A woman’s friends.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

The white-haired homeless woman is seen every morning by commuters in her usual place—a pavement close to Barakhamba Metro Station in Central Delhi’s Connaught Place. There she loudly sings sacred verses from Ram Charit Manas. The holy book is her most beloved possession.

The Delhi Walla wrote about Ramrati Singh here in 2014 when she first appeared in what has become her usual spot for morning reading.

Quite a few hurried passers-by stop to offer breakfast dishes to Ms Singh, though she herself does not ask for anything. On a recent morning, I stopped to make a note of offerings that Ms Singh received from commuters in the previous one hour. The short list might bring comfort to those of us who feel that big cities lack a heart.

1. A half-liter packet of Ananda Dahi (yogurt)

2. A glass of Chaach (butter milk)

3. A glass of Bel Juice

4. A bottle of Dabur Chyawanprash

City of love

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