Our Self-Written Obituaries – Sukanya Shaji, Hyderabad Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - November 30, 2017November 30, 20170 The 148th death. [Text by Sukanya Shaji; author photos by Midhun Mukund and Hari Sankar] Sukanya Shaji, a dreamer of no significance, was found dead in her bed this morning. She was a perfectly healthy woman of 26, who met her end due to a cardiac arrest during sleep. Reportedly, this was not the first time her heart went under arrest but nothing until now had been potent enough to kill her. She is survived by two wonderful parents, a bunch of lovely friends, a few Fab India kurthas and the manuscripts she kept aside because of self-esteem issues. Her books, which are gifts, are to be returned to their respective senders. Her envelopes are to be sent to those who never replied
City Hangout – Amrit Book Company, Connaught Place Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - November 29, 2017November 29, 20170 The last folks standing. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In the age of electronic bookselling, an independent bookstore at Connaught Place is a rarity. As one of New Delhi’s few surviving book shops, the Amrit Book Company is very much a family enterprise, launched in 1936 by Punjabi immigrant Amit Dhar Nullay. His portrait hangs above the counter, while his son Prem has managed to keep the inheritance alive even as most CP bookstores are long gone. Amrit Book Company, along with Jain Book Depot, are New Delhi’s oldest surviving shops. Browsers at Amrit may well discover Prem sitting in a corner reading a spiritual tract while his two sons Puneet and Sumit keep the shop running smoothly. They tell The Delhi Walla
Julia Child in Delhi – Sangeeta Makes Her Vegan Malai Kofta, Uday Park Julia Child's Delhi by The Delhi Walla - November 27, 2017November 27, 20170 The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Everything was almost lost trying to pay for Papa’s medical bills when he fell ill. The land had to be pawned. Sangeeta, the third of four sisters, then left Turbul, her village near Ranchi in Jharkhand, and came to Delhi where she built a career as a cook in affluent households. She went on to earn enough money to get back the family’s land. “There was a time when we would go to other houses in the village for a bowl of rice but now other people of the village come to ask us for rice,” she says. The Delhi Walla is hanging out with Sangeeta in a tony apartment in
100 Things To Do Before You Quit Delhi – Hang Out at Midnight by the Holy Sarovar, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - November 26, 2017November 27, 20170 The perfect Delhi experience. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One thing you ought to do before leaving Delhi forever is to visit the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib at midnight. After going to the prayer hall, get out into the courtyard and walk down the marble stairs towards the sarovar, the holy pond. At this hour, this is one of the most beautiful sights in Delhi — simple and serene. The lights of the gurdwara shimmer in the water. The sarovar’s clear water doesn’t appear still and instead feels like a river in motion. The gurdwara is also known for its famous langar (kitchen), offering free sit-down meals at regular intervals. Dedicated to Guru Har Kishan, the eighth Sikh guru, it was the site of
Mission Delhi – Momo, Hazrat Nizamuddin East Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - November 23, 2017November 23, 20171 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A moonbeam lent too briefly. Momo, who was born just a few months ago, died recently. The Delhi Walla first saw the kitten in an artsy apartment in a well-heeled central Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin East. I could tell even her mother knew all was not well with the newborn. Sheeba, usually a rather reserved cat, was licking Momo all over her tiny body. For the last few days, the infant Momo had been unable to walk on all fours. When she tried, her hind legs dragged behind as if they were paralysed. Momo looked so small and fragile that one feared she might dissolve to the touch. It wasn’t clear
City Moment – Candle Light Dinner in the Time of Pollution, South Delhi Moments by The Delhi Walla - November 22, 20171 The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was late evening. A candle was flickering. Three men were sitting around the table with untouched glasses of white wine. A Bollywood song was playing on a laptop with a white cat lounging beside the speakers. The pale moon was glowing through the cold air though we could not spot any stars. This south Delhi terrace seemed perfectly idyllic, except that the three men were wearing anti-pollution masks — surrounded by almost two hundred plants. “Isn’t this terrible!” exclaimed one of them, “We looked at 30 apartments before finalising this one. Its USP is this lovely terrace, but now I fear we’ll seriously compromise our health if we do not move indoors.” An expat
City Hangout – Poems from the Underground, British Council Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - November 20, 20173 The consolation of verses. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Finding poetry in a smoggy chaotic city like ours can be a challenge. The other day, however, The Delhi Walla was delighted to discover a barely visited stairway that is paved by some really good poems — literally. This almost-hidden passage is in the British Council, the modernist building in central Delhi designed by architect Charles Correa. The staircase goes down from the building’s ground floor to a basement and is accessible to visitors (you just have to show your I-card at the gate). The staircase is used by students taking English language tests at the centre. Each step is like flipping through pages of a poetry anthology. The walls are decked with
City Food – Winter Chikkis, Rithala Food by The Delhi Walla - November 17, 20171 The cold season treat. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] These days it’s the smog that heralds the Delhi winters. The Delhi Walla is told that long ago, when the air was still clean, this shift in the season was detected by the appearance of chikki sellers on our mohalla streets. It is said that the summer-time kulfi wallahs would take to selling the delicious peanut-jaggery delicacy that not only gives a sugar boost but also infuses comforting warmth. The other day, I found young Mustafa with a treasure trove not only of chikkis but also its other cousins — revri and gajak, though I didn’t care for his piles of peanuts. Cars frequently stopped by his roadside stall in north Delhi’s Rithala.
City Hangout – Minto Bridge Underpass, Central Delhi Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - November 15, 20170 The bridge of sounds. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] We don’t expect romance out of a railway underbridge. And yet, here is Minto Bridge. Named after a British viceroy, it connects Connaught Place (CP) to the New Delhi railway station (Ajmeri Gate side). As you enter the bridge’s tunnel-like pass, walking along the pavement, the shrill traffic noise turns into a soft hum. The sounds of buses, autos and bikes merge and hauntingly echo off Minto’s old walls. A train rumbling along on the tracks above adds to the intense experience. Until a few years ago, Minto Bridge was also the address of a popular landmark: Splash Bar & Restaurant. Tucked on one side of the bridge, it was a watering
Julia Child in Delhi – Kamala Hemrajani Makes Her Sindh’s Dal Pakwaan, Defence Colony Julia Child's Delhi by The Delhi Walla - November 14, 2017November 14, 20171 The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] They say that Karachi, the capital of Pakistan's Sindh province, is full of Delhiwalas who moved there after Partition. In fact, Karachi even has a neighbourhood called Delhi Mercantile Society. One of our city’s greatest novelists, Ahmad Ali, spent his last years in Karachi. But here's something about Sindhi Hindus who moved to Delhi after Partition. “There are a lot of us who settled in Mayfair Gardens, Lajpat Nagar and Old Rajinder Nagar,” says Kamala Hemrajani — called Kamlu by family and friends — who lives in a lovely apartment in Defence Colony. Ms Hemrajani’s husband retired from a long career in the corporate world. Her two sons recently finished business