignity. These aged-looking brown trunks bend over the roadside making graceful swaying patterns. The branches expand and bifurcate, frequently diminishing to a twig-like thinness. The two-mile long Lodhi Road in central Delhi provides one of the most pleasant walks in the capital. Start the tour from Safdarjang’s Tomb, which was built during the final years of the Mughal Empire. Walk on the paved lane that runs along the road. This traffic-heavy avenue is the address of high-status institutions and office complexes. However, the noise of cars and bikes fails to intrude into its atmospheric serenity. Here, life appears to move slowly. Men
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Somak Ghoshal, Defence Colony Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - November 6, 2013November 8, 20135 The Proustian self-introspection. [By The Delhi Proustians] The Proust Questionnaire represents a form of interview that owes its structure to answers given by French novelist Marcel Proust, the author of In Search of Lost Time, at two birthday parties that he attended at ages 13 and 20 in the late 19th century. In early 2013, The Delhi Proustians started taking Les confidences de salon (Drawing room confessions) around the city to explore people’s lives, thoughts, values and experiences. The series involves interviews across Delhi and is conducted by writers Manika Dhama and Mayank Austen Soofi. For the twelfth installment of Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire, Somak Ghoshal made confessions to Mayank at his book-lined residence in Defence Colony. Mr Ghoshal has a passion for reading. Your favorite
City Moment – Buffalo’s Martyrdom, Gali Kuen Wali Moments by The Delhi Walla - November 3, 2013November 6, 20137 The melancholic Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One morning The Delhi Walla came across a lifeless buffalo in Old Delhi’s Gali Kuen Wali street. The body was lying upside down. Its mouth was open -- the teeth were pure white. The buffalo had been killed only a few minutes ago. The lane was wet with pale-red blood. Two men were skinning the animal. One of them had the taut slimness of an athlete. He was dressed in black. The muscles of his arms were moving like a rail engine’s connecting rods. His expressions were that of a carpenter at work. The area’s children had gathered around the buffalo. They watched wide-eyed as the men started to carve out meat cuts
City List – Old Cinemas, Around Town Delhi by List by The Delhi Walla - November 1, 2013November 11, 20133 Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi has dozens of multiplexes. Indeed, the country’s first multiplex, PVR, opened in the capital in Saket in 1997. The Delhi Walla is in possession of the cinema-listing page of the extinct Patriot newspaper, dated November 5, 1978. Here is a list of the city’s single-screen landmarks that existed in the Seventies. 1. Alankar 2. Alpna 3. Amba 4. Chanakyarama 5. Chandralok 6. Choudhury 7. Deep 8. Eros 9. Excelsior 10. Filmistan 11. Gianand 12. Golcha 13. Janak 14. Kalyan 15. Kamal 16. Kumar 17. Liberty 18. Majestic 19. Minerva 20. Moti 21. Naaz 22. Natraj 23. New Amar 24. Odeon 25. Palace 26. Paras 27. Payal 28. Plaza 29. Rachna 30. Radhu 31. Regal 32. Ritz 33. Rivoli 34. Sangam 35. Sapna 36. Savitri 37. Shobha 38. Swarn-Kisan 39. Uphaar 40. Vasant 41. Vishal 42. Vivek 43. Westend Movie screenings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.