City Style - Lawyer Bhavita Modi Sachdeva's Saree Closet, Mandakini Enclave

City Style – Lawyer Bhavita Modi Sachdeva’s Saree Closet, Mandakini Enclave

Style in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] She almost never buys them but owns more than 300 sarees anyway. A startling detail that has transformed Bhavita Modi Sachdeva into something of an Instagram star. Visitors to…

Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Michael Creighton's Love Songs, Adjacent to Outer Ring Road

Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Michael Creighton’s Love Songs, Adjacent to Outer Ring Road

Poetry in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This American poet has lived in our midst for more than a decade, doing what most of us never do. Taking long walks — sometimes for hours at a…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Aparna Sinha, Gurugram

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Aparna Sinha, Gurugram

The 175th death. [Text and photos sent by Aparna Sinha] On a crisp Sunday afternoon of October, Aparna Sinha was found dead lying on a rocking chair in the balcony of her home in Gurugram. She had a peaceful zen-like…

Julia Child in Delhi – Nandita Kapur Makes Her Late Mum-in-Law's Banana Halwa, East of Kailash

Julia Child in Delhi – Nandita Kapur Makes Her Late Mum-in-Law’s Banana Halwa, East of Kailash

The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Once upon a time there lived a woman. Kind, amiable and generous. She was much loved by her large circle of friends and by her family. Prakash…

City Library - Jane Austenite Manisha Saluja's Library, Inderpuri

City Library – Jane Austenite Manisha Saluja’s Library, Inderpuri

A vanishing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Happy disorder. Viable anarchy. Enticing mishmash. Call it what you want, but the fact remains that finding a book in her private library is like looking for a needle in…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Aparna Sanjay , Banaras Hindu University

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Aparna Sanjay , Banaras Hindu University

The 174th death. [Text and photos sent by Aparna Sanjay] A loyal Banarasiya, Aparna Sanjay of House Orwell succumbed to her head injuries incurred during a lathi charge by the police on Banaras Hindu University students. Though she always wore…

Atget’s Corner – 1086-1090, Delhi Photos

Atget’s Corner – 1086-1090, 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 – Jaya B, Somewhere in Chennai

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Jaya B, Somewhere in Chennai

The 173rd death. [Text and photos sent by Jaya B] Draped in a soft MS Blue Kanjeevaram silk saree with a maroon chequered border, she breathed her last this Margazhi morning after finishing her piping-hot filter coffee. Jaya B had…

City Life - Labourers' Load, Central Delhi

City Life – Labourers’ Load, Central Delhi

Big city dreams. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s another cold morning in a city bazar, where a thousand bricks stacked in a by-lane somehow need to be hauled to a construction site nearby. A crew of young…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Shivani Singh, Bombay

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Shivani Singh, Bombay

The 172nd death. [Text and photos sent by Shivani Singh] Shivani Singh, 24, was discovered dead in her office cafeteria here in Bombay. She was found sprawled halfway across the lunch table with a slow fan whirring overhead. They say,…