City Food – Tea Stall’s Account Book and Chai, Roshanpura, Gurgaon Food by The Delhi Walla - March 7, 2019March 7, 20190 The ecosystem of chai. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Each pavement chai stall looks alike in its extreme modesty—there’s the pan, or kettle, the stove and the gas cylinder. But each chai stall is unique, its character coming from the person who runs it. So is the case with Jaiveer Singh’s kiosk in Gurgaon’s Roshanpura in the National Capital Region. Stacked against the glass walls of a garment showroom, Mr Singh’s stall is the epicenter of the area’s social ecosystem. Here, traders come to gossip about the state of the bazar. Here, disputes are allowed to run their full course. All the while, Mr Singh diligently jots down credits on his bahikhata, his account book. It’s a most pretty object. With
Home Sweet Home – Mintu & Family, Delhi Footpaths Delhi Homes by The Delhi Walla - March 6, 2019March 6, 20190 A family with dogs. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This industrious family of ragpickers manages to earn around 10,000 rupees every month, which they reckon is sufficient for themselves and their three dogs--Kaloo, Laloo and Julie. But, on this warm February afternoon, Mintu and his cheerful family are just taking it easy, basking under the deliciously warm sun. Otherwise, they’re mostly patrolling Central Delhi avenues picking up discarded bottles. “We leave all our things on the pavement while foraging and our dogs look after them,” explains his wife Sabeeta. “They are our rakshaks (protectors).” Along with their two sons, the couple has been living in the city for years, picking rags every day, with all family possessions crammed into a little cart—blankets
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Aparna Tripathy, Bangalore Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - March 6, 2019March 6, 20190 The 215th death. [Text and photos sent by Aparna Tripathy] Aparna Tripathy, 27, was found dead in her room, the movie Dead Poets Society nonchalantly playing on her laptop. Ms Tripathy lived with Goofy and Pluto (dogs) and Hobbes (cat) in a small sea-facing house in Gokarna, Karnataka. Her essential material possessions were a Vespa, a camera, a laptop and a Nokia 1100. And, of course, many-many pictures of her friends who would visit her beach house. The young lady often fantasized about joining the 27 club; in fact, she shared her birthday with Jimi Hendrix who died at 27. She often said -"Maybe, I'd become Cobain's assistant out there. Or maybe start something like a Rolling Stones magazine up there. Or be
City Faith – Poet Kabir’s Temple, Gurgaon Faith by The Delhi Walla - March 4, 2019August 29, 20220 Shrine to a verse-writer. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The gate is latched from inside, but you can open it by sliding your hands through the grill. And over the far end of the courtyard sits the bearded sage. Like any Indian town, Gurgaon in the National Capital Region is full of temples. A great many tend to be devoted to Ram, Hanuman, Shiva and Durga. But here, in Sadar Bazar, stands a rare temple commemorating the mystical 15th century poet Sant Kabir. The courtyard also has shrines to Durga and Shiva, to be sure, but Kabir’s statue is placed in the centre, and only he has been given the privilege of a chamber. Built of white tiles and iron grills, Kabir’s enclosure
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Vishwam Prakash, Noida General by The Delhi Walla - March 4, 2019March 4, 20190 The 214th death. [Text and photos sent by Vishwam Prakash] Vishwam Prakash died yesterday when he choked on a gulab jamun. He looked fulfilled and at peace in death largely because of how good the gulab jamun was. Mr Prakash was a lost man. He sought beauty and truth and meaning and more such words that have no measurable worth in the world. And he was obsessed with love. The dream of his life was to create a unified theory of life centered around love. Ironically he could never bring himself to believe that he wasn't unlovable. He didn't like to complain though and he hated confrontations. He didn't do much because he was too lazy but also because he was skeptical of
Mission Delhi – Muhammed Salman, Bazaar Lane Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - March 4, 2019March 10, 20191 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A kind of sartorial splendour enhances Muhammed Salman’s daily runs on his rickshaw. This morning he’s peddling through a Central Delhi bazaar, elegantly dressed in white. It helps attract additional customers, though at some cost: He’s got to set aside 800 rupees every month to get the garments washed by a dhobi. Not that Mr Salman has a choice in this matter. Lacking access to a bathroom, he lives on a plot of footpath outside the Civic Centre. He doesn’t hesitate disposing his pantshirts “when they become too filthy to be used.” And other difficulties can arise. The clothes he’s now wearing have been laundered twice, “but the dhobis
City Monument – Unnamed Mosque, Agrasen ki Baoli Monuments by The Delhi Walla - March 1, 2019March 1, 20190 The beauty of an ignored ruin. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] So melancholic and beautiful, and nobody bothers about it. The unnamed and unused mosque is tucked in a corner of the Agrasen ki Baoli, one of Delhi’s most celebrated destinations for lovers and tourists. The 14th century stepwell has appeared in many guidebooks and Hindi films. Most of the time, you’ll find it crowded with revelers, their backs royally turned towards the mosque. This general disdain gives the discerning person the illusion of ownership upon the mosque’s poignant beauty. The time-worn building stands on clusters of columns gracefully sculpted with leaf-like designs. Little niches are built discretely in the wall. A massive Neem tree leans over the mosque, its branches settling