City Monument – Naubat Khana, Red Fort Monuments by The Delhi Walla - May 30, 20220 A lesser-known monument. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Red Fort is like a poetry anthology, and its scattered, damaged monuments are like poems. Naubat Khana is one of the most tender ones. Its walls are sculpted with flower and leaves. The angles and curves of the white ceiling smoothly merge into each other. The red sandstone seem to be producing a music that is indiscernible to the ordinary human ear, but distinctly felt. Like moonshine that you may see, but cannot touch. Naubat Khana was a seat of musicians, and music was said to be performed here five times every day. Additionally, the drummers stationed at this so-called drum house were obliged to strike their drums each time the emperor
City Food – Mukesh’s Roasted Bhuttas, Anand Vihar Food by The Delhi Walla - May 30, 20220 Taste of monsoon. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Are summers ending and monsoons knocking at the door? Yes. That’s what Mukesh feels. Three days ago this street food vendor started winding down his summertime business of icy chuskis, and shifting to bhutta. His cart, outside the bus terminus in Delhi’s Anand Vihar, is decked with ears of the golden corn. “Every year I start selling roasted bhutta around this time,” he says, peeling off the leaves from a bhutta. Mukesh talks without making eye contact, as if he were mumbling to himself. The truly rare sight to be spotted on his cart, however, is of an earthen stove that he made two days days ago while relaunching the bhutta. The
City Landmark – Akhil Bharti, Galli Charkewalan Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - May 27, 2022May 27, 20220 A lesser known bookstore. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The door is narrow, the place within is very small, but what an illustrious crowd— Jaiprakash Bharti, Devaram Bhamu, Hardarshan Sehgal, Jaishankar Prasad, and many many other writers. This little alcove in Old Delhi’s Galli Charkewalan street, is crammed with thousands of books in Hindi, including translated works by non-Hindi authors—a Tagore paperback, wrapped in plastic, is lying on the desk. The bookstore, called Akhil Bharti, is located inside an arched doorway leading to what appears to be the remnants of a haveli. The shop is secretively situated; its doorway scooped into a deliciously derelict wall that goes upto a private courtyard. This afternoon the courtyard is empty, except for a kali
City Food – Kailashji Samose Wale, Kotla Mubarakpur Food by The Delhi Walla - May 25, 20220 Small town taste. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The bazar is a haze of moving faces. A sense of stability is gained by focusing on the unmoving landmarks rooted to their spots—Chhabra Bag House, Hans Furniture, Intimate Laundry and Turant-Turant Instant-Instant Passport Photo. Without doubt the greatest landmark of the place however, here in south Delhi’s Kotla Mubarakpur, is Shri Omkareshear Shiv Mandir, its spire towering above the market roofs. Many people in the know might agree that the next landmark in significance is Kailashji Samose Wale. The eatery’s name is displayed on the signage in large lettering, along with the much smaller ‘Since 1975.’ This evening, a large crowd has formed in front of the counter. Armed with a
Mission Delhi – Karua, Meethapur Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - May 23, 20220 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] There’s a saying in Hindi—baal ki khaal ukharna, to peel off the skin of the hair. That’s what this grey-haired man is upto, on a pavement here in central Delhi. Except he is deftly slicing off slim wooden stripes that are already as slim as a hair. Each time a curious passerby looks on, he throws a friendly smile but stays absorbed in his work. “I’m preparing a jharoo,” he says, not lifting off his eyes. He describes himself through a gesture, momentarily lifting his arm towards a small board fitted to an adjacent pole—it says “Dada”, and gives his mobile number. “That’s me… everyone knows me by
City Life – Sabeena & Afzal, Sarai Kale Khan Life by The Delhi Walla - May 23, 20221 Love story. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Both of them are fond of chai. And when they are having chai together, they drink it from the same glass. “We feel good this way,” he says. “Because we like each other,” she says. Afzal, 21, and Sabeena, 19, are in love. They also have their meals from the same plate. This evening the couple is sitting on a bench, beside a chai stall, in Sarai Kale Khan. Afzal is wearing black jeans and a very tight brown shirt. Sabeena is in a blue kurta paired with a flowery dupatta. They married a year ago. “It was a love marriage,” she points out. “Our parents were not in favour of the marriage,” he points out.
City Faith – Hazrat Amir Khusro’s 718th Urs, Hazrat Nizamuddin Sufi Shrine Faith by The Delhi Walla - May 20, 2022May 20, 20221 Commemorating a legend. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This should start with one of his paheliyan, or riddles. “Invisible, but they call it tender Feels bad, but it evokes laughter” A tickle! Today is the 718th Urs — or death anniversary — of genius, fervent and playful poet Amir Khusro. In Sufism, a death anniversary is celebrated, not mourned, and the celebrations began last night in central Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, where Khusro’s grave lies. A special prayer is to be offered at the shrine’s courtyard at 11 am today. Belonging to 14th century Delhi, Khusro died at 72, shortly after his beloved mentor Nizamuddin’s passing. He was buried across the courtyard from the Sufi mystic’s grave. Today, the dargah’s tradition expects a pilgrim
City Monument – Ghamandi Sarai, Gurgaon Monuments by The Delhi Walla - May 19, 20220 Gateway lives. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The gateway is bathed in the evening light with a beauty so tender you fear it might vaporise with the next heatwave. The time is altering the place in other ways however, here in Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazar in the Graeter Delhi Region. The elderly man who had been sitting under the gateway for many decades is no more. “He died before the coronavirus,” says Pinky. A friendly middle-aged woman, Pinky is sorting old clothes on the exact spot where the departed man would sort the same kind of old clothes. He traded in secondhand garments, and so does she. “Budhram was my father-in-law’s brother,” she informs. Budhram was as much of an icon in
City Walk – Old Houses of Jangpura, Central Delhi Walks by The Delhi Walla - May 19, 2022May 19, 20220 Almost gone. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The door is stained with tiny shreds of old peeling paint. The latch is entwined into a small lock so rusty that it has gone red. Green plants are growing uncut right on the front. Studded with unshining brasses, this is a traditional wood door you might chance upon in Old Delhi, or in any other historic neighbourhood such as Mehrauli. But this is the more modern Jangpura, where the closest thing to a monument is perhaps the Eros Cinema (since 1956). The door adorns a ramshackle wall, and is flanked by objects of utmost artlessness. On the left is a window blocked with plywoods. On the right is a metallic door. The lane
City Hangout – Dargah Chai, Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Sufi Shrine Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - May 19, 20220 Sufi tea. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is no accident that Emperor Humayun, Emperor Muhammed Shah Rangila, Princess Jahanara, poet Amir Khusro, and poet Mirza Ghalib are buried near to each other. They all are in close vicinity to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s grave. It is considered a privilege to get a resting place close to holy mystics, and Nizamuddin happens to be among the most beloved saints in Sufism. The area around his 14th century dargah is full of graves. Some of the aforementioned figures such as Rangila and Jahanara lie within the premises. And this same reason makes Barkatullah’s establishment one of Delhi’s most special tea stalls. It stands within the gates of the dargah. Sitting at the