City Life – Samina, the Single Parent, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
Solo living. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was not easy to live alone, so Samina got back with her former partner, a fellow beggar and a one-time cleaner in a hotel. He is also the father of…
City Faith – Sheetla Mata Mandir, Gurgaon
Goddess of smallpox. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] On Mondays, Sheetla Mata Mandir in Gurgaon, in Greater Delhi Region, attracts the biggest crowd in the week — or at least it used to be so in the BC…
Mission Delhi – Parvati, Civil Lines, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At 55, Parvati’s life is as hectic as it was 16 years ago, when she and her husband set up her tea stall, here by…
City Monument – Beyond Humayun’s Tomb, Humayun’s Tomb
The world around the icon. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The big one, Pilkhan, is 104 years old, and the small one, frangipani, is just 15. You too might have noticed the juxtaposed beauty of these two trees—…
City Moment – Three Labourers Enjoying a Break, Sector 14, Gurgaon
Connections to village and to the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They are some of the faces that are changing the face of our metropolis. This morning, the three construction labourers are quietly enjoying the gently warming…
Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Siddharth Kapila’s Ode to #covidtimes, Greater Kailash
Poetry in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Is there a better time than the pandemic? Of course, this question only applies to people of his kind — writers. After all, what does such a specie needs…
City Food – Chai ki Dukan Tea Stall, Mohalla Qabristan
Museum of tea kettles. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] So many tea kettles in such a tiny shack. One is stuck between a mug and a jar. Another one perched by the gas range. And then there is…
City Faith – Lockdown Epic Reading, Ghaziabad
From choir to duet. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They would always take the possibility of unexpected monsoon showers into account, as well as that of unexpected power cuts. But they hadn’t thought of this situation. Every year…
Mission Delhi – Shakir Husain, Central Delhi
[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Like many jobs, being a waste collector is hectic. One has to walk along one’s assigned streets, go through piles of garbage to pick up the viable trash, put it in a sack…
City Food – COVID-Era Imarti, Mehboob-e-Ilahi Mithai Shop, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
Finding old taste. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It has finally reopened. Mehboob-e-Ilahi mithai shop (open from 6 am to 10 pm) is to be found again in central Delhi’s historic 14th century Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti. Adjacent to…
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