Mission Delhi – Anil Kumar, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi is full of migrant men who leave their villages to make a better life in the big city. Here they live in accommodations, shared…
City Food – Wenger’s Veg Patty, Connaught Place
Old taste. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The magic unfolds in three steps. First, the crisp flaky shell crumbles inside the mouth. Second, the mouth gets all buttery. Third, the filling lets loose its gentle spiciness. Such are…
City Landmark – Peepal’s People, Outside Jama Masjid, Gurgaon
The social ecology of a city tree. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s like an island in the sea. So different from the surrounding world. This gigantic peepal tree. Its massive trunk spreads out into an array of…
City Style – The Gentleman’s Dressing, Central Delhi
A story of many-layered clothes. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] On an intolerably hot and excessively humid morning, he’s wearing an overcoat and two jackets, along with two long-sleeved shirts and much else. “Why?” one is naturally prompted…
City Hangout – Valley of Flowers, Central Delhi
A surprise beauty. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At first glance, it looks like a huge patch of snow that didn’t melt for some reason. But it soon becomes clear that one is gazing upon a field of…
Mission Delhi – Bishen Das Sharma, Embassy Restaurant, Connaught Place
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This morning the restaurant at the colonial-era Connaught Place is practically empty except for some elderly gentlemen drinking coffee, or may be some fancy tea….
City Hangout – Muhammad Akhtar’s Book Stall, Near Aggarwal Sweets, Vaishali
Rare wonder. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s got almost everything a human being would need. This particular suburban zone in Vaishali in Ghaziabad suburb in the Greater Delhi Region is chock-full of malls, multiplexes, mithai shops and…
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
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
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…
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