City Hangout – Live Music Hotspots, Paharganj
A world inside a world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] So this is Delhi’s hidden Europe. That is, if you believe in the title of a recent Bollywood thriller, Paharganj—The Little Amsterdam of India. The central Delhi district—especially…
City Hangout – Bird Feeding Pilgrimage, Hamdard Chowk
To the communion. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s a hot muggy morning and these three supplicants are devoutly praying. Not in a temple but at a Central Delhi traffic island teeming with pigeons. The devotees now open…
City Hangout – Public Park, Greater Kailash Enclave-I
Shakespeare’s garden. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Any number of public parks in our fair city can look downright dreamy in early evening. Stepping into south Delhi’s Greater Kailash Enclave-I around 8pm is, however, rather like entering a…
City Hangout – Ram Vilas’s Chai Shop, Civil Lines, Gurgaon
Summer refuge. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some creatures survive a season’s extremity by escaping its soul-sucking fangs. Like the opportunistic Siberian cranes who dump their icy winter-time Siberia for the sunnier climes of our India. And you…
City Hangout – Accessible-to-All Garden, Members-Only IIC
Space for all. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The vibes can be foreboding at the India International Center (IIC). All those security guards. All those spaces you’re not permitted to enter unless you’re a member (or in this…
City Neighbourhood – Empress Razia Sultan’s Locality, Bulbuli Khana
Razia’s area. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Such narrow streets. Such broken rutty paths. And this happens to be a queen’s address. Who was the only female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. The way to Razia Sultan’s grave…
City Hangout – Ramzan Nights, Zakir Nagar
Fasting, shopping, feasting. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Ramzan 2019 starts this week. This is a month in which the Muslims believe that the Quran was sent down from heaven. To purify their inner and outer selves, followers…
City Hangout – Touchy-Feely Gallery, National Museum
Tangible way of experiencing the past. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It may be hard to resist grasping the Shiva sculpture estimated to be from the fifth century. Or perhaps playing with the deity’s large earrings. In fact,…
City Hangout – Central Park, Defence Colony
Public garden anthropology. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Cool breeze and chirpy birds. Two morose seeming lovers. A man lying flat on the grass. Such are the scenes of an ordinary afternoon in Central Park. Built upon what…
City Hangout – Water Fountain, Gole Park, Windsor Place
Our home-grown Niagara Falls. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Summertime shower Summertime in Delhi can be fearsome. Those who can afford it may simply dump the city for long stretches, fleeing to hillside resort towns such as Mussoorie….
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