City Landmark – Anil Book Corner, Connaught Place
The friend around the corner. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Volga river is in Russia. Connaught Place (CP) too had its Volga, the restaurant. A denim showroom exists on the site. Also a part of CP’s history: Gaylord…
City Hangout – India Habitat Center Architecture, Lodhi Road
So Stein. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Head to the tranquil atrium at the India Habitat Centre (IHC). Enter through gate 2. Make sure you reach around 10.15am, when the morning shift staffers are sprucing up the courtyard…
City Hangout – Blue Chai, Kale Tea Stall
The street of the tailor’s needle. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Winter in, blue out. Neela aasman kho gaya—the blue sky is lost. Soon the air above Delhi will be all grey, dusty, smoggy, cold. Indeed, in our…
City Hangout – Tracking the Pigeons, Chitli Qabar Chowk
Bird’s-eye view. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Suddenly, the house of lawyer Nilofar “advocate” starts moving. Nahi nahi, these are actually the dark ripples moving along the building’s walls that give that impression. The restless pigeons are flying…
City Hangout – Altering Indian Coffee House, Mohan Singh Place
A changing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The discreet way the daylight streams through the glass windows has remained the same. The silhouette-like reflection of the people falling on the tiled wall hasn’t changed much, either. The…
City Hangout – 20 Hyperlocal Chai Spots, Around Town
Trees of Kasturba Gandhi Road. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Here are Delhi’s 20 hyperlocal chai spots. Each of these places deserves a page-length praise but the detailing has been kept minimal. Sequenced randomly. 1. Zina Tea Stall…
City Walk – Chhatta Shaikh Mangloo, Old Delhi
Life of a lane. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It flows like a nadi from under the shadow of the Jama Masjid. But a citizen walking on the street won’t see anything of the grand mosque. Flanked by…
City Hangout – Meraj Guest House, Ballimaran
An extraordinary lodging. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The staircase is ordinary. So is the ensuing corridor. Ditto the tiny reception. The best room is basic, a double bed with white sheets. No AC. Even so, this is…
City Hangout – Masjid Udayan, Gurgaon
Let us praise unremarkable places. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Picturesque places thrill the senses. Please also give a chance to plain places. Hosting scenes of unremarkable everyday life, they too can make a deep impact. Such is…
City Hangout – Dining Hall, India International Center Annexe
The lesser-known IIC. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The rainy day’s subdued light deftly streams through the misty windows, filling up the interiors with a diffused illumination. While the framed artworks on the walls glisten with the reflection…
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