City Faith – Graves Facelift, Hazrat Chirag Dehli Faith by The Delhi Walla - March 30, 20231 A historical destination in a time of change. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Old graves are getting a makeover. The ones that had sunk into the earth, reduced to being a wrinkle on the ground, have been raised, their aged bricks replaced with new, plastered with a fresh coat of cement. Here is one of the most haunting spaces in the entire Delhi region. With more than 50 graves, this is not a graveyard. It is a sufi shrine, but not very well-known outside the sufi circles, remaining mostly sparse. Even so, it gives its name to a well-known south Delhi locality, and is one of the most significant dargahs in Sufism, worldwide. Hazrat Chirag Dehli’s shrine is snuggled deep within
City Life – Nemat Khana, Delhi & Rampur Life by The Delhi Walla - March 30, 2023March 30, 20230 A way of life. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was a household sight as ordinary as a toaster or a microwave. Usually seen in the bawarchi khana, this wooden cabinet with a steel jaali, or net, was used to store leftover dishes, or milk, or mithai. The fridge deleted it from our world. Once an integral part of every Old Delhi home, Nemat Khana has never been seen in Old Delhi by The Delhi Walla. Last weekend, three brand new Nemat Khanas were spotted outside a small furniture workshop. Sharing a photo on the social media triggered extraordinary responses from folks in Delhi and beyond. As if a mere glimpse of the Nemat Khana contained long-forgotten memories waiting to
Mission Delhi – Insaf, Hazrat Nizamuddin East Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - March 30, 2023March 30, 20230 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] His hand is on his heart. “People have dreams… I also have dreams.” The young man says this with a friendliness so palpable it seems to drip out of his eyes. It is late evening, and Insaf is about to complete his day shift. He is stationed by the gates of this elegant bungalow, here in upscale Hazrat Nizamuddin East. At 19, he has already lived through a disappointment, Insaf says, explaining that his ardent dream is refusing to become real: “I so much want to join the army.” Back home in Assam, he was on the verge of being recruited as a soldier but was disqualified during
City Walk – Chelmsford Road, Central Delhi Walks by The Delhi Walla - March 27, 2023March 27, 20230 Saddest road. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some places are too melancholic, and Chelmsford Road must be one the saddest in the entire Delhi region. Maybe because of its stark disparities. Elegant bungalows bordered by bougainvilleas; and under these bougainvilleas, citizens living on the footpath. Other places have citizens coping with difficulties, but often within a support system of fellows dealing with similar circumstances. Like this group of daily-wage labourers hailing from Jhansi district, living together on the footpath near Gurgaon rail station. Or like the beggars who live with their families under the Oberoi Hotel flyover in Delhi. In Chelmsford, though, each homeless person seems to be totally alone, and barely noticeable at that, as if swallowed by the
Mission Delhi – Hari Narayan Ojha, Daryaganj Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - March 27, 20230 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He isn’t from Old Delhi, yet an integral part of it. Hari Narayan Ojha, 83, came of age in the Walled City. Today, his sons run, in the historic quarter’s Daryaganj, a relatively new bookstore borne out of his herculean struggles. A simple exchange of namaste with the graceful gent is akin to coming face-to-face with an Old Delhi monument. His brief biography, in his words. “I was born in Gonda, UP, before the azadi. My father died very early. When I turned 20, I ran away from home. Had only 13 rupees. Remember boarding a passenger (train). Took three-four days to reach Dilli. “I started as a
City Food – Inter-Generational Sherbet Stall, Turkman Gate Food by The Delhi Walla - March 22, 20230 A rose-tinted landmark. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Things change with time. Things don’t change with time. One March afternoon, Muhammed Rafi was sitting at his rose sherbet stall beside the centuries-old Turkman Gate. He had reopened his kiosk for the forthcoming summer just a week back. Six years later, this March afternoon, Muhammed Salman is sitting at his rose sherbet stall beside the centuries-old Turkman Gate. He reopened his kiosk for the forthcoming summer just a week back. Same stall, different stall owners, linked to each other by blood. Salman is Rafi’s son. Rafi lies buried in Dilli Gate Qabristan. “Abbu was 56, he died suddenly on 30 October, 2018.” Salman, then 19, was obliged to take over the father’s establishment.
City Monument – Barber’s Tomb, Humayun Tomb Complex Monuments by The Delhi Walla - March 22, 20230 The other memorial. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] After the sun dips into the western sky, Humayun’s Tomb gleams with special lights installed at strategic positions around the monument. The gathering blackness dematerialises the tree-filled surroundings, making the marble dome, topped with a 24 karat gold kalash, look like a harvest moon in the night sky. There’s another tomb within the monument garden, very close to emperor Humayun’s. It too has a dome, but less impressive, made of lime plastered masonry, and with no sign of gold anywhere. After sunset, it stays dark. It is known as the Barber’s tomb. Many visitors are so hypnotised by the central memorial (plus, the beautiful tomb of Isa Khan), that they forget to walk
City Life – Barricade Trees, Sarojini Nagar Life by The Delhi Walla - March 22, 20230 The city greens. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Hundreds of leaves here. All pitch black. After all, they are mere shadows. Shadows of the tree leaves falling on the metal bulwarks, the metal slow-heated by the day’s sun. The area near Sarojini Nagar railway station is teeming with construction, and the building sites are barricaded with these protective, tall sheets of tin. While you cannot exactly see what is being built behind, the air is full of dust and sounds. All that you can perceive is the considerable number of leafy trees sneaking out through gaps in the barricades. Unlike the buildings that used to stand where these new edifices are coming up, these trees have not been felled. Special gaps
City Food – Game wali Kulfi, Old Delhi Food by The Delhi Walla - March 20, 20230 Taste of heritage childhood. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s gone. That’s how old people with clear memories of their childhood summers speak of it. But here is that same thrilling ice-cold treat, just around the corner, mobbed by those same old people’s grand-babies. The most fairy-tale part of Walled City summer, it’s the game wali kulfi. This is a simple kulfi cart but fitted with a roulette wheel. Drop a coin into the spinning thing to win as many kulfis as the number on which it comes to rest. If it is the pinball game instead, pray the kancha (small glass ball) lands into the highest value square. While the game wali kulfi survives in Purani Dilli (perhaps only
City Hangout – Shri Shakti Raj Park, Lajpat Nagar Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - March 20, 20230 The Lajpat nobody knows. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Begin, Muse, this poem to commerce. Sing it aloud, the way Homer chanted the names of ships and warriors of the Achaean army: Keshika Creations, Lucy Beauty Parlour, Apna Bazar, Simran, Andaaz, K.C. Son’s, Shyamji Footwear, Tara, Apsara Exclusif, R.K. Cosmetics, Guru Nanak Fabrics, Dipali, Mehta Wool Co., S.B. Collections, Chaudhary Collection, Luthra Jeans, Tessuto, Just Lady, Vedanshi Fashion, Tina Bazar, Sai Textile, Dhanraj Ayurvedic Medicines, Chhabra Emporium, Mast Kala (“entry from back side”), Mangal Mart, Khushbu Handlooms, Top Selection, S.K. Textiles, Rajpriya Saree Emporium, Narang Sons, Incense Gowns, Roopsaaz, Kasak Hair Accessories, Dayal Handlooms. These are the shops circling us. Here in Lajpat Nagar Central Market. Here we bargain for the