One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] From early morning till late in the night, the lane would be teeming with crowds. The cafes would fill up with guests ordering lemon ginger tea and the Israeli dish of Shakshouka. The restaurants would play Buddhist tantra music. The pavement mehendi wallas would be drawing elaborate hennas on arms and ankles. And inevitably, there would be touts to whisper into your ears, “Do you want ganja?” This was Paharganj, Delhi’s bustling hotel district, particularly popular among foreign backpackers. But they are no longer to be seen. And neither is the rest of the crowd. “Bilkula sannata (total silence),” says Deepak Dialani, Paharganj’s longest surviving bookseller whose little shop in

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Dino is socially very active. Not in real life but on social media. His Instagram account, @dino_thesuperdog, is as old as him—3 years. And his handle has 4,831 followers. In real life, he is a much quieter soul. Very calm. He rarely barks. Dino is a labrador. He was born in Hyderabad and arrived in Gurgaon's Udyog Vihar in the Greater Delhi Region last year in March, with a roommate who works in the advertising industry. This evening Dino is chatting on WhatsApp, his photos taken through the phone screen that connects him to The Delhi Walla. “Actually, Dino has no conception of mobile phone,” says his roomie, “but he