Mission Delhi – Rajkumar, South Delhi Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 2020April 14, 20200 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At some point or another, everybody confronts — in their own way — the damage the pandemic is causing on their life. In his case, rickshaw puller Rajkumar can sum it up in two Hindi words—“Phase Gaye”, got stuck. In his late 20s, Rajkumar just dropped a passenger in a south Delhi neighbourhood. “It was a local sawari (client)... I can’t be on the main road... but I’m able to work my way through the lanes.” He says the cops let him operate within the locality, but “they insist that I should wear a mask.” And Rajkumar indeed is wearing a mask. “One good person was distributing dal chawal
City Series – Somrita Urni Ganguly in Calcutta, We the Isolationists (199th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Somrita Urni Ganguly] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see roses blooming on my twenty-year-old tree. Every morning. With such a bright redness, in such plenitude. Why has spring not been curfewed yet? Why are these birds holding conferences outside my window? Haven’t they been informed that spring has been cancelled this year? Haven’t they heard cold mouths screaming without sound for oxygen in ICUs? Spring sets so many things in motion in this ageing city, year after every year. The gentlest of breezes can move flowers, lazy blades of grass, and iron resolves. It feels like such a gift, every year. But of what use is an explosion of rainbows
City Series – Asiem Sanyal in Nagpur, We the Isolationists (198th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Asiem Sanyal] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see nature redefining her boundaries, spiriting away pollution in deep, steadying breaths. Each star in her diadem is distinctly visible, and her emerald green sari dazzles in hues hitherto unseen. She gently sways into the horizon, singing the song of life, and the denizens of this beautiful planet emerge from their deep slumber, following her verdant melody, adding their motley vocalisations to the chorus, until a deep thrum reverberates around the planet and makes its way into our hearts, forever changing us, forever healing us. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting
City Series – Fazila Mansuri in Bombay, We the Isolationists (197th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Fazila Mansuri] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see myself exploring and knowing about the people of my city, taking pictures and writing about them on my Instagram, which is not possible for the time being. I failed to take admission this year in Master's degree in Journalism. But I’m grateful for the hobbies that I can pursue at home, along with spending time in the family. These days I strongly relate to Anne Frank, whom I love as passionately as a blogger I know loves Emily Dickinson. I open my eyes and I see myself satisfied that even if I can’t pursue journalism for now, I'm at least writing. “We the Isolationists”
City Series – Twinkle Makol in Delhi, We the Isolationists (196th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20201 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Twinkle Makol] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see how it encouraged me to bridge the existing distance in my family. Time flew and we grew apart, heedlessly. The dining table which was bought thirteen years ago was used for everything but for meals. And that too with all my family members, perhaps a distant dream. From a huge centre showpiece for my house, my dining table has become a buffet of memories, laughter, and emotions today. It’s sad how it took a whole pandemic to know them fully but it’s never too late. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting with
City Walk – Golf Course Road, Gurgaon Walks by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 2020April 14, 20200 The way of high life. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Hanging out in the noisy cafes, watching a movie with hundred others in the multiplex, elbowing one’s way to a metro seat… what was all that? The prolonged lockdown has made ordinary acts of daily life seem unreal. Only something as unprecedented as the coronavirus pandemic could have made one long to being stuck again in a traffic jam. However, those of us who can afford to stay home without much material difficulty can still navigate through our city—through Google Earth. So let us hit Gurgaon's Golf Course Road in the Greater Delhi Region. This eight kilometer long stretch is special, for it showcases the dreamiest aspect of the so-called Millenium City—cloud-kissing residential
City Series – Sayantani Sengupta in Calcutta, We the Isolationists (194th Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Sayantani Sengupta] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see kashful, Kanchenjunga and a nameless river. I see the horcruxes I've made out of my love–a slightly withered white fluff, an anonymous snow-coated stone and a drop of water. I see the Moon slipping under a blanket of naked clouds. I see the Sun's doomed romance and its sultry forehead kisses. I see wild-flowers, priceless in their uncommitted un-romance. I see a starry night with the unmistakable scent of maybe's on fluttering hems. I see us, the lonesome souls, with thirsty smiles and a rare cup of icy rum. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share
City Series – Vitasta Raina in Bombay, We the Isolationists (193rd Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Vitasta Raina] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see all the trappings of insanity lining up against my bed again. I brush these off and try and arrange the sequences of my days but the calendar stopped making sense and the alarm clocks are meaningless. One day I will write about resilience and the importance of taking notes, but these days in my self-isolation from Corona, I see tomorrows melting into an eternal labyrinth of dark and day, as the assembly line of my so-called life has stopped for repairs. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting with “I close
City Series – Ratyaditya Verma in Delhi, We the Isolationists (192nd Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Ratyaditya Verma] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see reams of spinning music, showing me the past and future, gently guiding my hand to the books that have foretold the true nature of humanity, and the ones from the past that confirm it for me. Everything vibrates as the status quo knocks on my door, the streets are lined with the ones who still hunt for food, the balconies and verandahs lined with those who hunt them. Social distancing is maintained, guns and pointing fingers are to be blamed. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting with “I close my eyes in
City Series – Yash Mishra in Ghaziabad, We the Isolationists (191st Corona Diary) Corona Diary by The Delhi Walla - April 14, 20200 Our corona diary. [Text and photo by Yash Mishra] I close my eyes in self-isolation from corona... and I see myself walking along the period of Golden Age, devoid of any barrier. Where the minds were as pure and pleasing as the River Ganges and I could go towards every Indian port and explore the new ideas and cultures which were being embraced. I actively contribute to it, not only by my knowledge of arts but by chronicling all those vivid moments as well which would the future generations feel proud about their soil. “We the Isolationists” series urges folks from any part of the world to share a brief diary starting with “I close my eyes in my self-isolation from