Our Self-Written Obituaries – Vivien, Manipur
The 235th death. [Text and photo sent by Vivien] when my breath has stopped and my heart has worked enough And i lay still, bury me. bury me and not cremate me because I’ve polluted the world enough bury me…
City Landmark – The Summertime Pilkhan Tree, Feroz Shah Kotla
The perfect eye candy. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The blistering hot April is actually the kindest month. The world is now teeming with a kind of extraordinary beauty that you don’t have to seek by driving all…
Mission Delhi – Dinesh Kumar, Style Plaza
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Broken chairs and discarded cardboard cartons litter the floor. The office is in shambles. The only indication that Dinesh Kumar is a travel agent is…
City Hangout – Touchy-Feely Gallery, National Museum
Tangible way of experiencing the past. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It may be hard to resist grasping the Shiva sculpture estimated to be from the fifth century. Or perhaps playing with the deity’s large earrings. In fact,…
Mission Delhi – Yaad Ram, Sadar Bazaar, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] His slightly swirly moustache renders the 66-year-old ironing man in Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazaar in the National Capital Region with a certain measure of awe. Even…
Home Sweet Home – A Mother’s Handmade Cradle, Central Delhi Pavement
Baby’s swing. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Baby Aslam is lying snugly in his padded swing hanging from a tree while Mom keeps a watchful eye out for him. “He’s just turned three months,” says content-looking Firdaus, a…
City Hangout – Central Park, Defence Colony
Public garden anthropology. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Cool breeze and chirpy birds. Two morose seeming lovers. A man lying flat on the grass. Such are the scenes of an ordinary afternoon in Central Park. Built upon what…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Mrittika, Bangalore
The 234th death. [Text and photo sent by Mrittika] Mrittika, 27, was found lifeless by a lively corner of Iskcon Temple, her lively abode for the last 7 years. Mrittika was known to have appeared at the footsteps of the…
City Faith – Hazrat Qutub Shah Chishti’s Sufi Shrine, Outside the Election Commission of India Headquarters
A pilgrimage by an office block. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] No one’s here. It’s all as quiet as a graveyard. The very air is suffused with a profound essence of utmost peacefulness. This can be the tip…
City Life – Friends Outside Facebook, Shivji Park, Gurgaon
Offline Relationships. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is rare these days to come across folks who aren’t on Facebook. That’s why these three gentlemen sitting in a hair-cutting salon in Gurgaon’s Shivji Park seem so special. Perhaps…
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