Death of a Delhiwalla. Zubeida Bano, a cultured dweller of Shahjahanabad, died on August 9th, aged 72. The Delhi Walla had profiled her in the website’s Mission Delhi project. The arc of Ms Bano’s life began at a high point of wealth and influence and went downward,...
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Inside the walls. One afternoon The Delhi Walla entered the home of Muhammed Rashid Khan. There is no doorbell because there is no door. Mr Khan, 40, lives with his wife and three children on a pavement in Ranjit Singh Road, central Delhi. Their neighbours are a...
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Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighbourhood. Late September morning. The shadows are cold. I enter into a part of the Hauz Khas ruins that is not frequented by tourists. May be they are here. I’m searching for Pappu and Usha, the couple I met the other day while...
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The new Old Delhi. In a house on Pahari Rajaan hill, stairs lead to a courtyard. Here a new flight of stairs passes a kitchen and leads to another courtyard. More stairs, another room, stairs—and then you reach the roof and get a view of Purani Dilli...
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Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighbourhood. My house looks to the Hauz Khas monument. This morning I got to know a family that lives inside that monument. I met Pappu and Usha on the Hauz Khas Village road, a tree-lined stretch that connects the neighbourhood to Aurobindo Marg....
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The traditional pastime. They fly away but always come back. Mateen Qureshi, 26, the owner of Shireen Bhawan sweetshop in Matia Mahal bazaar, has the largest collection of pigeons in Old Delhi. The Delhi Walla is on his roof, on the fourth floor of his house. The...
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Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighbourhood. The terrace of my apartment looks to the ruins of Hauz Khas, which were originally built as a mosque and madarsa by emperor Feroze Shah Tughlaq in 14th century. Tughlaq was buried in the same compound. The dome of his tomb soars...
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Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighbourhood. The Delhi Walla lives in Hauz Khas Village. The one-room apartment has a window that looks to graceful ruins and a placid lake. The view ahead is of treetops. In the day, birds chirp. In the night, ducks squawk. The sky roars...
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Groomed help for the house. The maid is in the mall, bar-coded. Standing in a glass display case, she is in a spotless cotton sari, barely there make-up, buffed nails and no jewellery. She understands English and can rustle up bouillabaisse. She is holding verification papers that...
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Inside the walls. One morning The Delhi Walla knocked at the house of Nand Ram, 45. He lives with his wife, Beni, and son, Bablu, in Green Park, a posh neighbourhood in South Delhi. Mr Ram’s house consists of one room. The roof and walls are of...
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