Our Self-Written Obituaries – Anam Fatima, New Friends Colony, Delhi

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Anam Fatima, New Friends Colony, Delhi

The 226th death. [Text and photos sent by Anam Fatima] All her life she dreaded early mornings. But for a journey, she’d be up and about in no time. Anam Fatima left this world early this morning. On her bedside…

City Monument - Maulana Shaukat Ali's Grave, Old Delhi

City Monument – Maulana Shaukat Ali’s Grave, Old Delhi

A milestone in history. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This morning the simple marble grave in Old Delhi is lined with rotting rose petals and not much else. A historic tombstone but its existence rarely registered. This is…

City Life - Stray Dogs, Cyber City Corporate Complex

City Life – Stray Dogs, Cyber City Corporate Complex

The cyber protectors. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The business towers are buzzing with busy folks. Nattily dressed office-goers are boldly entering the glass doors of these gleaming high-rises. The computer-coded ID cards around their necks are proudly…

City Food - Railway Station Chai, Gurgaon

City Food – Railway Station Chai, Gurgaon

The romance of the platform tea. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Frothy, extra-sweet, moderately milky, ginger-flavoured and aggressively invigorating. Such is the chai you’ll find on platform No. 2 in the Gurgaon railway station. The tea, however, is…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Tanvi Lall, Rohini, Delhi

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Tanvi Lall, Rohini, Delhi

The 225th death. [Text and photos sent by Tanvi Lall] Tanvi Lall, 57, was found cold and breathless early this morning, in her own bed donning a creepy smile. It was as if she was denied a fancy closure. On…

City Landmark - Jain Paan House, KG Marg

City Landmark – Jain Paan House, KG Marg

Small wonder. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Any number of kiosks in our fair city attract a steady stream of regular customers who show a loyalty that grand showrooms might well envy. There’s Jain Paan House on KG…

City Poetry - What if Ghalib Were a Woman, Old Delhi

City Poetry – What if Ghalib Were a Woman, Old Delhi

Ghalib as woman. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Not only was poet Mirza Ghalib to be reckoned with in Delhi’s super-sophisticated literary and aristocratic salons but, according to late historian Percival Spear, he also “burrowed below the dignified…

City Monument - Moti Bagh Gurudwara, South Delhi

City Monument – Moti Bagh Gurudwara, South Delhi

A refuge in Sikhism. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Peace is softly settling about each person. This is how it appears to be during ordinary afternoons at this historic gurudwara in South Delhi—a site sanctified by the visit…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Swapnil Sinha, Patna

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Swapnil Sinha, Patna

The 224th death. [Text and photos sent by Swapnil Sinha] At the ripe age of 77, Swapnil Sinha died a child, for he believed that homes belong only to children and that as we grow, homes turn into a carcass…

City Season - Semal Trees in Spring Bloom, Around Town

City Season – Semal Trees in Spring Bloom, Around Town

Season’s gift. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A soft thud on the ground and a beauty is born. This phenomenon is unfolding again and again, day after day—thanks to a ceaseless “snowfall” of red and orange semal flowers…