Delhi Proustians - Swann's Way, Anniversary Edition

Delhi Proustians – Swann’s Way, Anniversary Edition

On turning 100. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Of course you have read this book. But not everybody is like you. Apparently a large part of the world is scared of Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time,…

Mission Delhi - Madhusudan Srivastava, Vasundhara

Mission Delhi – Madhusudan Srivastava, Vasundhara

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] An amateur musician, he is sitting silently on the stairs. The Delhi Walla meets Madhusudan Srivastava in an apartment complex in suburban Vasundhra. “My friend…

City Books – Tintin in Delhi, Around Town

City Books – Tintin in Delhi, Around Town

Travails in India. [By Mayank Austen Soofi; the above photo was taken in Calcutta] Tintin has been to Delhi. A creation of Belgian cartoonist Hergé, the famous reporter-adventurer has traveled across the world, including India. Sadly, the red-haired hero and…

City Life – Gay Delhi, Jantar Mantar

City Life – Gay Delhi, Jantar Mantar

The long walk to freedom. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In July 2009, the Delhi High Court legalized gay sex among consenting adults. In December 2013, India’s Supreme Court turned down that progressive and just verdict, reinstating a…

City Life - Gay Delhi, Around Town

City Life – Gay Delhi, Around Town

Homosexuality in the capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In December 2013, India’s Supreme Court pronounced that gay sex is illegal. It has been a long journey for gay people in Delhi and across the country. “Looking for…

City Food – Shrikhand, H. Nizamuddin Railway Station

City Food – Shrikhand, H. Nizamuddin Railway Station

The sweet idea from Gujarat. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is a dessert from the west Indian state of Gujarat. In Delhi, shrikhand can be found at the milk booth on Platform No. 4 of Hazrat Nizamuddin…

Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – R. Sivapriya, Freedom Fighters Enclave

Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – R. Sivapriya, Freedom Fighters Enclave

The Proustian self-introspection. [By The Delhi Proustians] The Proust Questionnaire represents a form of interview that owes its structure to answers given by French novelist Marcel Proust, the author of In Search of Lost Time, at two birthday parties that…

City Hangout - Main Bazaar, Paharganj

City Hangout – Main Bazaar, Paharganj

Sights of the world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Main Bazaar in Paharganj is a clutter of cafés, second-hand book stores and a few atmospheric broken-down mansions. Close to the New Delhi railway station, the bustling district…

Hauz Khas Series – A House in the Village, Chapter 7

Hauz Khas Series – A House in the Village, Chapter 7

Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighborhood. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sun leaves the winter sky. The air empties of all sounds. The lake by the village crystallizes into utter solitude. The Delhi Walla is walking around Hauz…

Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Pradeep Chaturvedi, Gurgaon

Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Pradeep Chaturvedi, Gurgaon

The Proustian self-introspection. [By The Delhi Proustians] The Proust Questionnaire represents a form of interview that owes its structure to answers given by French novelist Marcel Proust, the author of In Search of Lost Time, at two birthday parties that…