Home Sweet Home – Rachna Jain’s House, Gali Maata Wali Delhi Homes by The Delhi Walla - April 30, 2016April 30, 20160 A slice of haveli. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The most beautiful part of her house is the bedroom window. One afternoon The Delhi Walla enters the home of Rachna Jain in Old Delhi’s Gali Maata Wali. Ms Jain runs the Guru Kripa Saree House in nearby Moti Bazaar. Her house is like the soothing climax to a scenic walk. First, you enter the Moongey Wali Haveli through its ornately carved doorway. Many families have homes in this mansion. Then you linger in the courtyard before climbing a dark staircase. You arrive at a long balcony that connects with another balcony, which looks out over a second courtyard. Ms Jain's house is in this part of the haveli. The drawing
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Khadeejah Gibran Raja, Medina, Saudi Arabia Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - April 29, 20160 The 122nd death. [Text and photo by Khadeejah Gibran Raja] In memory of Mrs. Khadeejah Gibran. She did her living! Climbed mountains, flew hot air balloons, traveled from Rome to China, played Bach, enjoyed Dostoevsky, and lived on sushi. Married the man of her dreams, honeymooned in Paris, sketched in the long summer nights of Barcelona, and went exploring on their motorbike while 7 months pregnant. Had two beautiful children, and discovered just how fulfilling selfless love could be. She treated the world like her personal oyster. Disliked the idea of life in black and white, and lived out hers in all the amazing grey areas and wonderful shades in between. But while she was busy adoring the world - she managed to adore the
Photo Essay – The Empty Banquet Hall, Pahari Bhojla Photo Essays by The Delhi Walla - April 26, 2016April 26, 20161 Scenes of silence. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The blue-robed chairs are neatly arranged around tables that are covered with white clothes. This must be the setting for a formal sit-down dinner but there is no one. One evening The Delhi Walla enters a public hall in Pahari Bhojla, a congested Walled City locality. The street is humming with streets sounds of the evening, but inside--utter peace. The hall has roughly-carved pillars; parts of the walls are fashioned into arched designs. It is summer, yet it is not warm. Low-hanging ceiling fans are standing still. The staircase go past paan-stained walls. Large steel tubs, filled with clean dinner plates, are lying discretely in one corner. There are also black water tanks. This
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Simran Jagdev, Ashoka University Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - April 26, 20161 The 121st death. [Text by Simran Jagdev; photo by Srutanjay Narayanan] Simran Jagdev, 24, was found dead in room 615, Women’s Residence at Ashoka University. She was one of the 200 fellows, touted to be the brightest minds in the country, at the prestigious Young India Fellowship. Although there was an expression of contentment on her face, the tear tracks on her cheeks told a different story. She is believed to have died of heartbreak. She held in her hands a copy of Pablo Neruda’s love sonnets, with the page with sonnet XVII dog-eared. On her bed, scattered around her, was a much-used copy of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, her MacBook, few diaries full of personal narratives and poetry, and photographs with friends. Her
City Notice – Gravedigger Allah Hu is Dead, Batla House Graveyard General by The Delhi Walla - April 25, 2016April 25, 20162 Death of a man. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The elderly gravedigger Allah Hu died on 25 April 2016. The details of his life are not known. The Delhi Walla had taken his portrait in August 2007 at South Delhi’s Batla House Qabristran, where he was the only gravedigger. Allah Hu was then at work. He was wearing a green kurta and a blue check lungi. His head was covered in a green turban. It was hot, he was sweating, and he did not utter a single word. Visual artist Shiraz Husain informed me of his passing away. According to him, Allah Hu was buried in the same graveyard where he worked all his life. It is not known who
City Hangout – Café Goethe, Max Mueller Bhavan Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - April 25, 2016April 25, 20161 The dead place. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The wall-sized menu chart is still there on the wall. It shows the same beloved dishes--macaroni masala veg, chilli chicken with rice, muffin, and brownie. One night The Delhi Walla enters Café Goethe at Max Mueller Bhavan, the German cultural center on Kasturba Gandhi Road. There seems to be no one inside. That should not be a surprise. The café had shut down years ago. A laminated note on the wall continues to say: Due to some unavoidable reason the cafeteria would be closed with effect from 15.03.2013. Inconvenience is highly regretted. The kitchen, however, is open. A wet duster is spread out across the basin. A coffee machine stands in a corner. Two men emerge
City Monument – Baolis, Step Wells of Delhi Monuments by The Delhi Walla - April 24, 2016September 17, 20182 The water resorts. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The wet sari clinging to her skin, Zeenat Begum is washing herself in cool water. The pool is covered with Kikar leaves. “It’s my hamam,” says the elderly woman. Picking up her blouse from the steps, she says, “I’m a beggar but I bathe like a queen.” Zeenat Begum’s hamam is Gandhak ki Baoli, Delhi’s oldest surviving stepwell. Because of its sulphur-rich water, said to have healing properties for skin ailments, this baoli was used as a spa. Believed to have been built by Sultan Iltutmish in the 13th century, it is an otherworldly abyss close to the Qutub Minar in south Delhi. A water monument of sculptured columns and lattice walls, baoli is
Atget’s Corner – 916-920, Delhi Photos Delhi Pics by The Delhi Walla - April 22, 20160 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, courtyards, kitchens and old buildings. My archive of more than 25,000 photos showcases Delhi’s ongoing evolution. Five randomly picked pictures from this collection are regularly put up on the pages of this website. The series is named in the memory of French artist Eugène Atget (1857-1927), who, in the words of a biographer, was an “obsessed photographer determined to document every corner of Paris before it disappeared under the assault of modern improvements.” Here are Delhi photos numbered 916 to 920. 916. Jama Masjid 917. Vasundhara 918. India
City Style – A Conference of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay’s Saris, India International Center Style by The Delhi Walla - April 21, 2016April 21, 20161 The handwoven world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There, blue with red border. Here, green edged with orange. And now walks in a landscape patterned with paisley. One evening The Delhi Walla enters a room peopled with handloom saris. These saris are at the India International Center to celebrate Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, the woman remembered for reviving India’s traditional weaving styles. The saris are wrapped around the graceful personas of Kamaladevi devotees. The venue is at the second floor and each time the elevator doors open, there is yet another sari to gaze at. However, there is one short dress that is standing out due to its completely different character (see photo 15 below). It is seated beside a blue sari. This short
City Food – Kallu Mian Nihariwalle is Dead, Unchi Masjid, Old Delhi Food by The Delhi Walla - April 20, 2016April 20, 20164 The legendary nihari cook is no more. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Old Delhi’s legendary cook Kallu Mian Nihariwalle died on 18 April, aged 60. He was famous for his nihari, the delicious Mughal-era meat stew that is slow-cooked for hours and is traditionally served as a morning meal. Kallu Mian’s stall at Chatta Lal Mian (behind Delite Cinema) was a landmark destination in the world of Delhi’s authentic cuisine. The nihari cook’s real name was Mohammed Rafiquddin. He was born in a cramped house near Unchi Masjid in Turkman Gate, and he lived here until his last day. Kallu Mian set up his eatery in 1990. His father, Mohammed Nazmuddin, too, was a nihari cook. Kallu Mian was lately suffering from diabetes,