City Moment – Two Friends, Lodhi Gardens
The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s not always easy to find a true friend. But these two 18-year-olds have found one—in each other. Now on their 8th day in Delhi, Rupesh Kumar and Ravikant hail…
Julia Child in Delhi – Ayeshe Sadr’s “Awesome Chocolate Cake”, Mehrauli
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] As the possessive owner of 50 gorgeous saris, a beautiful silver “sari-belt” and a much-loved cake recipe, Ayeshe Sadr seems to be enjoying a reasonably contended existence…
City Monument – Bagh-I-Alam Ka Gumbad, Deer Park
A forlorn but lovely Lodhi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Snuggled in the heart of south Delhi’s Deer Park, it is one of the Capital’s most beautiful and perhaps least-known Lodhi-era ruins. The 16th century Bagh-I-Alam Ka Gumbad…
Mission Delhi – Vinod’s Rani Devi, West Delhi
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] His lunch spot is always the same. It’s a table for one, in the snug passengers’ seat of his auto-rickshaw now safely parked along a…
City Nature – Homeward-Bound Birds, Central Delhi
Bird watching. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gazing upon thousands of birds returning to their evening nests sounds like a fine countryside experience. But in fact, it happens right here in Delhi. Our smoggy metropolis is probably home…
City Faith – Nane Mian’s Sufi Shrine, Mandi House Traffic Circle
The charms of a roadside shrine. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s easier than you think to experience genuine peace amid urban chaos. Just pausing at a Sufi shrine in Central Delhi does its magic. Pedestrians at the…
City Hangout – Live Music Hotspots, Paharganj
A world inside a world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] So this is Delhi’s hidden Europe. That is, if you believe in the title of a recent Bollywood thriller, Paharganj—The Little Amsterdam of India. The central Delhi district—especially…
City Hangout – Bird Feeding Pilgrimage, Hamdard Chowk
To the communion. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s a hot muggy morning and these three supplicants are devoutly praying. Not in a temple but at a Central Delhi traffic island teeming with pigeons. The devotees now open…
City Food – Unusual Tikki, Gupta Chaat Corner
A popular snack’s strange adaptation. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nobody can object to the fact that deep-fried aloo patties soused in a cold gravy of dahi and chutneys make up the essentials of a respectable plate of…
Mission Delhi – Chhaya, Construction Site, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Her name is supremely ironical, at this moment in the day at least. The young woman is working as a labourer under the searing noon…
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