Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Shahana Khatoon’s Poem ‘Almonds’, Shaheen Bagh
Poetry in the city. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] The evening sun is setting behind the Metro station. The adjacent drain, clogged with plastic bags, has turned ethereal in the twilight gold. In her early 20s, Shahana Khatoon is unhurriedly walking…
Mission Delhi – Liyakatullah, Galli Choori Wallan
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It looks like a cave, but completely of wood. The tiny store in Old Delhi’s Galli Choori Wallan street has its doorway flanked on either…
Mission Delhi – Puranchand, Hazrat Nizamuddin East
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The neighbourhood is very posh, very quiet. Only occasional bird sounds waft through the hushed air. The residences on either side of the lane project…
City Hangout – BRICS Rose Garden, Chanakyapuri
The sky above the park. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A sea surface dotted with clouds—this is what the blue sky looks like these days. But this view can be experienced only in certain spaces of Delhi, open…
Mission Delhi – Aslam Khan, Joseph Stein Lane
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some people, both living and dead, embody within themselves the spirit of a place. Late architect Joseph Stein’s presence is intensely palpable about the corridors…
Mission Delhi – Ameer Dehlvi, Haaji Hotel
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They say that time assuages. But poet Ameer Dehlvi continues to be in mourning. “I’m not able to find myself these days,” he says, as…
City Monument – Adam Khan’s Tomb, Mehrauli
A hilltop memorial [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] You want to lose yourself? Okay, come here then. This is Delhi’s only known Bhool Bhullaiya, a knotty labyrinth where one may easily get lost, as its thick walls enclose…
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