City Hangout – Walled City at 4 am, Old Delhi
A new way of seeing. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The historic Walled City in Old Delhi is an obvious tourist attraction, but presents big problems. During daytime and right into the evening, the place is packed with…
City Hangout – Gate No. 3, Civil Lines Metro Station
The summer refuge. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Such happiness when summer makes a perfect marriage with architecture. With the hot season beckoning, it’s none too early figuring out how to remain more or less comfy in torrid…
City Hangout – Most Romantic Park Bench, Lodhi Garden
The most-feeling seating. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Those fussy romantics seeking the seclusion of a park, but only in a most aesthetic setting, simply need to seek out a particular bench in the lushness of Lodhi Garden….
City Hangout – Hog Market, Rajendra Place
Out of the way. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This unlikely place feels like an island, very far away from the Delhi of sleek shopping malls and markets. Hog Market is indeed a getaway from nouveau modernity. With…
City Hangout – The Bridge Over the Railway Station, New Delhi
The bridge of escape. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Confess it. Even if you love Delhi, there are times when you want to get out of the city. This conflicting emotion is most intensely experienced on the road…
City Hangout – Dilli Gate Graveyard, Near ITO
The Old Delhi underground. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] An archipelago of graves scattered in a sea of grass This is as haunting as any graveyard, intensely evoking a sense of loss, impermanence, fragility and beauty. Dilli Gate…
City Hangout – Foot-Over Bridge, Indraprastha Metro Station
Disconnected from the world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Buried in antiquity, the legendary city of Indraprastha is thought to have thrived near the Metro station bearing the same name. Archaeologists are still puzzling over the clues to…
City Hangout – Closing Hour Melancholy, Sunday Book Bazaar, Daryaganj
Twilight in Delhi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is a cold Sunday evening and the pavement book bazaar in Daryaganj is wrapping up. Being a weekly market, it will hopefully re-open next Sunday. Most people come to…
City Hangout – Kohli Lal Yadav’s Lungi-Gamcha Stall, Chawri Bazar
The showroom of many shades. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This particular pavement stall stands out at Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar despite all its other engaging distractions. It looks like an ersatz wardrobe fit for a poet. The…
City Hangout – Winter Midnight Ice-Creams, India Gate
A midwinter night’s dream. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s winter is extreme but fleeting. It will no longer do to postpone one of the most memorable ways to cherish the season. Bitter chill is needed for the…
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