City Moment - Tonga Riders, Outside Zakir Husain Delhi College

City Moment – Tonga Riders, Outside Zakir Husain Delhi College

Commuting into the past. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At least a dozen people are seated on the orange tonga. Most are women and children. The white horse is quiet. One white-hot afternoon The Delhi Walla comes across…

City Neighborhood - Batla House, South Delhi

City Neighborhood – Batla House, South Delhi

The encounter district. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some of the lanes leading to his home are so dark that you can’t see your own feet. The Delhi Walla‘s internal GPS is seriously confused. It’s way beyond midnight….

Bhavna Bhasin’s Review – On Nobody Can Love You More: Life in Delhi's Red Light District

Bhavna Bhasin’s Review – On Nobody Can Love You More: Life in Delhi’s Red Light District

Life in a red light district. [Text by Bhavna Bhasin; photo by Harsh Jain] Delhi-based writer, lawyer, photographer Bhavna Bhasin discussed Nobody Can Love You More: Life in Delhi’s Red Light District, a book by The Delhi Walla, on her…

Photo Essay – 20 The God of Small Things Readers, Ayemenem

Photo Essay – 20 The God of Small Things Readers, Ayemenem

On the novel’s 20th year. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Everyone is reading The God of Small Things in Ayemenem. This village in the backwaters of Kerala is the setting of the aforementioned book. Arundhati Roy’s first novel…

City Monument - Paradesi Synagogue, Jew Town, Cochin

City Monument – Paradesi Synagogue, Jew Town, Cochin

India’s oldest surviving Jewish temple. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Its name literally means ‘foreigner’ in Hindi. The Delhi Walla is in Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town, Cochin. India’s oldest surviving Jewish temple, it is a dream world…

City Landmark - Arundhati Roy's Hotel, Cochin

City Landmark – Arundhati Roy’s Hotel, Cochin

The hotel of The God of Small Things. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] “Room numbers 313 and 327,” The man at the reception desk said. “Non-air-conditioned. Twin beds. Lift is closed for repair.” This is not true. Lift…

City Faith - The Jewish Woman's Muslim Friend, Jew Town, Cochin

City Faith – The Jewish Woman’s Muslim Friend, Jew Town, Cochin

Hope floats. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There are religious wars going on in the world. Muslims hate Jews. Hindus hate Muslims. Yazidis are hated by Islamists. Sunnis hate Shiites. Many hate Muslims. This is the story we…

City Food – The Germany Bakery is Shutting Down, Appetite, Paharganj

City Food – The Germany Bakery is Shutting Down, Appetite, Paharganj

The end of a sweet landmark. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s shutting down. The German Bakery at Appetite German Bakery in Delhi’s backpackers’ district of Paharganj will soon be history. “The bakery is not giving us good…

Photo Essay – The Aloneness of Ruchir Sharma, Khan Market

Photo Essay – The Aloneness of Ruchir Sharma, Khan Market

The published author with his new book. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Is there a more intensely anxious feeling than to be a published writer and enter a bookshop to gaze upon one’s own book that has newly…

Atget’s Corner – 926-930, Delhi Photos

Atget’s Corner – 926-930, 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,…