City Moment – A Fallen Bicycle on Thomas Mann’s Beach, Venice
The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sky is everywhere. Even the wet sea is looking like the sky. It is evening. The Delhi Walla is on the beach in Lido, a narrow island in Venice…
City Moment – Curious Festive Offering, Hazrat Turkman Shah’s Shrine
The incredible Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The street glowed with bright lights. The qawwals were offering sacred songs on an improvised stage made of wooden cots. A bunch of elderly notables were on another such…
City Moment – Steve McCurry Shoots a Goat, Somewhere in Delhi
The incredible Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] His eyes narrowed down to the black dog. Just as he clicked on his mobile phone camera, a man suddenly passed in front of the dog. The moment was…
City Moment – BRT Cyclists, Bhishma Pitamah Road
The much-needed cyclists. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Five young women and men are sharing three bicycles between them. One evening The Delhi Walla spots them on the tree-lined Bhishma Pitamah Road. These green bicycles are labeled ‘Delhi…
City Moment – RV Smith’s Almirah Dream, Mayapuri
Every writer’s problem. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The drawing-room steel rack has hijacked his mind. The Delhi Walla is at the home of Ronald Vivian (RV) Smith, the city’s longtime chronicler, who is the author of many…
City Moment – The Woman in the Anti-Pollution Mask, Khan Market
Love in the time of pollution. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] No Delhiite needs reminding that air pollution levels in the metropolis at times reach emergency levels. We beleaguered citizens no longer think of ‘PM’ only in the…
City Moment – The Poetry Candle, Ghalib Academy
The remarkable Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was time for poet Gulzar Dehlvi, who was seated on the stage, to perform his duty. One evening The Delhi Walla was at the Ghalib Academy in Hazrat…
City Moment – The Privacy of The Midnight Poets, Suleman Tea Stall
The remarkable Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One late night The Delhi Walla entered the Suleman Tea Stall at Chitli Qabar Chowk. It was empty except for five men who occupied a table at the end….
City Moment – Remembering Qawwal and Scholar Meraj Ahmed Nizami at His Grave, Panj Peeran Qabristan
The remarkable Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The grave is unevenly covered with red roses. The Delhi Walla is standing by the resting place of Meraj Ahmed Nizami in Panj Peeran Qabristan. The patriarch of Nizami…
City Moment – Post-Performance Shyness, Galli Shiv Prasad Master
The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They were dancing to a Hindi film song from the 1980s–Mukka la muqabla laila. One night The Delhi Walla was in Galli Shiv Prasad Master, a dead-end street in…
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