City Moment – The Poetry Candle, Ghalib Academy
The remarkable Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was time for poet Gulzar Dehlvi, who was seated on the stage, to perform his duty. One evening The Delhi Walla was at the Ghalib Academy in Hazrat…
Netherfield Ball – Amartya Sen’s Reception, India International Center
The party secrets. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was very unsettling. Nobody was air-kissing anybody. One evening The Delhi Walla went to the India International Center to hear Nobel laureate Amartya Sen talk on his new book,…
City Faith – Thursday Evening, Hazrat Turkman Shah’s Dargah
Beyond qawwali. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Every respectable Delhi guidebook tells you to visit the Sufi shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya on Thursday evening, aka jumeraat, the big night before the Islamic sabbath. That’s when the qawwal…
City Landmark – Chor Bizarre, Asaf Ali Road
A trip to Kashmir. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] If you throw a few stones standing somewhere south of Khan Market, you might not hit many Delhiwallas under a certain age, but you are likely to hit many…
Atget’s Corner – 886-890, 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 – Hanukkah Candles, Paharganj
The Temple memories. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s the light of Hanukkah, the weeklong Jewish festival that enters its penultimate day this cold evening. The Delhi Walla spots the customary candles of Hanukkah in Main Bazaar, a…
City Style – Rakhshanda Jalil’s Ghararas, South Delhi
Searching for the stylish. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Strange outfit this. It’s neither a skirt, nor a gown. It’s definitely not a sari. It’s also not a pajama. What is it? “It is gharara,” says author Rakhshanda…
Netherfield Ball – Barkha Dutt’s Book Reception, The Taj Mahal Hotel
The party secrets. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was an exceedingly posh party. The capital’s cold toxic air smelled of expensive perfumes. Almost every important person was there except for the Prime Minister. He was not missed….
Mission Delhi – Sona Devi, Near Sahibabad Village
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Her first name means ‘gold’ in Hindi. One morning, The Delhi Walla meets Sona Devi in a shared autorickshaw, somewhere just outside the city limits,…
City Moment – The Privacy of The Midnight Poets, Suleman Tea Stall
The remarkable Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One late night The Delhi Walla entered the Suleman Tea Stall at Chitli Qabar Chowk. It was empty except for five men who occupied a table at the end….
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