Our Self-Written Obituaries – Ratna Golaknath, Vasant Kunj
The 91st death. [Text by Ratna Golaknath; photograph by Meghna Jaswal, or probably her sister Mikta Jaswal] Ratna Golaknath finally stopped thinking and more importantly feeling. The mechanics of her body and brain finally switched off and she passed away…
Mission Delhi – Julie, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] She looks like a starving Buddha, so thin that her bones are showing. One evening The Delhi Walla meets Julie, a dog, in Hazrat Nizamuddin…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – David Laurence Libert, Wisconsin
The 90th death. [By David Laurence Libert] David Laurence Libert died quietly and comfortably in his Wisconsin home late Thursday morning at the age of eighty five. He was surrounded by a number of friends and family. He had announced…
City Library – Karthika VK’s Books, East of Kailash
A vanishing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sometimes a collection of books becomes a portrait of a marriage. One evening, The Delhi Walla visited Karthika VK, publisher of HarperCollins India, at her East of Kailash home. In…
Atget’s Corner – 846-850, Delhi Photos
The visible city. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi is a voyeur’s paradise and The Delhi Walla also makes pictures. I take photos of people, streets, flowers, eateries, drawing rooms, tombs, landscapes, buses, colleges, Sufi shrines, trees, animals, autos, libraries, birds,…
City Faith – Spotting Muslim Women, Eid ul-Fitr, Turkman Gate
Daughters of the Eid. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was a sea of men. One insufferably humid morning The Delhi Walla attended the prayer ceremony of Eid ul-Fitr at the Faiz Ilahi Masjid, a white-marble mosque tucked…
City List – Best Selling Dishes, Latitude & Other Khan Market Eateries
Best loved dishes. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Yet another geriatric giant shut shop in the well-set Khan Market. The Chonas restaurant on the Front Lane closed early this year. It had begun as an ice-cream parlour when…
City Moment – The Rickshaw Puller’s Letter, Jangpura
The remarkable Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He was writing. One afternoon The Delhi Walla came across a rickshaw puller in central Delhi’s Jangpura. He was seated on his rickshaw’s backseat. It was humid. The man…
City Monument – Jahaz Mahal, Mehrauli
Marooned palace. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Every year after the monsoons, this ravaged monument whose name means “ship palace” hosts music, dance and acting. It becomes the focal point of cultural activities marking Phoolwalon ki Sair, a…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Pallavi Pundir, Dehradun
The 89th death. [Text by Pallavi Pundir; photo by DN] And just like that, Pallavi Pundir–a magnanimous friend, an unpredictable daughter and a malicious sister–has died. It wasn’t like her to pen her own obituary, for introspection was the least…
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