Home Sweet Home - The Hyperlocal Architecture of Taak, Around Town

Home Sweet Home – The Hyperlocal Architecture of Taak, Around Town

A disappearing element. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Consisting of an arch-shaped niche built into the wall, taak is an element of old architecture, now lost to history. Fortunately, a few can still be seen around Delhi, and…

City Food - Chhole Cart, Outside Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

City Food – Chhole Cart, Outside Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

Roadside gourmet. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There’s an eatery in Paharganj, a heritage restaurant in Connaught Place, a mithai shop in South Extension I, and a roadside shack in Amar Colony. All these spots in Delhi are…

Mission Delhi - Khalil Ahmed, Matia Mahal

Mission Delhi – Khalil Ahmed, Matia Mahal

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Thanks to the invention of chairs, many of us have forgotten how to sit cross-legged. Or sit with our legs properly postured. Unless, of course,…

City Monument - Barhi Mata Temple, Paharganj

City Monument – Barhi Mata Temple, Paharganj

A broken shrine. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This temple feels like a welcome aberration in central Delhi’s Paharganj—a district avoidable for its crowds and chaos. The small spire is dilapidated, washed of all colours, but looks gorgeously…

Mission Delhi - Sooraj, Central Delhi

Mission Delhi – Sooraj, Central Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sooraj is only a child, but the street dogs are nonetheless ganging up on him, snarling menacingly this early morn. He’s not at all scared;…

City Season - The Floss-Silk Bloom, Outside Ambience Mall Driveway

City Season – The Floss-Silk Bloom, Outside Ambience Mall Driveway

Season’s gift. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] So consoling to the eyes. It’s as if some secret Santa finally took pity on us hapless citizens slow-dying through smog, smoke and dust. And one late night he quietly descended…

City Hangout - Shah Music Center, Meena Bazar

City Hangout – Shah Music Center, Meena Bazar

The LP haven. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] All timeless legends are here — Begum Akhtar and The Beatles, the early Michael Jacksons and the early Amitabh Bachchans, the golden oldies of Barbara Streisand as well as rare…

Mission Delhi - Paramjeet Singh Sahni, Connaught Place

Mission Delhi – Paramjeet Singh Sahni, Connaught Place

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Paramjeet Singh Sahni has never seen any reason to obtain a mobile phone. “I’m myself a mobile, seeking out all my favourite people and venues…

City Monument - Qudsia Begum's Gateway, North Delhi

City Monument – Qudsia Begum’s Gateway, North Delhi

A queen’s souvenir. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The arched gateway in north Delhi’s Qudsia Bagh gently summons the memories of an extinct world. The 18th-century edifice originally opened into a walled garden overlooking the Yamuna. Today, the…

City Landmark - Old Mansion, Muneem Street, Gurgaon

City Landmark – Old Mansion, Muneem Street, Gurgaon

An object of beauty. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A ramshackle relic from the past but so dream-like, this old mansion overlooks a lane in Gurgaon’s chaotic Sadar Bazar in the Greater Delhi Region. Muneem street is a…