City Hangout – Second-hand Books of Paharganj, Central Delhi
Finding thrill in unexpected places. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some go to Paharganj, the backpackers’ ghetto in central Delhi, to have emergency love with lonely foreigners. The Delhi Walla goes for novels they leave behind in the…
City Hangout – Husseini Hotel, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
Rustic charm. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The pots and pans are filled with Delhi’s customary dishes; the thick rotis are stacked under a white netted fabric; the cooks routinely wave at passersby on the street; the two…
City Hangout – Poetry Racks, Fact & Fiction and Others
[Verse corners] [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The world is dense with prose; it is not easy to find poetry in our tweeting lives. Fortunately, Delhi continues to have a few places where you can shop for verses….
City Hangout – Triveni Tea Terrace, Mandi House
Garden conversations. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The decades-old Triveni Tea Terrace shut down late last year. Triveni means “three plaits” in Sanskrit and, indeed, this Delhi landmark could well have been something a god of small and…
City Hangout – Mudrika Bus Route, Ring Road
Circling the capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It takes almost the same time that it takes to fly from Delhi to Helsinki, Finland. And the ticket costs a mere 15 rupees. One rush-hour evening The Delhi Walla…
City Hangout – New Landmarks, Connaught Place
The hot from the oven CP. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Connaught Place (CP) has returned from its long Arctic exile. After years of being outclassed by south Delhi’s hipster havens, it is reinventing itself with a bang….
City Hangout – Traffic Training Park, Baba Kharak Singh Marg
An unusual garden. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi despises traffic rules because hardly any Delhiwalla visits the Traffic Training Park. Situated on central Delhi’s Baba Kharak Singh Marg, it is an unusual garden. Instead of flowers and…
City Hangout – Ganga Dhaba, Jawaharlal Nehru University
The revolutionary outpost. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is like a welcoming jungle — except for the guerrilla ants that are constantly invading your clothes. The gentle slopes are shaded with neem and keekar trees, and the…
City Hangout – Tonga Rides, Walled City
Journeys recalled. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Every year the newspapers report that the authorities are planning to banish the tongas of Old Delhi to address the city’s traffic problem. Sentimental pieces appear in their defense and every…
Mapping National Museum – The Dancing Girl, 2500 BC
A little marvel. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] She is stark naked, except for bangles, rings and a necklace with four pendants. Sculptured in bronze more than 2,000 years ago, the Dancing Girl was discovered in 1926 in…
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