Delhi Metro - Icing on the Chowk, Rajiv Chowk

Delhi Metro – Icing on the Chowk, Rajiv Chowk

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] “All across the distance and spaces between us…” An instrumental rendition of Celine Dion’s love song from the movie Titanic is playing from the speakers this…

Delhi Metro - Metro Spotting, Aastha Kunj Park

Delhi Metro – Metro Spotting, Aastha Kunj Park

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Suddenly the silver-grey coaches of the Violet Line glints into view, far in the horizon (see photo). The train runs past a backdrop of high-rises. But…

Delhi Metro - Poem of All Commutes, Chattarpur

Delhi Metro – Poem of All Commutes, Chattarpur

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] The many lines of the Delhi Metro have stitched our vast, unwieldy, smoggy city into a multi-coloured embroidery. It has also rummaged its way into the fabric of our…

Delhi Metro - Suitable Commuter, Central Secretariat

Delhi Metro – Suitable Commuter, Central Secretariat

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A climate change professional and a literary critic, Nikhil Kumar shares a memorable episode of his reading life on the Metro. “IT TOOK me around a hundred Metro…

Delhi Metro - Septuagenarian Commuter, Wenger's Cake Shop

Delhi Metro – Septuagenarian Commuter, Wenger’s Cake Shop

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At 78, the turbaned gentleman must be among very few Delhiites of his age to travel daily on the Metro. He has a day-job to do….

Delhi Metro - Woman's Commute, Chawri Bazar Metro Station

Delhi Metro – Woman’s Commute, Chawri Bazar Metro Station

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A young woman in Old Delhi, or Delhi 6, steps out of her house, with a large stole or dupatta purposely hiding the dress beneath. She…

Delhi Metro - First Pandemic-Era Ride, Yellow Line

Delhi Metro – First Pandemic-Era Ride, Yellow Line

Masked new world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Clean, bright and sanitized. And silent. As the Delhi Metro reopened, more than five months after coronavirus changed the world, its scenery is weirdly reminiscent of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’,…

Delhi Metro - The Sunset Journey, Blue Line

Delhi Metro – The Sunset Journey, Blue Line

The midsummer’s sunset metro line. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Over the centuries the good people of Delhi have painstakingly learned to cope with stifling summer heat. But it’s admittedly hard to form some sort of friendship with…

Delhi Metro - Train Spotting, Around Town

Delhi Metro – Train Spotting, Around Town

Metro sightings. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla has found the most picturesque spot from where to watch the majesty of the Delhi Metro. It lies in little-known Aastha Kunj, in south Delhi. Visited by only…

Delhi Metro - Dwarka Sector 21, Blue Line

Delhi Metro – Dwarka Sector 21, Blue Line

A last station’s romance. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They dot our landscape, more than 150 of them. And now The Delhi Walla is friends with arguably the most gorgeous of all those Metro stations in our sprawling…