City Heritage – Nadira’s People, or People of Delhi’s Jewish Cemetery Monuments by The Delhi Walla - October 15, 2022October 15, 20220 The capital heritage [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nadira, Sulochana and Pramila. These long-ago Hindi film actors adorn a recently painted Connaught Place mural. All three were “Indian-Jewish,” as an accompanying plaque points out. Nadira’s original nome was Florence Ezekiel, Sulochna’s was Ruby Myers, and Pramila’s was Esther Victoria Abraham. The only other place in Delhi to meet a substantial number of Indian Jews is in the city’s only Jewish graveyard. The historic Humayun Road cemetery is small, making it possible to list all the dwellers lying there in eternal sleep. 1. Lt Gen Jack Farj Rafael Jacob, died in 2016 (hero of the Bangladesh war) 2. Samuel Nissim Luddy, 1918-2013 3. Isaaco Joseph D’Ascoli—died in 2011 4. Beatrice Moses, 1934-2007 (she
City Monument – Kesar’s Pilkhan Tree as Covid-Era Memorial, Connaught Place Monuments by The Delhi Walla - October 13, 2022October 13, 20220 A memorial to the coronavirus loss [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The trunk bifurcates into long, thick branches. Each branch is clad with thousands of glossy green leaves. Each of these branches bifurcates further into more branches, which are less thick but boasting in their turn an equally hefty number of leaves. The tree goes high up into the air, and sideways, covering a good part of the sidewalk. This pilkhan at F block in Connaught Place is like a forest. It is also linked to the terrible second wave of the coronavirus that killed thousands of people. Fruit seller Kesar had a remarkable relationship with the huge pilkhan tree: She had planted it. “I planted it in 2001,” she had
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Mehreen Shah, H Nizamuddin West Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - October 12, 20220 The parlour confession. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Her “mom,” her “bhayya,” her sister-in-law—they all are offering evening namaz. While Mehreen Shah is reading a Salman Rushdie novel. Ensconced in her room at their Hazrat Nizamuddin West house, Mehreen, a street flâneur and a master’s student in Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University, agrees to become a part of the Proust Questionnaire series in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. Your favorite virtue. My consistency. Your favorite qualities in a man. His protectiveness, his silent endurance, his amorous pursuits of a singular woman. Your favorite qualities in a woman. Her empathy, nurturing nature and patience. Your main fault. My moods swinging in a cyclical regularity. Your favorite occupation. Writing. Your idea of happiness. To conceive never-ending ideas
City Monument – Church Windows, Gurgaon Monuments by The Delhi Walla - October 12, 20220 Tall views [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla celebrated this monument some years ago, but not this particularity. As it rains out of season, this distinguishing aspect makes the landmark one of the most ideal destinations in the entire Delhi region to enjoy the deluge. Make haste to the Church of Epiphany, in Civil Lines — the Civil Lines in Gurgaon, not its noisier counterpart in Delhi. On reaching, take off your shoes by the church door, step inside, find a pew to sit on. Now, you may watch the rain fall outside through the most beautiful windows of this British-era stone edifice. The church was consecrated in 1866 by the Bishop of Calcutta. A stroll around the building
City Walk – Kucha Lal Man, Old Delhi Walks by The Delhi Walla - October 10, 20220 A cozy refuge [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A packed bus finds itself unable to move; a cab is blowing a brain-splitting horn; a bike suddenly shoots through the narrow gap between two cars. Only a daredevil will step into this insane traffic. But utmost tranquility exists, here in Daryaganj, a few steps away from the busy Netaji Subhash Marg, on a side alley. Two girls are having an adventure with a bicycle. “Ready? 1, 2, 3,” shouts one. Sharp at “3”, the other one on the cycle pedals down the lane, heading straight towards the busy road described above. But don’t be afraid. The lane they’re playing in is totally safe. No big vehicle can enter the alley. A metal
Mission Delhi – Rameshwar Arya, Hazrat Nizamuddin West Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - October 10, 20221 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This posh address had a great number of elegant bungalows. Many have been replaced by apartment-style housings. Some kothis of the old days are still standing. And if these remaining bungalows of Hazrat Nizamuddin West could be seen as souvenirs of an era that has survived, then let us include one more neighbourhood institution in this list of precious keepsakes. It is an unnamed shoemaker’s stall, which has been standing on the same spot since 1958. It was founded by Saudan, a Jaipur native, who died in 2010 at the age of 102. It is now run by his son. Rameshwar Arya is 74 and has been sitting
City Food – Afghan Tandoor, Bhogal Food by The Delhi Walla - October 8, 20220 Rotis of Kabul. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The cave is dug out at the heart of the hearth — but it actually is a very special tandoor. An Afghani tandoor. An Afghani tandoor made from the mitti of saddi Dilli. Due to the longtime tragic circumstances in strife-torn Afghanistan, Delhi has been for many years a home to a great number of Afghan citizens, obliged to leave their homeland for a variety of reasons. Some of the streets in the ‘hoods of Lajpat Nagar and Jangpura are so filled with Afghanis that every shop hoarding is in their script. Gourmands from across the city flock to these places to dine in Afghan speciality restaurants such as Mazaar, Kabul Delhi, and
City Obituary – Deepak Nirula, Co-Founder of Nirula’s Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - October 7, 2022October 7, 20220 Rest in Nirula's. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nirula's, the site of our dates, the fire of our friendships; our sin, our soul, our perfect escapade. Ni-ru-la: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps within the mouth. Nirula's was a treat after the cinema in Chanakya. It was a stopover with the school gang under the DefCol flyover. It was a burger, an ice-cream soda, a mutton thali, and it was even a hotel in Connaught Place. But in our memories, Nirula’s was first and foremost a hot chocolate fudge. Deepak Nirula, the co-founder of Nirula’s chain of fast food, died on Tuesday, aged 70. Millennials might be clueless about the Nirula’s, but it does light up
Mission Delhi – Beena-Ji, Outside RK Ashram Metro Station Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - October 6, 2022October 6, 20220 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] When a loved one dies, does the grief solidifies and becomes a permanent appendage to one’s daily existence? Or does it slowly dims with time? Beena-ji have been living through these thoughts for long. In fact, she has been living with them since the time her only son passed away 13 years ago. “Jawan ladka gujar gaya,” she mutters, emphasising on her boy’s youth “when he had a whole life ahead of him.” This afternoon, Beena-ji is sitting at her usual spot, attending to her roadside establishment, just outside RK Ashram metro station. Her kiosk is stocked with cigarette packets and sachets of mouth fresheners. Most of
City Landmark – Chabad House, Paharganj Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - October 5, 20221 The Jewish dharamshala. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Found! The place where you will get the best pita bread in the whole Delhi region. It is thick with a proper, sturdy pocket to hold the fillings. Hummus and Shakashuka are super-tasty too. But the Chabad House in Paharganj is even more special than its yummy Israeli dishes. It makes you feel like an insider on the so-called Hummus Trail, that links the destinations Israelis visit in India. Each place on the trail has a similar Chabad House — a kind of dharamshala for Jewish travellers whose chapters are spread across the world, and where travellers drop by to celebrate festivals like Hanukkah and Passover, share the weekend Sabbath meals, eat