Mission Delhi - Ashok, Somewhere in Delhi

Mission Delhi – Ashok, Somewhere in Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is late afternoon. He steps to the side of the busy street holding a glass of chai, sitting down on the low boundary wall…

Mission Delhi - Monu, Somewhere in Delhi

Mission Delhi – Monu, Somewhere in Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] This sight, so rare. A citizen not holding the customary mobile, but a book. Monu is reading, while awaiting his rickshaw’s next customer. So it…

Mission Delhi - Joginder, Barakhamba

Mission Delhi – Joginder, Barakhamba

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is Sunday. There is no traffic, the road lined with high-rises is empty. Its gaping emptiness augments the awe of the megapolis. Amid such…

Mission Delhi - Rakesh, Matia Mahal Bazar

Mission Delhi – Rakesh, Matia Mahal Bazar

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tomorrow is Dussehra. The day after he will leave our city, and will return a year later, for the next Dussehra. But this moment as…

Mission Delhi - Bhai Wali, Mohalla Qabristan Chowk

Mission Delhi – Bhai Wali, Mohalla Qabristan Chowk

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] When does Bhai Wali sleep? The tall, slim, elderly insomniac is always seen sitting fully alert on a battered chair, at all times of the…

Mission Delhi - Manzoor, Abul Khair Street

Mission Delhi – Manzoor, Abul Khair Street

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] There’s baingan, lauki, aloo, bhindi, turai, tamatar, patta gobhi, neembu, hari mirchi, adrak, kaddu, palak and there is also Manzoor, who is the seller of…

Mission Delhi - Shyamdev, Daryaganj

Mission Delhi – Shyamdev, Daryaganj

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] For 40 years, he had been a rickshaw puller. Then at 65, as he was finding it increasingly difficult to bear the strains of the…

Mission Delhi - Satender Kumar, Around Town

Mission Delhi – Satender Kumar, Around Town

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The young auto rickshaw driver is often homesick, but not intensely. May be because Satender Kumar’s roommates happen to be his close relatives. Some of…

Mission Delhi - Iffat Zarrin, Gali Hakimji Wali

Mission Delhi – Iffat Zarrin, Gali Hakimji Wali

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] She is “tanha.” Alone. “I try to look for solitude in my tanhai,” murmurs Iffat Zarrin. As patriarchal Old Delhi’s only published women poet, her…

Mission Delhi - Subhash Kumar Das, Chelmsford Road

Mission Delhi – Subhash Kumar Das, Chelmsford Road

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The evening sky is dark with clouds threatening to burst into a heavy down- pour any moment. The trees too are swaying, as the winds…