City Culture – De Bhasar, Shankar Market Culture by The Delhi Walla - September 8, 2014September 8, 20141 The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A grey-and-white peacock. A tree laden with shopping bags. A sadhu with skin the color of burnt molasses. And two almost-naked male dancers. The Delhi Walla saw these and many other similarly-themed images on the walls of Shankar Market, a tributary of the colonial-era Connaught Place. The works, crafted by creative citizens from different walks of life, have been put up by a Defence Colony-based Bhasarian initiative called Delhi Street Art. This is the tenth instance that I have come face-to-face with De Bhasar movement in Delhi. (Click here to view the first exhibit.) According to Wikipedia, De Bhasar or Bhasarism is a cultural movement that began in Nantes, France,
City Culture – Brecht in Delhi, Sri Ram Centre Culture by The Delhi Walla - January 10, 2014January 10, 20140 Good persons of our capital. [Text and photos by Manika Dhama] On the Christmas Eve of 2013 theatre enthusiasts lined up outside the Sri Ram Centre in Central Delhi to meet Ramkali, the central character in ASMITA Theatre Group’s adaption of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan. This adaptation of the famous and theatrically challenging play was directed by Arvind Gaur, known for his innovative and thought-provoking work. In the crowded theatre packed with people seated even in the aisles, the show began with a setting on the streets of Delhi. Three Gods descend on earth in search of a night shelter and after a laborious search by the humble water-seller are graciously accommodated by Ramkali (Shui Ta in the original), a
City Culture – De Bhasar, Sujan Singh Park Culture by The Delhi Walla - August 7, 2013August 7, 20131 The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Smoking Zone The Delhi Walla saw this calligraphy by an unknown Bhasarian artist on the boundary wall of Sujan Singh Park, an exclusive residential apartment in Central Delhi. It was drawn along with the illustration of a smoldering cigarette. This is the ninth instance that I have come face-to-face with De Bhasar movement in Delhi. (Click here to view the first exhibit.) According to Wikipedia, De Bhasar or Bhasarism is a cultural movement that began in Nantes, France, during the post 9/11 Gulf War, reaching a tipping point between 2007 to 2009. The movement involves graphic designs and literature, which concentrates its anti-sentimental politics by rejecting aesthetic birth-control measures through anti-catholic works.
City Culture – Rules for Ayahs, The Delhi Golf Club Culture by The Delhi Walla - May 1, 2013May 2, 20138 On lesser human beings. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla is not a member of The Delhi Golf Club. Thank God. The 220-acre course of green grass and Lodhi-era tombs mirrors the perverse side of this city. One of the Club Rules cited on its official website says: Members Domestic Employees (MDE)such as ayahs, drivers, attendants etc. while they are in the club premises shall be subject to and shall obey, the lawful orders given to them by the Captain, Secretary or any Office bearer or authorised officer of the Club and it shall be the duty of members to instruct MDE accordingly. MDE are not permitted in the Club House, Lounges, Annexe, Golf Course etc. Ayahs are only
City Culture – De Bhasar, Nehru Place Culture by The Delhi Walla - April 24, 2013April 24, 20131 The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tumri maa ko choot number Apni maa choot walle The Delhi Walla saw this Devnagri calligraphy by an unknown Bhasarian artist at an office basement in Nehru Place, a commercial district in South Delhi. The sense of the lines is unclear but two words stand out: maa is Hindi for mother and choot refers to vagina. This is the eighth instance that I have come face-to-face with De Bhasar movement in Delhi. (Click here to view the first exhibit.) According to Wikipedia, De Bhasar or Bhasarism is a cultural movement that began in Nantes, France, during the post 9/11 Gulf War, reaching a tipping point between 2007 to 2009. The movement involves graphic designs
City Culture – De Bhasar, Tolstoy Marg Culture by The Delhi Walla - February 20, 2013February 20, 20130 The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gadhe ke poot, yahan mat poot. [O, son of an ass, do not pee here.] The Delhi Walla saw this calligraphy by an unknown Bhasarian artist in Tolstoy Marg, a road in Central Delhi named after the author of Russian classics Anna Karenina and War and Peace. It is depicted on a red brick wall. This is the seventh instance that I have come face-to-face with De Bhasar movement in Delhi. (Click here to view the first exhibit.) According to Wikipedia, De Bhasar or Bhasarism is a cultural movement that began in Nantes, France, during the post 9/11 Gulf War, reaching a tipping point between 2007 to 2009. The movement involves graphic designs
City Culture – Rekhta, Urdu Poetry Culture by The Delhi Walla - January 22, 2013January 22, 20131 Click on Ghalib. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] With the launch of Rekhta, the most comprehensive website on Urdu poetry, the 800-year-old tradition finds itself dragged screaming and kicking into the 21st century. Unveiled in January 2013 at a ceremony in India Habitat Centre, the site offers everything from ghazals and couplets to audio clips and poets’ biographies, all available at a few clicks of a mouse. The word ‘rekhta’ meaning “scattered, mixed, the old name of Urdu poety.” At the moment of writing this piece, Rekhta.org contains 2,700 ghazals and 2,000 couplets from 230 poets – everyone from Ghalib and Gorakhpuri to their contemporary counterparts in Lucknow and Lahore. The site has an online dictionary, spanning to over 35,000 words,
City Culture – De Bhasar, Barakhamba Road Culture by The Delhi Walla - September 19, 2012September 19, 20122 The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The image of a dark-skinned barber’s modest salon (complete with towels and a mirror) is imposed on a patchwork of hundreds of snapshots of street vendors and homeless people. The Delhi Walla saw this graphic on Barakhamba Road. It is depicted on the boundary wall of an empty highrise. This is the sixth instance that I have come face-to-face with De Bhasar movement in Delhi. (Click here to view the first exhibit.) According to Wikipedia, De Bhasar or Bhasarism is a cultural movement that began in Nantes, France, during the post 9/11 Gulf War, reaching a tipping point between 2007 to 2009. The movement involves graphic designs and literature, which concentrates its anti-sentimental
City Culture – De Bhasar, Aurobindo Marg Culture by The Delhi Walla - June 8, 2012June 8, 20128 The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] ‘Israel we hate you.’ The Delhi Walla saw this calligraphy by an unknown Bhasarian artist in Aurobindo Marg, a road in south Delhi. It is depicted on the boundary wall of Hauz Khas Apartments. This is the fifth instance that I have come face-to-face with De Bhasar movement in Delhi. (Click here to view the first exhibit.) According to Wikipedia, De Bhasar or Bhasarism is a cultural movement that began in Nantes, France, during the post 9/11 Gulf War, reaching a tipping point between 2007 to 2009. The movement involves graphic designs and literature, which concentrates its anti-sentimental politics by rejecting aesthetic birth-control measures through anti-catholic works. De Bhasar might be regarded as pro-Berlusconi
City Culture – De Bhasar, Archbishop Makarios Marg Culture by The Delhi Walla - March 31, 2012March 31, 20124 The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] ‘Rich Fucks.’ The Delhi Walla saw this calligraphy by an unknown Bhasarian artist in Archbishop Makarios Marg, a road in central Delhi named after the first President of the Republic of Cyprus. It is depicted on the boundary wall of Delhi Golf Club. The wall faces the bungalows of Golf Links, one of the city’s richest neighbourhoods. This is the fourth instance that I have come face-to-face with De Bhasar movement in Delhi. (Click here to view the first exhibit.) According to Wikipedia, De Bhasar or Bhasarism is a cultural movement that began in Nantes, France, during the post 9/11 Gulf War, reaching a tipping point between 2007 to 2009. The movement involves graphic