Mission Delhi - Kailash, Sector 6, Gurgaon

Mission Delhi – Kailash, Sector 6, Gurgaon

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Our material possessions aren’t everything, but they are something. Labourer Kailash agrees to the assessment. He feels their importance, he says, because he has so…

Mission Delhi - Zubair Alvi, Chitli Qabar

Mission Delhi – Zubair Alvi, Chitli Qabar

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] On the laptop, the Microsoft Excel file is open. The young man with a week-old stubble is urgently poring over sales invoices and balance sheets….

Mission Delhi - Namita Gokhale, South Delhi

Mission Delhi – Namita Gokhale, South Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] She is an acclaimed author and lit-fest director, with successful daughters, a frank disposition and a comfortable book-filled home in south Delhi—seemingly uniting some of…

Mission Delhi - Shailesh Kumar, Central Delhi

Mission Delhi – Shailesh Kumar, Central Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He is sitting beside his packets of masks. His masked face is plopped on his knees, as if he were trying to escape from the…

Mission Delhi - Sant Ram, Jangpura

Mission Delhi – Sant Ram, Jangpura

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Seasons dominate his life. This is in the nature of his occupation, which depends on the month of the year. It’s early June and hawker…

Mission Delhi - Dr Shivani Rawat Adhikari, Noida

Mission Delhi – Dr Shivani Rawat Adhikari, Noida

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] She’s always been a writer, maintaining a private diary. But after losing her husband to Covid about a month ago, Dr Shivani Rawat Adhikari, 37,…

Mission Delhi - Tribhuwan Narayana Singh, Ghaziabad

Mission Delhi – Tribhuwan Narayana Singh, Ghaziabad

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Such honeyed voice. An assistant general manager in Bharat Electronics Limited, he sings exceptionally well. That’s the opinion within his friend circle, especially among his…

Mission Delhi - Shailesh Singh, Sainikhera

Mission Delhi – Shailesh Singh, Sainikhera

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] His quarantine lasted 14 days. “It was like chaudah saal ka vanvaas,” says Shailesh Singh, comparing his ordeal to Lord Ram’s 14 years of exile….

Mission Delhi - Chumki Sen, Sector 50, Gurgaon

Mission Delhi – Chumki Sen, Sector 50, Gurgaon

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Why oh why did she get a house overlooking the main road, she feels, ten years after moving into it. At least she would have…

Mission Delhi - Protiti Bhattacharyya, West Kidwai Nagar

Mission Delhi – Protiti Bhattacharyya, West Kidwai Nagar

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] She is young and living through intense grief in this season of collective loss. Protiti Bhattacharyya, 22, a history student in the University of Hyderabad,…