Mission Delhi - Munazir, Central Delhi

Mission Delhi – Munazir, Central Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Most Delhiites are familiar with the deep-throated cry of “kabadi walla kabadi walla!” (scrap collector, scrap collector!) as he walks along residential lanes. His cry…

City Food - Mahadev-Parvati Chai Stall, Civil Lines, Gurgaon

City Food – Mahadev-Parvati Chai Stall, Civil Lines, Gurgaon

Portrait of a partnership. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Just another roadside tea stall, you might say. But it has a picturesque setting. Under a leafy khirni tree. Outside a deliciously decrepit bungalow. Across the road from a…

Mission Delhi - Sush Pal, Vaishali

Mission Delhi – Sush Pal, Vaishali

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At first glance, this auto-rickshaw driver in Vaishali in the Greater Delhi Region looks like somebody out of the post-gender age—where it’s politically incorrect to…

City Landmark - Venus Digital Colour Lab & Studio, Jacobpura, Gurgaon

City Landmark – Venus Digital Colour Lab & Studio, Jacobpura, Gurgaon

The museum of visuals. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is a treasure house and nobody realises it. Perhaps not even the good owner himself. “There was a time when we would daily sell 20 cameras, 100 film…

City Faith - Hazrat Nizamuddin's Chilla, Central Delhi

City Faith – Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Chilla, Central Delhi

A Sufi shelter. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s an escapist’s paradise. The chillah, or retreat, of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya is one of Delhi’s most serene monuments. Here, the city’s iconic 14th century sufi saint lived, meditated, and…

Mission Delhi - Raju, Bapu Niwas

Mission Delhi – Raju, Bapu Niwas

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This small house is all he knows of MK Gandhi. “That takhat,” says Raju, pointing to a wooden bed, “is Gandhiji’s vishram-asan on which he…

City Landmark - Stein's Architecture, India Habitat Centre

City Landmark – Stein’s Architecture, India Habitat Centre

A work of art. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s like a beautiful art mural shattered into pieces. This is actually the building’s multitudinous ceiling panels reflecting off the water puddles. It just stopped raining here at the…

City Moment - A Friendly Surprise, Gurgaon

City Moment – A Friendly Surprise, Gurgaon

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Can you survive daily life without friendship? Not having even a single friend? Prakash Swami can. “I have no friend,” he says in a friendly tone. In his early 40s,…

City Food - Patate al Forno, Ajay Guest House, Paharganj

City Food – Patate al Forno, Ajay Guest House, Paharganj

So not Delhi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is for aloo aficionados. This dish, for once, is not deep-fried in oil. The patate al forno (210 rupees)—Italian baked potato—at Ajay Guest House is a relief from Delhi’s…

Mission Delhi - Kishen Pal, Central Delhi

Mission Delhi – Kishen Pal, Central Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Kishen Pal is a determined citizen. Losing his arm in a 1990 accident, he was no longer able to work as a truck driver. Instead…