City Hangout – The Perfect Sunset Point, India Gate Circle Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - December 14, 2017December 14, 20172 The ideal sundown island. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla always imagined that the perfect sunset belonged to cities with a beach or a mountain range. So obviously there couldn’t be any place in Delhi to watch an ideal sundown. I was so wrong. One evening I enter the circular India Gate grounds through the side that faces the Coast Guards headquarters. Here the lawn is free of tourists and ice-cream sellers. Only a few loners are sitting on the dusty grass, apart from a couple and an athletic man stretching his legs. Nothing, however, prepares me for the sight directly ahead. The sun is reduced to a small coin. It is sinking behind the war memorial — quite fitting since the British-built
City Landmark – Lenin’s Tomb, Nehru Park Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - December 13, 20171 A forgotten statue. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sprawling Nehru Park is a perfect escape with its abundance of trees and rocks. You would think our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s statue must be tucked away in some corner. But no, there’s no Nehru in Nehru Park. Instead, we have Vladimir Lenin here. While a great many statues of Lenin were felled under new revolutions in Europe following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Delhi’s Lenin has survived. Here he stands in a three-piece suit with his face turned upwards, as if he is looking ahead into the distant future when socialism would rule the world. The bronze statue was unveiled by USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev and then prime minister
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Ankita Raina, Delhi University Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - December 12, 2017December 12, 20170 The 150th death. [Text by Ankita Raina; photos by Anonymous and Rohini Bhat] Ankita Raina, a student of English Literature in Delhi University and a proud misfit who lived her life in constant terror, died this Thursday morning in a most unusual way. Her overloaded tiny bookshelf fell on her head while she was sleeping. With a copy of Toni Morrison’s Beloved in her hand and lines of stress apparent on her unusually large forehead, she had been recently diagnosed of ‘boringo’ syndrome and ‘plain as a paper’ disorder. She is survived by her family of two loving grandmas, her parents and her brother whom she dearly loved. She was a loving sister, a wonderful daughter, an average granddaughter and a pathetic friend,
City Food – Butter Coffee, Chitli Qabar Chowk Food by The Delhi Walla - December 12, 2017December 12, 20170 The winter drink. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Are you still a butter coffee newbie? You can have one right here in Old Delhi. The quiet, unassuming Mohammed Moinuddin, in his 40s, has been serving butter coffee to loyal local fans for a decade. His roadside stall is on the congested Chitli Qabar Chowk, a few minutes’ walk from Jama Masjid. The stall opens every winter evening at 5pm and closes at 2am (Mr Moinuddin serves cold drinks in summer). One doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to make butter coffee. It’s simply a mug of coffee blended with butter, and it claims to give warm comfort on cold nights. The men-only crowd starts gathering around the stall by 9pm. From then
City Walk – Vakeel Lane, Central Delhi Walks by The Delhi Walla - December 11, 2017December 11, 20170 A serene amble. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This quiet stretch has the tranquility of a siesta hour. Vakeel Lane is a short walk from the Colonial-era commercial district of Connaught Place. But you will not believe it. The air here feels fresher. There is no noise except for the light twittering of birds. The road remains empty most of the time, save for a wandering ramladdu seller or some such soul. And the Connaught Place skyscrapers look as remote as a distant hill range. Start the walk at the point where the lane meets Kasturba Gandhi Marg. Both sides of the alley are lined with boundary walls and back entrances of bungalows, apartments and high-rise offices. Some weather-beaten walls are landscaped
Mission Delhi – Reshma, Inside a Ghaziabad Apartment Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - December 9, 20172 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Young folks have dreams. Dreaming that someday, somewhere, some sort of career awaits. But at age 18, Reshma is already making a living, working in five Delhi households as an all-rounder. Sweeping. Dusting. Washing up. Precisely what a household maid does. The Delhi Walla meets her the other day with energetic Reshma, washing dishes in a modern high-rise in Ghaziabad. Hers is a busy life and, to put it in record, “I always wanted to live in a city.” She grew up in a Bihar village where Dad is a tailor, as well as her two brothers. “I never went to school, but when my didi (sister) last year talked
Netherfield Ball – The Story Behind Meru Gokhale’s No-Show at Chiki Sarkar’s Launch of Perumal Murugan’s Book, India Islamic Center City Parties by The Delhi Walla - December 8, 2017December 8, 20170 The party secrets. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It's a cold smoggy evening at the bleak India Islamic Center and we are growing attached to an intellectual's grey braid. The Delhi Walla is at the launch of Perumal Murugan’s novel The Goat Thief. The author is a modest man; so modest that he slips inside the waiting hall and nobody notices him. Only after he sits down on a corner sofa that a handful of attendees become aware of his presence and approach him for book signing. Meanwhile, Chiki Sarkar, Mr Murugan’s publisher at Juggernaut Books, has not arrived yet. They say Ms Sarkar snatched our novelist-of-the-evening from Penguin Random House. Wait, we sniff gossip here(!) Can this be the reason behind
Home Sweet Home – Chacha Jan’s Unauthorized Home, Vasundhara Delhi Homes by The Delhi Walla - December 8, 20170 Inside the walls. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One day his home was there, as always. Today, it’s not there. That unauthorized makeshift dwelling was the only constant in this ever-changing middle-class neighborhood in suburban Vasundhara. Known simply as Chacha Jan, or Dear Uncle, the elderly man had arrived in Vasundhara in 2000. Situated beyond the eastern edges of Delhi, the area was then uninhabited. His shack was the only structure here. Today, we have dozens of apartment blocks here, each with its barricaded gate. And in this portion of precious real estate, Chacha Jan’s improvised abode had been allowed to survive for so long. The Delhi Walla once documented his house, little knowing that it would soon be history. A native of western
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Megha Gandotra, Jammu & Kashmir Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - December 6, 2017December 12, 20170 The 149th death. [Text and photos by Megha Gandotra] Megha Gandotra, a polyamorous witch of 28 was found dead today in a field of yellow flowers, overdosed on Murakami and clear view of blue skies. Last seen she was searching for her sleep. A romantic cynic by nature, she is survived by her eternally beloved Rafael Besos Nadal and a legacy of unapologetic fearlessness. Her talents included telepathy and blind optimism, which were the main predisposing factors leading to her death. Her creased darkness shall be honoured by drinking LIIT and reading poetry (with translations) on full moons. Our Self-Written Obituaries invites people to write their obituary in 200 words. The idea is to share with the world how you will like to be
City Hangout – Sajid’s Hair-Cutting Salon, Ballimaran Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - December 5, 20171 Best barber shop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Is there anything to say about the Walled City that hasn’t already been said? Though the area thrives on pure chaos, you can always find a small space offering sweet respite, perhaps even tranquillity. The other night, The Delhi Walla stumbled upon something just like that at a barber’s shop. You may think I'm a hopeless romantic overwhelmed by every stall under a tree. But I'm talking of an establishment located extraordinarily at the intersection of Galli Mahal Sari and Gali Patna Wali in Ballimaran, the neighbourhood where poet Ghalib lived more than a century ago. This open-air shop doesn’t have a name (doesn’t need one), but boasts of three impressive salon chairs along with imposing