Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Masti Anna Zaman, Somewhere in Delhi
Fakeer gets frank. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He doesn’t have a mobile phone, he doesn’t have a bank account, he doesn’t have an ID card, he doesn’t have much cash either, he says. Even so, he is…
Mission Delhi – Abu Noman, Maujpur
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] In his 70s, he is frail, he walks with caution, and his advanced years has taken a toll on his hearing. And he flits around…
City Walk – Gail Choori Walan, Old Delhi
Street of the bangle folks [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Did you know that Snow White and the seven dwarves isn’t just a fairy tale? True, those eight folks used to live in Old Delhi, here in Gali…
City Landmark – New Wall Clock, Turkman Gate
Timeless gets new time. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The lush banyan tree stands by the old marble grave. High up in the smoggy air, the leafy branches bend over the chaotic street, keeping it marooned in perpetual…
Mission Delhi – Neera Chopra, Rajpur Road
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Every morning she gets up at five, walks into the dining room, opens the door outside to the porch, and there “I look at my…
City Nature – Amaltas in 2024 Bloom, Around Town
Summer’s gift [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] By yellow-and-green autos speeding along the Mathura Road, the heat-stricken citizen is walking wearily, past a deserted bus stop, past a woman selling bottled water, past a… here it is, right…
City Obituary – Shree Kumari Pandey, Gurgaon
”Jagat mummy” [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The world is the size of each person’s head. An entire universe has been lost with her passing. Shree Kumari Pandey died on Thursday, aged 97. She is survived by US-based…
City Food – Roller Wali Ice-Cream, Somewhere in Delhi
A rare summer treat [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sniff it, this strange vision in pink. The cool intense fragrances rushing out of it hint to apple and mango and possibly kiwi. This is actually fresh ice, infused…
City Landmark – Tile Art, Pedestrian Subway, Outer Ring Road
Tiles in the city [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Taak, a niche on the wall, is a disappearing element of Delhi’s architecture. Maybe because suburban flats no longer have walls thick enough to afford taak. But here’s a…
City Landmark – Hazrat Amir Khusrau’s 720th Urs, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s Dargah
A poet-saint’s anniversary [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] As monuments go by, it is not instantly striking. But it is cloaked in rich layers of histories. In the beginning, it was just a marble grave and remained so…
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