City Landmark – Everest Tailors, Rajiv Nagar, Gurgaon
The idea of home. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Millennium City of Gurgaon in the Greater Delhi Region is hundreds of miles away from Nepal, and the closest thing to Kathmandu you can find here might be…
Mission Delhi – Shahji, Fatehpuri Mosque
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] As an ascetic, Shahji—as he introduced himself—has but one main mission in life: meditating alone in an Old Delhi mosque, hours on end. The 80-year-old,…
City Food – Muhammed Afroz’s Bihari Jhaal Moori, Mathura Road
Taste of Bihar. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] No doubt there are even more superior jhaal moori snacks sold elsewhere in town. But Muhammed Afroz’s offerings are unique. Just a year ago he came up with the idea…
Mission Delhi – Ram Lal, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It sure is not his most precious possession. It certainly is the most eye-catching. “It’s my guthi,” says Ram Lal, taking out the pouch from…
City Hangout – Anupama Sweets, Kailash Colony
Homely eatery. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Visitors to Delhi who hang around for a few days can’t help noticing all those exotic restaurants in fancy markets and malls offering specialty dishes from around the world, and also…
Mission Delhi – Ram Jeevan, Near Red Fort
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Paan vendor Ram Jeevan is sitting on a pavement near the Red Fort patiently waiting for customers while recalling his long years in Delhi. “I…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Hetvi Jethwani, IIT Delhi
The 243rd death. [Text and photo sent by Hetvi Jethwani] The self-proclaimed “mad” scientist Hetvi died on her 42nd birthday doing what she loved, lying down in her comfortable hammock, reading. Sadly, death seized her before she could reach the…
City Landmark – The Banyan Tree, Shiv Park, Jacobpura
A solitary wilderness. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is like spotting a long-haired hippie stranded amid a group of suited-booted hedge fund managers. The banyan is looking that out of place. The tree stands in the centre…
City Walk – Hauz Rani, South Delhi
Signs of a locality. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At first glance, this South Delhi village seems very unremarkable as a cluster of ordinary lanes and dwellings. But like so much else in Delhi, Hauz Rani reveals its…
City List – The Ghalibians, Ghalib Academy
People of Ghalib’s world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A long beard. A pointed Turki topi. That’s Ghalib, the illustrated portrait that adorns the cover of his poetry books. Many of us might not have read the city’s…
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