City Walk – Skywalk Passageways, Pragati Maidan
New kind of stroll. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s as if an artistic child had scribbled lines across a blank page. Or this is at least how the Pragati Maidan footbridges, or the skywalk if you will,…
City Season – Amaltas Poems, by Delhiwallas
Golden heat. [Photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] We are sailing through midsummer. Amaltas trees, aka Indian Laburnum, are blooming across Delhi. The most beautiful places to view the fragrant golden-yellow flowers are: Amrita Shergil Marg, BK Dutt Colony Park, Hailey…
Mission Delhi – Vasundhara Raj Baigra , Vasant Vihar
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] As a marketing director with a publishing company she always needs to be at her polite best when dealing with writers and book critics. Vasundhara…
City Landmark – Button Shop, Near Chitli Qabar Chowk
Ali Baba’s treasure. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s just a hole-in-the wall shop, and pretty easy to button down. Because, it’s all about buttons. Only buttons, a warehouse of thousands, many trimmed with laces and countless other…
Mission Delhi – Urmila, Civil Lines, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Urmila is 20 and had never imagined while growing up in a small West Bengal village that one day she shall be living in the…
City Faith – Rickshaw Puller’s Ram Temple, East Delhi
His private shrine. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Rickshaw puller Sooraj lives alone in this city of millions but doesn’t feel lonely. Not at all. “I have Ramji with me,” he says haltingly this late evening in east…
City Food – Fresh fruit Roller Ice-Cream, Mathura Road
Fresher than the fresh. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It isn’t every day one stumbles across fresh fruit ice cream that is really fresh. But that’s exactly what you get from the brothers Arif and Amjad who make…
Mission Delhi – Unnamed Mule, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Things are easier for humans. When a mosquito lands on our shoulder or wherever else on our body, we simply slap down our hand on…
City Neighbourhood – Empress Razia Sultan’s Locality, Bulbuli Khana
Razia’s area. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Such narrow streets. Such broken rutty paths. And this happens to be a queen’s address. Who was the only female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. The way to Razia Sultan’s grave…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Dr Santosh Bakaya, Jaipur
The 237th death. [Text and photo sent by Dr Santosh Bakaya] Here lies the Mad Hatter! Finally. She kicked the bucket today. Ah, that reminds me, she could not tick off many items on her bucket list. Death came suddenly,…
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