Mission Delhi – Shamshad Khan, Bhalswa Dairy
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This afternoon, “bawarchi” Shamshad Khan is sitting alongside his cauldron filled with fragrant yellow pulao and modestly declares himself a professional success. “I’m all I…
City Faith – Shiv Hanuman Temple, Daryaganj
Shiv sighting. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In a city where blue sky is as elusive as a dream, it is dream-like to see Lord Shiv gleaming in blue—his statue is majestically perched atop this little-known but beautiful…
City Food – Pappu’s Popcorn, Subhash Chander Bose Garden, Gurgaon
Taste of a life. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Popcorns are addictive. You eat one, and then you go on to eat all. The super-pricey popcorns you get in multiplex snack counters are truly delicious but please don’t…
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Sociology Professor Kiranmayi Bhushi, Asian Games Village
The parlour confession. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Proust Questionnaire represents a confessional game that owes its structure to answers given by celebrated French writer Marcel Proust in two parties that he attended at ages 13 and…
City Hangout – Park Above Palika Bazar, Connaught Place
Springtime pleasures. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sky is blue and puffed up with white clouds, the grass is lightly wet and people are looking less stressed. Delhi’s strangest and shortest season—from February to March—has begun. Neither…
Mission Delhi – Ramesh Giri, Old Delhi
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This 64-year-old says he lives alone on city pavements, and that’s perfectly true except for one thing. Ramesh Giri cohabits with his artificial jewellery. “I…
Home Sweet Home- Ramwati’s Kitchen Stove, Gurgaon
Handmade utility. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A home by the pavement The ordinary-seeming pavement is actually looking extraordinary. All because of the presence of a rustic chulha, the earthen stove usually found in village homes. But this…
City Hangout – Ridge Watching, Between Dhaula Kuan and Delhi Aerocity
Into the forest. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Not everybody strongly senses the presence of that amazing rocky jungle running through the very heart of Delhi. Known as the “Ridge”, it’s a part of the ancient Aravalli mountain…
Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Chaitanya Kaushik, Jangpura
Poetry in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Lawyer Chaitanya Kaushik, 29, spent his childhood and the first flush of his youth in neighbouring Faridabad. “I then spent five years at a law school in Jodhpur and…
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