City Home - Arshad Fehmi’s Roof, Near Jama Masjid

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 Home - Kue Wala Ghar, Chawri Bazar

City Home – Kue Wala Ghar, Chawri Bazar

Old address. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sunlight falling on the tall blue walls quivers softly, making the concrete look liquefied. The staircase to the roof is crisscrossing upwards into a series of landings. And the sehen,…

City Home - Qaiser Manzil, Old Delhi

City Home – Qaiser Manzil, Old Delhi

A citizen’s inheritance. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The tangled malti vines are cascading down the high wall like a long waterfall. Scores of eensy-weensy birds are popping out of their dense foliage, looking like bubbles in the…

City Home - Roomies in Winter, Near Delite Cinema

City Home – Roomies in Winter, Near Delite Cinema

Home in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The day was clear and sunny, so the night will be much colder. This is his analysis. The bearded gentleman is one of the nine labourers—Kalam, Saleem, Kumrul, Abil,…

City Home - Roommates of Rubble, Central Delhi

City Home – Roommates of Rubble, Central Delhi

Cold night comrades. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is one of the coldest nights in the city so far this winter. Under the foggy sky, a group of young men are huddled around their cooking stove, its…

City Home - The Courtyard, Hameed Manzil

City Home – The Courtyard, Hameed Manzil

The last sehen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Old houses in Old Delhi were made of onion-like peels. There would be kamra, the room, often called the mehman khana to receive the guests. It would open into dalan,…

Delhi Homes - Windows of Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti & Elsewhere

Delhi Homes – Windows of Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti & Elsewhere

That opening in the room. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] With an upsurge in extreme weather conditions, along with pollution, smog and dengue mosquitoes, most of us are obliged to keep our household windows curtained and shut. The…

City Home - Faqir Chand Household, Khan Market

City Home – Faqir Chand Household, Khan Market

End of an era. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Its over. The last of the old Khan Market is gone. A pivotal event concerning India’s most upscale shopping destination took place quietly, some months back. Khan Market’s last…

City Home - A Transitory House, Somewhere in Delhi

City Home – A Transitory House, Somewhere in Delhi

A home in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The house is now a debris. A huge mountain of broken bricks has spilled out into what used to be a driveway. It looks like one of those…

City Home - Late Scholar Abdul Sattar's Room, Pahari Imli

City Home – Late Scholar Abdul Sattar’s Room, Pahari Imli

The room lives on. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He is gone, lying buried in Dilli Gate cemetry, but his packed bookshelves are in their appointed places. His mattress and pillows, too. The angle the afternoon sunlight is…