City Home – Arshad Fehmi’s Roof, Near Jama Masjid
His morning walk. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] His iPhone’s pedometer reading is galloping as fast as a bullish stock market index—1.009 steps… 1,100… Morning walk is daily life’s ordinary aspect. Businessman Arshad Fehmi’s 6 o’clock ritual is…
City Neighbourhood- Gali Peerji Wali, Old Delhi
Mystic’s lane. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] They forgot the water jug. The family must have vacated the old house in a hurry. Not much remains of the mansion except for a green door and a corner wall,…
City Life – Michael for Sunny, Paharganj Cemetry
Their 40-year-old bond. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Michael Marchant bends down by Sunny’s grave, holding a pack of marigolds he had brought some minutes ago this afternoon from florist Rajesh at the cemetery gateway. He suddenly lifts…
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Rajneesh, Around Town
Into a cab man’s heart. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the essentials occupying an esteemed place in his car is the blue statuette of Dr BR Ambedkar holding a copy of the Indian constitution (see photo)….
City Nature – Trees, Gurugram Railway Station
Platform arbour. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The evening sun is slinking into the distant west. The air in the immediate vicinity is powdery, either with dust, or with the gathering mist, or perhaps it is simply smog….
City Faith – Shab-e-Barat Night, Panj Peeran Graveyard
Living with the dead. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The midnight moon is shining upon the land beneath, but the land has its own lights. On this night of Shab-e-Barat, a special occasion in the Islamic calendar (commemorated…
City Neighbourhood- Gali Godo Wali, Old Delhi
A secretive world. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] With its extreme narrowness and darkened ambiance, Gali Godo Wali has the mood of an underground tunnel . Plus, it is so secretive that it doesn’t exist even on Google…
City Monument – Hazrat Sarmad & Hazrat Hare Bhare, Old Delhi
Old new world. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some of us like to perceive the world through colours (to truly see the impressionism of colours in everyday existence, you have to google for the New York street-life snapshots…
City Landmark – Vikram Seth’s Florist, Hazrat Nizamuddin East
A hyperlocal business . [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] One icy noon, two winters ago, a tiny red car halted by a pavement florist. The driver’s door flapped open, a chap emerged. He walked up to the florist,…
City Monument – A Perspective of Jama Masjid, Old Delhi
The Dilli style. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Typical Delhi aesthetics, some might say. Two eras co-existing side by side. One belongs to the 17th century. One belongs to our time. One is of red sandstone, other of…
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