Atget’s Corner – 1056-1060, Delhi Photos Delhi Pics by The Delhi Walla - September 29, 20170 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 1,00,000 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 1056 to 1060. 1056. “The difficult thing about
City Food – The Best Almond Milk, Quality Dairy & Paneer Bhandar Food by The Delhi Walla - September 27, 20171 The rich elixir. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There’s no getting around it. The Delhi Walla loves those sleepy markets where an entire day can be whiled away and where time seems to charmingly come to a halt. That’s not the only reason I frequently, and leisurely, turn up at Aurobindo Place Market in south Delhi. The building — constructed by Delhi Development Authority — is so aesthetically challenging that it offers pause for thought. The same is true for that gigantic concrete butterfly in the park outside. But the real reason why I patronise Aurobindo Place is the amazing almond milk, a genuine elixir, sold at a modest dairy booth. It turns a lazy bumpkin into a bundle of energy and
City Hangout – A Lonely Railway Station, Sarojini Nagar Market Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - September 25, 2017September 25, 20172 Where few trains stop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] You may think that this lonely little railway station is somewhere out there in the hinterland — one of those bleak little stops that express trains pass by in a whizz. In fact, Sarojini Market station is only a short stroll from the teeming market by the same name, in the heart of chaotic Delhi. Seven city trains stop here daily on weekdays. But the ticket master says there are not more than about 200 passengers on any single day. Here at the station, The Delhi Walla finds solitude, far from the madding city crowd. My daily meditation session could just as easily be on this deserted platform overrun with weeds and pigeons
City Library – Late Leila Seth’s Private Study, Noida Sector 15A Library by The Delhi Walla - September 22, 20171 A vanishing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla is in the private study of Justice Leila Seth, who died four months ago (5 May 2017). This quiet room, redolent with memory, “was her heart and head,” explains daughter Aradhana. A film-maker and photographer, she fondly recalls her mother’s expansive reading tastes. They spill over genres as we scan the shelves, covering the entire gamut from John Grisham to Mulk Raj Anand. We’re joined briefly by Leila Seth’s husband Prem, entering the study after a very long period. He sits down for a few minutes and then leaves, uttering not a single word. “It was really mum’s space, you know, with absolutely all the books she’s ever read,” says Aradhana. As
Mission Delhi – Deepak Kumar, Outside Vidha Sabha Metro Station Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - September 22, 20171 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla can’t cycle more than 30 minutes on an exercise bike, but rickshaw pullers somehow manage constant pedalling day in, day out. What’s their secret? I had a word with Deepak Kumar, who’s been at it for around 15 years. “The legs hurt a lot when you take up the job but, really, the pain goes away after your body has adjusted,” he explains. There’s more to it than that, the rickshaw puller says, as we chat outside Vidhan Sabha Metro station in north Delhi. “You’ve got to constantly take care of your legs!” says Mr Kumar. He is careful about footwear. He finds that plain flip-flops provide infinitely
City Food – The Perfectly Impure Dosa, Indian Coffee House Food by The Delhi Walla - September 19, 20170 The definitive North Indian version. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The romantics celebrate the Indian Coffee House for its turbaned waiters and torn rexine sofas (which, alas, have been replaced by steel chairs). The idealists, who believe that “another world is possible”, come here to strategise on their ongoing protest movements. Many others float into the place because… well, they are told it is iconic. To be sure, nobody comes to the Coffee House for its coffee. The Delhi Walla's affair with this Connaught Place landmark is more prosaic. I'm devoted to its masala dosa. Please don’t tell me that I can get a truly authentic dosa in a nearby outlet that’s straight from Chennai. I love the Coffee House dosa precisely because
Home Sweet Home – Shamim us Din ‘s Cluttered Room, Gali Mochan Delhi Homes by The Delhi Walla - September 17, 2017September 17, 20170 A whole world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Old Delhi’s Shamim ud Din loves machinery. So much so that he decided, years ago, that he needed a tiny dark room near the family residence to store it in. “Yes, I know it’s cluttered,” he says, feasting on chhole poori while we chat. “The trouble is, I now have to live here!” His legs hurt so much he can no longer climb the stairs to the family apartment, where his wife and children live. That house is further ahead on the street. Surveying the scene, The Delhi Walla spots an old Kelvinator fridge... a wall clock wrapped in plastic... a couple of strange looking machines we can’t quite decipher... and under the bed,
City Hangout – Gallery of Musical Instruments, Rabindra Bhavan, Mandi House Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - September 16, 20170 Music as objects. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Here, you’ll make friends with the Dama from Tripura, which looks like a tapering dholak (drum). And there’s the Sanitar, a kind of lute from Kashmir, with a hollow resonator resembling a pear. Almost all the 500 exhibits are handmade, showcasing instruments from across India. Tucked away in central Delhi’s Rabindra Bhavan, the gallery was inaugurated in 1964 by virtuoso violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Despite being such a fascinating place, there are no visitors in the gallery this afternoon except for The Delhi Walla and one more person. It’s a shame because the people who set it up not only understood our musical traditions but also respected the fine aesthetics of woodwork. The delicate stringed Dilruba,
City List – Daily-Wage Carpenter’s Kit, Sadar Bazaar Delhi by List by The Delhi Walla - September 14, 2017September 14, 20171 Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] You may know what it’s like at Central Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar, so congested you can literally crash into somebody. The Delhi Walla almost stumbled over Muhammed Jaafar, a carpenter sitting around on the pavement with other daily wage badai and painters. Mr Jaafar is waiting to be hired by a building contractor--and is definitely prepared. With him is a tool bag so small that I can’t resist asking about the contents. “More than you think,” replies Mr Jaafar, who earns at least 700 rupees daily. He spreads out the tools for my inspection. Some look baffling, but he has just enough time to rattle off their names, mainly in Hindi. Here are a few: Vasula Randa Rande Chaursi Jambore I'm
Julia Child in Delhi – Author Pushpesh Pant Makes His Cool Mutton Khichri, Gurgaon Julia Child's Delhi by The Delhi Walla - September 12, 2017September 12, 20172 The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nobody dares to offers khichri to guests. This rice-and-dal combination is best eaten in complete privacy, as comfort food, or when one is suffering from an upset stomach. But Pushpesh Pant is making this dish in The Delhi Walla's honour this afternoon. I'm at his home in Gurgaon. The author of not less than 20 food books, including the voluminous classic India: The Cookbook, Mr Pant is bent upon turning this Plain Jane into the princess she deserves to be — his words! Between sips of red wine, he holds forth on khichri’s greatness, declaring it to be India’s true national dish. His informed reasoning swings from stories from the Vedas