City Walk – Gali Sui Walan, Old Delhi
The street of the tailor’s needle. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Thickness of a hair; tiny opening at one end. It is the sui, the tailor’s needle, and this barely tangible thing lends its name to this super-bustling…
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Aarti Talwar, Somewhere in Delhi
The parlour confession. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Besides having a day-job in the corporate world, Aarti Talwar is the co-founder of The Dandelion Collective, a book club that completes a year this October. She agreed to become a part of…
City Obituary – The Book Shop, Jor Bagh Market
Passing of a place. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Miles Davis’s moody music fills the room. An elegant woman is sitting, surrounded by books. The rest is silence and sakoon. This was an evening scene from some years…
City Season – Floss Silk Flowers, Around Town
Season’s shade. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Blue is marrying into green, and green is marrying into pink. Here, near Humayun’s tomb. The blue constitutes the dome of the centuries-old Neela Gumbad; the green is the lush foliage…
City Food – Black Halwa, Ballimaran
A dessert changes its name. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is one of Old Delhi’s most iconic desserts, but Its name is a racist slur, the Hindustani equivalent of the N-word. And now the owner of an…
Mission Delhi – Rakesh, Matia Mahal Bazar
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tomorrow is Dussehra. The day after he will leave our city, and will return a year later, for the next Dussehra. But this moment as…
City Monument – Dilli Gate, Najafgarh
A namesake. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The world has many Dilli Gates. There is a Dilli Gate in Lahore. There is a Dilli Gate in Ajmer. In Bharatpur. In Aligarh. In our very own Ghaziabad. All these…
City Life – Ramlila Actors, Ramlila Ground
Once in a year. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The crown gracing his head, the smooth folds of his dress–every inch the King Dashrath. But the Raja Dashrath sitting on this plain Jane plastic chair is also a…
City Season – Saptaparni Blossoms, Around Town
In search of flowers. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Last night was a violent night, à la Wuthering Heights. There was thunder, lightning, and for a few minutes the hissing wind raged like a storm. This overcast morning,…
City Landmark – Ramlila Maidan, Central Delhi
Living to its name. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Break Dance, Joy Wheel, Columbus, Cross, Tora Tara… such are the names of the joy rides that have sprung up here. There’s a toy train too. Sandwiched like a…
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