Our Self-Written Obituaries – Padmaja Iyengar, Hyderabad Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - February 16, 2016February 16, 20160 The 109th death. [Text by Padmaja Iyengar; photo by Wonderbook of Records International] A Riff-Raff’s Epitaph I sit down to write my epitaph, In a few words; not a paragraph. I try putting some words on paper, But they vanish like water vapour! I then tried to analyze, And came to realize, That I’m just a riff-raff, Undeserving of an epitaph. Amidst a growth of unruly weed, My epitaph shall thus aptly read: “Here lies a silly, stupid riff-raff, Who doesn’t need an epitaph” Our Self-Written Obituaries invites people to write their obituary in 200 words. The idea is to share with the world how you will like to be remembered after you are gone. (May you live a long life, of course!) Please mail me your self-obit at mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com.
City Faith – Shylock’s Synagogue, Venice Ghetto Faith by The Delhi Walla - February 16, 2016February 16, 20162 Inside Shakespeare's temple. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] More than four centuries ago, he must have stood week after week under this same chandelier to pray within these same walls. His unfaithful daughter must have stood in the women’s gallery upstairs. This is Shylock’s synagogue. The Delhi Walla is in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, Italy. The world’s first ghetto is marking its 500th anniversary this year. This is also the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare whose character Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, is probably the world’s most famous Venetian. The fact-checkers might object that Shylock never really existed, and that the playwright of The Merchant of Venice never ever visited Venice. But then they forgot to check the power