City Monument – Chhoti Gumti, Green Park
Small wonder. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is a beautiful nothing. Chhoti Gumti in South Delhi’s Green Park Colony is of no historic consequence. It is such a tiny Lodhi-era ruin that its survival is a marvel….
City Monument – The Barbed Wire & The Holocaust Panels, Venice Ghetto
The tragedy of being the world’s first ghetto. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The barbed wire on the top of the wall is broken at places. It stretches out against a cloud-filled sky. The unpainted brick wall marks…
City Monument – Hijron ka Khanqah, Mehrauli
Into another world. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Beautifully maintained, surprisingly serene, and almost always empty, this is a sufi spiritual retreat for hijras, or eunuchs, who beg for money by flaunting their ambiguous sexuality, and yet are…
City Monument – Unknown Tomb, Pragati Maidan
Somebody’s grave. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The tomb is covered with a white silk cloth. It’s torn. The paint on the headstone has partially peeled off to expose the bricks within. One afternoon The Delhi Walla comes…
City Monument – 12 Pillars, Barakhamba Road
A new ruin. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] 1, 2, 3, 4… exactly 12 pillars, or bara khambas, here. These white columns, plastered with political posters, appear to effectively dispel the mystery behind the evocative name of Barakhamba…
City Monument – William Daniell’s Drawings of Mughal Delhi, Around Town
Old views of an old city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Camels wandering around Humayun’s Tomb, an elephant standing by the mausoleum of Safdarjung, and deserted mansions in Old Delhi. Every place looks so quiet and serene, especially…
City Monument – An Obscure Lodhi Tomb, Lado Sarai
The queen of the evening. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nobody knows who is buried here. It is not grand, but it is extremely exquisite. And you will see no tourists, no lovers, so typical of Delhi’s more…
City Monument – Teen Murti House, Central Delhi
Nehru’s last home. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A koel perched somewhere on one of the trees is calling out incessantly. A peacock emerges from behind a hedge, but disappears the next instant. The big house exudes an…
City Monument – Restored Edition, Hazrat Sarmad Shahid’s and Hazrat Hare Bhare Shah’s Sufi Shrines
New look, old mood. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Each of the two tombs is now surrounded by a grille of white marble. The floor has been laid with smoother tiles. These are among the new attractions. The…
City Monument – The Backside, Red Fort
The other side of the story. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Is the Red Fort, um, red? The easy answer is that, yes, it certainly is. But that’s only half the story. Stroll around to the other side–Ring…
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