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….
City Hangout – Udupi Café, Pratap Bhawan, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
A summer oasis. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The window blinds are smothering out any hint of the day, keeping the hall in a cool delicious shade. Udupi Café in Central Delhi’s ITO (Pratap Bhawan, Bahadur Shah Zafar…
City Hangout – Remembrance Benches, Outside National War Memorial
Living with new landmarks. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] New landmarks so easily become a part of city life that it’s hard to remember when they weren’t there. Opened only a few weeks ago, the 40-acre National War…
Recent Comments