Atget’s Corner – 1106-1110, Delhi Photos

Atget’s Corner – 1106-1110, Delhi Photos

The visible city. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi is a voyeur’s paradise and The Delhi Walla also makes pictures. I take photos of people, streets, flowers, eateries, drawing rooms, tombs, landscapes, buses, colleges, Sufi shrines, trees, animals, autos, libraries, birds,…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Archana Ravi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Archana Ravi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

The 197th death. [Text and photos sent by Archana Ravi] Leggings campaigner Archana Ravi died of a death curse on Saturday. She had been adamant about wearing ill-fitted leggings, and desecrating the cultural sanctity of Thiruvananthapuram streets, despite being warned…

City Monument - A Lesser Known Baoli, Matia Mahal

City Monument – A Lesser Known Baoli, Matia Mahal

A step-well around the corner. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] With a mere 380 years behind it, Old Delhi isn’t all that old. (Sorry to shatter your illusions) Centuries before the Walled City was founded, it still had…

Delhi Metro - The Sunset Journey, Blue Line

Delhi Metro – The Sunset Journey, Blue Line

The midsummer’s sunset metro line. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Over the centuries the good people of Delhi have painstakingly learned to cope with stifling summer heat. But it’s admittedly hard to form some sort of friendship with…

City Faith - Shakuntala Devi's Shiv Temple, Paharganj

City Faith – Shakuntala Devi’s Shiv Temple, Paharganj

A tranquil pilgrimage. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tranquility isn’t always easy to find in our teeming metropolis. But, of course, there’s recourse to temples. The Shiv Mandir in central Delhi’s Paharganj, for instance, is about as close…

City Hangout - Library of Newspapers, Daryaganj

City Hangout – Library of Newspapers, Daryaganj

Celebrating the print edition. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This place may not match any preconceived ideas about public libraries. But that’s exactly what it is. No shelves, no books. Just tonnes of newspapers, all piled up in…

Home Sweet Home – The Family Courtyard, Ganj Meer Khan

Home Sweet Home – The Family Courtyard, Ganj Meer Khan

Biography of an aangan. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The little courtyard, or aangan, is placed in the big house as snugly as a nest in a tree. The aged mansion in old Delhi’s Ganj Meer Khan was…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Jessica Faleiro, Goa

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Jessica Faleiro, Goa

The 196th death. [Text and photos sent by Jessica Faleiro] Although she managed to write prolifically during her life-time, it was the weight of the unwritten tomes inside her that finally dragged Jessica Faleiro’s body down to its watery death….

City Food - Bel Sherbet, Connaught Lane and Around Town

City Food – Bel Sherbet, Connaught Lane and Around Town

The summer comfort. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s time to acknowledge the walker-friendly Connaught Lane linking Kasturba Gandhi Marg to Barakhamba Road in Connaught Place as a spoilt-for-choice food street. The alley is lined with stalls hawking…

Mission Delhi - Farzana Siddiqui, Kucha Chelan

Mission Delhi – Farzana Siddiqui, Kucha Chelan

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The denizens of Old Delhi are notorious for staying awake late into the night. But, of course, there are exceptions. Such as Farzana Siddiqui who…