City Hangout - Madan & Festa, Paharganj

City Hangout – Madan & Festa, Paharganj

Two cool cafés. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] No deafening pop, jazz, or Hindi remixes. Nobody chatting loudly, no south Delhi snobbery. So calm and unpretentious, these two cafés. Laid back and moody, here one can actually follow…

City Walk - Civil Lines, Gurugram

City Walk – Civil Lines, Gurugram

A walk for a civil season. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The fog is gone. The smog isn’t so visible. The sky is of a rare blue, at least on certain days. It is that magical time of…

City Landmark - Art Gallery, Ghalib Academy

City Landmark – Art Gallery, Ghalib Academy

Poetry intersecting with painting. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He seems so far from the world of today, but Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan Ghalib died only 155 years ago, aged 72. This being the great poet’s death anniversary,…

City Life - Staircases, Gurgaon Mosque & Gurgaon Mall

City Life – Staircases, Gurgaon Mosque & Gurgaon Mall

More than just a fire exit. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Here are two aspects of one city. As seen through two staircases. The first one is a steep staircase littered with shoes, sandals and chappals—see right photo….

City Hangout - Day-End at Sunday Book Bazar, Mahila Haat

City Hangout – Day-End at Sunday Book Bazar, Mahila Haat

Time passing, and final hours. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Endings mark closure to stories, give clarity. Endings tend to be poignant. Such is also the case with the fabled Sunday Book Bazar. The story of Delhi’s weekly…

City Landmark - Bani Temple, Gurgaon

City Landmark – Bani Temple, Gurgaon

A shrine with a view. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] So surreal. These gigantic stalagmites stranded in the polluted air. They are actually far-off business towers, their view diffused in the winter fog. The scene shifts with a…

City Landmark - Old Bungalows, Patel Nagar

City Landmark – Old Bungalows, Patel Nagar

Fading ghosts. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The faded yellow paint of the exteriors have peeled off in many places—is probably peeling off at this moment too, while you read these words. The old paint underneath the yellow,…

City Hangout - Braid Shopping, Chitli Qabar Bazar

City Hangout – Braid Shopping, Chitli Qabar Bazar

The hanging parandas. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Bangles, rusks (they are Delhi’s best rusks!), malai wali chai, flower sehras for brides and grooms, carrot halwa (including the rare white carrot halwa), wall clocks, bullet coffee (only in…

City Hangout - Book Adda, Daryaganj

City Hangout – Book Adda, Daryaganj

Alibaba’s cave. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Oscar for Delhi’s most exciting bookstore goes to… why tell others, why share the booty? Book Adda, since 2014, is among a handful of used bookstores lining a stretch of…

City Neighbourhood - Anjuman Chowk, Old Delhi

City Neighbourhood – Anjuman Chowk, Old Delhi

Heart of the world. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Anjuman Chowk is the center of the world. This belief is firmly instilled into the sensibilities of the Anjuman Chowk gentry. After all, almost all the galis that matter…