City Hangout – Paharganj Magic Realism, Main Bazar
Odd architecture. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Two tiny shops, clinging tightly to each other. Atop lies what must had once been a house—now reduced to its skeletal frame. Wild brown grass has claimed the vanished roof’s still…
City Hangout – Aurobindo Market, South Delhi
The other sides of the market. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nobody is denying the slow, subtle charm of Aurobindo Market. Its neighbourly vibes, where everyone seems to know everyone, are soothing. There is a certain old-fashioned politeness…
City Hangout – Batla House Qabristan, Near Jamia Millia Islamia University
Midnight in the graveyard. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is midnight. People here are sleeping. They have been asleep for a long time, though some have closed their eyes more recently than others. You can tell that…
City Hangout – Pandemic-Era Madan Café, Paharganj
A place for backpackers. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The cafés are once again crowded with backpackers. The paves are full of the blab of Israelis. The touts too have surfaced. Paharganj is back in business. If only….
City Hangout – Meena Bazar, Old Delhi
The Other Chandni Chowk. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] These days people are composing new ballads for Chandni Chowk. The refurbished avenue has become more pedestrian-friendly for the Walled City aficionados. The change is believed to have accentuated…
City Hangout – Old Windows, Daryaganj
Openings of old times. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is a window with six panes. The glass of each pane is discoloured to a different degree—one pane is in fact partially broken, the jagged edges of its…
City Hangout – Sunset Bench, Lodhi Gardens
A twilight experience. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s just a bench. But right now it is hewn out of the sun’s very soul. This is one of the most thaumaturgic sights in Delhi. The setting is Lodhi…
City Hangout – AIIMS Flyover, South Delhi
An unlikely haven. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Consisting of sloped mounds, parts of the landscape resemble the sandy Chambal valley ravines that were infamous for sheltering dacoits. But here the crests and troughs of earth are carpeted…
City Hangout – Masjid Udayan, Gurgaon
A cold-weather friend. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A man is lying on a bench, wide awake. Some steps away, a chhole-bhature eatery staffer is hurriedly finishing his homemade dal-roti. While a cotton candy hawker, armed with plastic-wrapped…
City Hangout – A Lane in Jatwada, Old Delhi
The Walled City’s essence. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The wall’s blue colour has faded unevenly. In some places, the patches look like a clear blue sky. In other places, they look as if the sky were shrouded…
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