City Monument – Old Stephen’s, Kashmere Gate Monuments by The Delhi Walla - July 13, 20190 The building that once housed a famous college. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Red bricks, sprawling gardens and a cute little chapel. That’s St Stephen’s College in Delhi University’s North Campus. But this dream destination for millions of aspiring college students earlier used to be housed in this stone edifice here in Kashmere Gate. Indeed, this older building, standing with solemn solidity, somewhat appears more appropriate to the temperament of a venerable institution more than a 100 years old. Stephen’s was originally founded in a haveli in Old Delhi’s Kinari Bazaar before moving to Kashmere Gate in 1891. The college went to its present address 50 years later. The Stephen’s of Kashmere Gate is now home to Delhi State Election Commission. Visit
Mission Delhi – Om Prakash, Central Delhi Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - July 13, 20190 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s hardly a secret that any number of people may choose to disguise greying hair with henna. But Om Prakash has carried it one step further - to the level of sheer artistry. The 58-year-old safai worker with the municipal corporation has his hair streaked in various shades of red, while his moustache is hued in a brighter shade. “I dye my hair every Sunday at 10am,” he reveals, with a serene smile playing on his lips. “And wash it off two hours later, with a helping hand from my wife, Leela.” The moustache he deals with himself. Does his use of henna perhaps reveal a sense of insecurity about advancing
City Walk – Side-lane Strolling, Jor Bagh Walks by The Delhi Walla - July 11, 20190 A passage to exclusivity. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Who wouldn’t want to live right here in Jor Bagh? This upscale neighbourhood in Central Delhi is far from maddening crowds, with graceful mansions safely secured by guards and dogs. Even so, one can sense the flavour of the hushed enclave by embarking on a pleasing stroll through a side-alley connecting to Jor Bagh via Second Avenue Road. The discreetly situated lane takes you past the backsides of the great houses where any number of tiny dwellings provide shelter for staff— plus, there are enchanting views of spiraling staircases going up to the roof. These one-room homes are crammed with beds and tables and entire lifetimes worth of domestic accumulations. Elsewhere, the lovely short
Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Siddhartha Singh, Central Delhi General by The Delhi Walla - July 11, 2019July 11, 20190 Poetry in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Not only a prolific poet, he’s also a busy tax lawyer. But Siddhartha Singh, chatting in a Delhi café, does suggest a greater intimacy to poetry, “even while law remains my profession!” Mr Singh, 29, talks of poems as his “coping mechanism”. He recalls his boyhood in Kanpur, UP, when he was struggling with depression. “At that time, people around me thought depression was not a disease and that it could be fixed by being happy and by regular exercise!” The depression started fading away only after he found himself turning to writing “first prose, then poetry” as a law student in Lucknow. By now he’s got some 500 poems under his belt (his blog:
Home Sweet Home – Ruined Mansion, Roshanpura, Gurgaon Delhi Homes by The Delhi Walla - July 10, 2019July 10, 20190 The story of a home. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Old abandoned houses tend to become hauntingly surreal in their dilapidation. Despite being stereotyped as a fantasy land of high-rises and multi-storey apartments, the Futuristic City of Gurgaon in the National Capital Region has a remarkably good enough share of these relics. And now, here’s the most extraordinary of them all, situated, understandably, in the old parts of the city, at Roshanpura. The house is extensively damaged, as if one night it was simply bombed out of existence by a fighter jet. The roof is missing. So are the rooms. But some walls are still intact, with their shelves and niches. One has the imprints of a staircase that no longer exists.
City Life – Rickshaw Puller Saroj Pal’s Pillow, Central Delhi Life by The Delhi Walla - July 10, 20190 Material comforts. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This rather humid morning Saroj Lal in Central Delhi is still sound asleep in his rickshaw, his body splayed across it. With his feet lazily slumped over the handle bar. So many other pullers sleep exactly like this, that the casual onlooker might not spot one crucial difference: Mr Lal’s head is more or less hanging in mid air, resting in a sling made out of his white gamcha scarf. Now awake, Mr Lal explains that the scarf acts as a pillow—“an idea I got from a friend.” “Before that, I had trouble sleeping in my rickshaw because I’m too tall and had to fold my legs.” He also would sometimes sleep on the pavement with
City Food – Devi Prasad’s Chai Stall, Paharganj Food by The Delhi Walla - July 9, 2019July 9, 20190 The ideal tea stop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Finally found! The pavement chai shop that arguably serves the town’s very best chai. But, first, let’s make something clear. There is no “best” chai shack in Delhi, because chai is not the deciding factor. Some of the most charming and atmospheric stalls can only rustle out average versions of tea. But Devi Prasad’s stall in Paharganj, for all its moody setting, does arguably serve the best chai among shacks of its kind. It tends to be towards the stronger side but not too sweet. Yet it provides a cathartic sugar-high on an exhausted afternoon when you most need it. Founded by Mr Prasad some 40 years ago, it doesn’t have the trappings
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