Our Self-Written Obituaries – Shadman Alvi, Chattarpur, Delhi Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - July 8, 20190 The 238th death. [Text and photos sent by Shadman Alvi] It was a cold frigid winter evening when the news broke out. Shadman Alvi, 62, was found lying cold on the floor of his small house in a city suburb. “It was a heart-attack,” the reports confirmed. The room Mr Alvi leaves behind reflects his life’s simplicity. It includes his favorite pale-yellow lights, a money-plant vine that he named Dobby, a window-side bed and a wall, painted black. The Urdu poster on the wall reads, 'Khushi zahir choti-choti cheezon mein hai', which translates to, 'Happiness is found in small-small things'. These were his mother's words. Mr Alvi’s tombstone reads—‘Inshallah,’ or God-willing. Our Self-Written Obituaries invites people to write their obituary in 200 words. The idea
Mission Delhi – Renu Prajapati, Near Gurgaon Bus Stand Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - July 8, 2019July 8, 20191 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This e-rickshaw driver is a woman. Such a sight is rare in Delhi, and more so across the city border here in conservative Haryana. “Yes, I’m a driver, and been so for long,” laughs Renu Prajapati. This scorching afternoon she is waiting for commuters on a busy sun-baked lane near Gurgaon’s main bus stand, and is chatting to a fellow driver (male) whose vehicle is parked next to hers. In her early 20s, Ms Prajapati is dressed in grey. Her long hair is tied into a knot and hidden away under a cap. “Driving was always a passion,” says the cheery woman, “which later became a necessity.” Her
City Hangout – The Monsoon Bucket List, Around Town Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - July 8, 20190 Season's getaways. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] As Delhi prepares to welcome another monsoon, here are places in the city where you can feel the season most intensely. Happy rains. History spot Carry along a thermos of piping-hot adrak chai to this temple-like pavilion in central Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan rally ground. This is the rostrum from where leaders of post-independence India such as Indira Gandhi and Jai Prakash Narayan delivered iconic speeches to the nation. In 1963, singer Lata Mangeshkar mourned the humiliating debacle of the war with China by singing Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon, which famously moved prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears in public. In fact, he had got the pavilion built in 1961 for Queen Elizabeth II’s