City Moment – The Drawing Room Darvesh, Central Delhi Moments by The Delhi Walla - December 23, 20170 The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Academic Ronie Parciack may be the only person in Delhi who has found something positive to say about our city’s loathsome pollution. “Smog blurs the surroundings which makes for good photography,” says Ms Parciack, a multi-talented Israeli scholar whose latest book deals with aesthetics in Hindi cinema. Right this moment, though, The Delhi Walla's focus isn’t Bollywood at all but her particular passion: Sufi whirling as practiced by the dervishes of Turkey’s Mevlevi order. Dragging away the sofa in her rented central Delhi apartment to create more space, she turns on some music consisting of duff drum beats. “Whirling,” the visiting professor from Tel Aviv University, explains, ”has nothing to do with ecstasy, but
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Aparna Kumar, Mayur Vihar Phase 1 Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - December 23, 2017December 23, 20170 The 153rd death. [Text Aparna Kumar, photos by Ariz Ali and DevVrat Kumar] Aparna Kumar, a budding editor by profession and a hesitant writer at heart, took her last breath unceremoniously in a cab. While traffic wiped the smiles off the faces of people, she continued to smile even when the heart attack consumed her. The irony was insufferable. Then again, it was only appropriate as she had spent most of her days in a cab on Delhi's smog-ridden roads. She will perhaps not be remembered by many, and the few who will miss her will cry their hearts out, smoke their lungs out, and eventually move on with their lives. She will be remembered however by the books she
City Hangout – People Watching, Green Park Parket Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - December 22, 2017December 22, 20170 Shameless voyeurism. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Here’s a setting resembling a peculiar collage one doesn’t see anywhere else in Delhi. By simply parking myself on one of those comfy benches at Green Park market The Delhi Walla is transformed into a shameless voyeur watching a surreal world parading past. Grannies in worn cardigans rub shoulders with hipsters sporting hi-fi hairdos. You spot a closer encounter between a young couple — the lad crooning a Hindi love song — and a man jogging past in comfortably fitted Bermuda shorts and a monkey cap. All credit for sustaining this kind of human ecosystem is the market’s unusually broad sidewalk — rare in Delhi and so intimate — but nobody seems to appreciate this gift. It’s
Mission Delhi – Asha Jain, Anand Lok Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - December 21, 20170 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] She could be from the fairy tale Rapunzel with that glowing white hair cascading down to her ankles. It’s almost bewitching. What could be the secret behind it? A trained classical singer, Asha Jain shrugs her shoulders with the indifference of a woman perhaps weary of compliments in her 80-something years. “Oh, but really,” she says modestly. “My hair has been falling for the past 15 years!” The Delhi Walla is at her cottage in south Delhi’s upscale Anand Lok where she finally reveals the secret. “I never use a hair dryer!” Though she shampoos her hair every Sunday, and until a few years ago she regular washed her hair with
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Ritu Mehra, Delhi University Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - December 21, 2017December 21, 20170 The 152nd death. [Text and photos sent by Ritu Mehra] Another nobody has left this world without a preamble and has not left much behind as well. Ritu Mehra aka Amphitrite knew only herself and that too partially. A soon-to-be History graduate from University of Delhi with plans for a life in archaeology, she died on stage while performing King Richard III’s monologue (ACT I, SCENE 1) by Will Shakespeare. ‘The winter of her discontent’ took her away this Sunday. Her parents and her little sister are not shocked at her dramatic end. She was a living drama. Nobody knew much about her apart from her family, including her cats. Known to have no admirers, Ms Mehra died a virgin. A fan of Alexander
Atget’s Corner – 1071-1075, Delhi Photos Delhi Pics by The Delhi Walla - December 20, 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 1071 to 1075. 1071. The Wallet Selects Her
City Food – Black Jalebis, Sultanji Sweets & Snacks Food by The Delhi Walla - December 18, 20172 Classic with a twist. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] You’ve probably heard that story about Emperor Shahjahan wanting to build another Taj Mahal — this one in black. Some historians say it’s a myth. Fair enough. But black jalebis are very real. This unusual delicacy can only be found at Sultanji Sweets & Snacks in the Matia Mahal Bazar in Old Delhi. It opened just a year ago — the original shop is in Burhanpur, Madhya Pradesh. Asghar Ali, who works behind the counter, explains that the cooking method is the same as the standard orange version. But while orange jalebis are made from maida (refined flour), the black sibling consists of khoya (thickened milk) whipped into a gooey mash. In fact, people in the
Mission Delhi – Surya Lal Maurya, Azadpur Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - December 18, 20170 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Walk along the Azadpur back lanes in north Delhi at night and you’re bound to run across weary day labourers settling in for some shut-eye. On the pavement, or perhaps on the creaky carts they hauled around until a few hours ago. This scenario isn’t much different from the lives of day labourers anywhere else in our city. And these days they are never seen without one crucial item: the mobile phone. One lazy Sunday afternoon, The Delhi Walla bumped into Surya Lal Maurya in an alley where he had just finished some off-duty chores, like laundry. He was kind enough to explain why his phone is important. “I often
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Supratim Bhattacharjee, Mankar Village, West Bengal Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - December 15, 2017December 15, 20171 The 151st death. [Text and self-photos by Supratim Bhattacharjee] Sleep eluded him most of the nights but today he finally caught hold of Hypnos, the God of Sleep. Supratim Bhattacharjee, known to his friends as Supu, was found dead this morning on his bed with his eyes fixated at the ceiling fan. He still had the faint smile peaking through his famously draping mustache. The cause of death is said to be overdosing on memes. Mr Bhattacharjee's phone was by his side with his Instagram homepage still getting auto-refreshed with unread messages. He will forever be remembered for his ability to make jokes out of even the worst scenarios just to make his mates laugh. He also never missed the opportunity to call out someone
Netherfield Ball – Studying the Origins of Sharmila Tagore’s Charisma, Prithviraj Road City Parties by The Delhi Walla - December 15, 2017December 15, 20172 The party secrets. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is an undisputed truth that the rich and the famous live in a world different from ours. One winter afternoon The Delhi Walla sneaked inside a gated bungalow in Central Delhi’s Prithviraj Road, the address of the 0.0001 percent. It was a rare blue sky and a garden party was in progress. The sun was shining and the flowers were blooming in bright colors. Suited security guards stood around the hedges, presumably looking for potential assassins. Among the guests, I spotted the legendary film actor Sharmila Tagore, and veteran politicians Farooq Abdullah and Salman Khurshid—his wife Louise came separately. The smooth-speaking society hostess Ratan Kaul was sitting in the circle that