Delhi Winter – Bhola’s New Blanket, Near Sarai Kale Khan
Life in winter. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The chilly 11pm air is burning the bare portions of the skin. A car slows down by the pavement, here near the Ashram crossing. The front window opens. Instantly, the…
Delhi Winter – Fireside Colleagues, Jama Masjid
Life in winter. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The fire will be soon over. No problem, one of the men says. It is still afternoon, and more fires will be set up later in the day. One always…
Delhi Winter – Salma in Freezing Cold, Lodhi Road
Life in winter. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is a grueling job to survive Delhi’s brief but intense winter. More so, if the citizen doesn’t have a home with walls. More so, if this roofless person happens…
Delhi Winter – Fireside Camaraderie, Mathura Road
Life in winter. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s the rush hour evening. The traffic is flowing nonstop on Mathura Road. Nirmal Kumar Das was walking on the pavement, not far from Salman, who was walking not far…
City Landmark – The Subway under Ring Road, South Extension
Life underground. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] So, which side of the Ring Road is South Extension I and which side is South Extension II? This confusion is one of the more formidable challenges of (south) Delhi existentialism….
City Walk – Gali Syed Rafai, Old Delhi
This way to Gali Syed Rafai. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] All is quiet. All is empty. Except for a black-and-white billi nosing around. No human is crowding this narrow gali, though it is lined with many doorways….
City Food – Jaiveer Singh’s Tea and Bahikhata, Jacobpura
The world of a chai place. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] That book is back. One of the most noteworthy chai stalls in the entire Delhi region is in Gurgaon. Not because of its super-cool chai. Plenty of…
City Obituary – Abdul Sattar, Pahari Imli
The death of a scholar. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He had many friends, but the closest had to be the French-style cap, the beret, that would at times be lying plopped up on his head, as if…
City Hangout – Winter Light, Deer Park
Season’s passage. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sunbeams spill apart as soon as they crash on the tree leaves. The dispersed bits of beams then drizzle down through the dense foliage, and fall on the dusty lane,…
Mission Delhi – Rishabh Dhawan, Daryaganj
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Young Rishabh Dhawan was a problem for his family. He dropped out of school, declined to finish his tenth grade. His father gently nudged him…
Recent Comments