City Hangout – Udupi Café, Pratap Bhawan, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - April 16, 2019April 16, 20192 A summer oasis. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The window blinds are smothering out any hint of the day, keeping the hall in a cool delicious shade. Udupi Café in Central Delhi’s ITO (Pratap Bhawan, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg) is an idyllic May-and-June oasis, permeated with the languid romance of a post-lunch siesta. Otherwise, the South Indian specialty eatery has the atmosphere of a messy canteen. This afternoon, the tables are filled with tie-wearing office-goers. The ceiling is echoing with the clattering of forks, spoons, and hushed banter. The air is scented by sambhar curry. Far, far away is the blinding white heat of the boiling city. Nobody in here can guess the extent of the summer atrocity lurking outside. While
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Sadia Hashmi, Abul Fazal Enclave, Delhi Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - April 16, 2019April 16, 20190 The 231st death. [Text and photos sent by Sadia hashmi] Sadia Hashmi, 25, was discovered dead in her study in New Delhi. She passed away while writing her autobiography. To our surprise, she was towards the end of the book. The last line of which reads - "...and she lived happily ever after..." The story of her death is quite mysterious. Some people say she got suffocated by the great expectations of people around her. Had she been alive, she would have blamed narcissists for her death. She strongly believed in humanity. It was very difficult for her to see people suffering. People often called her feminist. Although she enjoyed all sorts of freedom during her life time, she still found herself in chains
Mission Delhi – Muhammed Akbar, Lutyens’ Delhi Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - April 16, 2019April 16, 20190 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He finds it difficult to sleep at night, which is understandable. “How can I?” says autorickshaw driver Muhammed Akbar. Driving his auto through the leaves-strewn avenues of Lutyens’ Delhi, Mr Akbar opens up about his life, in particular the gory incident that changed its course around two years back — his elder daughter was kidnapped and her body found the next afternoon close to the family home in east Delhi’s Gautampuri. Police are still on the lookout for the murderer, he says. Meantime, life must carry on, “and particularly for the sake of our younger daughter.” As an 8th standard student, she’s almost never left alone, always