City Food – Green Chilli Pakoras, Gurgaon Railway Station
Hot and delicious. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is a universally acknowledged truth that food always looks tastier than it truly is to hungry passengers in railway stations waiting for their expresses and mails. So one must…
Mission Delhi – Shabana Banu, Central Delhi
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In an instant, her life changed forever. “My son, my only son, is dead,” says Shabana Banu, who lives on a Central Delhi footpath. Her…
City Food – Longtime Golgappas, Radhe Radhe Chaat Stall
Explosions of joy. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Just a few years back it was a wildly popular chaat stall, but without a name. Success builds on success. No longer a cart on the pavement, the Radhe Radhe…
Mission Delhi – Nanku, North Delhi
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nanku is a man of few possessions. A daily-wage labourer in north Delhi, his most visible elements of private property has to be his silver…
Home Sweet Home – A Window View, Opposite Jama Masjid
A prized window. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At first glance this room seems a bit the worse for wear. Creaky door. Fading paintwork on the walls. So what? The glass window in this room looks straight out…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Tanmayee Thakur, Bombay
The 240th death. [Text and photos sent by Tanmayee Thakur] Tanmayee Thakur had mastered all forms of delicate living by 22. Tracing her fingers on the silhouettes of clouds, pressing the petals of sunflowers between her lips, breaking open the…
City Faith – A Sacred Tree, Shiv Shani Temple, Basant Lok
A leafy tree that is also worshiped. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Our first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru once famously declared that dams were the new temples of modern India. But now, with climate change, we might also…
City Walk – Chirag Delhi Village, South Delhi
A small town stroll. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Ladies standing by a corner, murmuring to each other in low voices. Idle shopkeepers silently watching the street life outside. Small town vibes are evocative of slow living, letting…
Mission Delhi – Muhammed Israil, Jacobpura, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Furiously transforming cities like Gurgaon in the Greater Delhi Region are full of promises and draw hopefuls from across the country who want to build…
City Monument – Isa Khan’s Mausoleum, Humayun’s Tomb Complex
Little gem. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Poor Isa Khan! Such a beautiful tomb the little-known nobleman built for himself long before his death and so miraculously it has survived the passage of centuries. But, he had the…
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