Letter from Allahabad – The Last Bungalows, Civil Lines
The precious relics. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Allahabad is the land of the Sangam. This meeting point of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in eastern Uttar Pradesh has been attracting pilgrims for centuries. But one…
Letter from Allahabad – Poet Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Jyoti Apartments
The prodigal poet [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Posing in a camouflage jacket and faded denims, poet Arvind Krishna Mehrotra looks like People magazine’s sexiest man alive. He has long black hair, a five o’clock shadow, a cigarette…
Letter from Allahabad – Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Hastings Road
A Delhi writer in spirit. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One November noon, The Delhi Walla met Shamsur Rahman Faruqi at his bungalow in Hastings Road, Allahabad, a historically rich town 600 kilometers east of of our city….
Letter from Lahore – Delhi Dreaming, Pakistan
An Indian in a post-Partition world. [Text and photos by Aanchal Malhotra] Lahore was wild today. The sky had suddenly turned dark and it felt like late evening though it was barely noon. Rain poured hard against my window pane….
City Travel – Pekhari Village, Great Himalayan National Park
The UNESCO heritage site. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Perched almost on the peak, this is a hamlet of gabled houses and fruity smells. Black and Yellow Grosbeaks whistle through apricot trees. Wild mongooses dart through cannabis bushes….
City Travel – Tid Bit Book Shop, Karachi
Pakistan’s charming bookseller. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] The bookstore was in Saddar, across the street from De Paris, my 273-rupees-a-day hotel in Karachi. This was my first journey to Pakistan. I had no camera then. Despite its American-style fast food…
Letter from England – The Maharajah’s Well, Oxfordshire
India’s gift. [Text and photos by Solveig Marina Bang] A hundred and fifty years ago, on hearing that a thirsty child had been beaten for stealing a gulp of water from private land because communal ponds had dried up, the…
City Travel – Views of Paris, Around Town
Made in France. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In Paris, The Delhi Walla spent many many hours in streets, gardens, bookstores, restaurants and graveyards. I also visited landmarks associated with the life and work of novelist Marcel Proust….
City Travel – Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris
The heart of France. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Its bell tower is the oldest in the French capital. The Delhi Walla is in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, one of the oldest churches of Paris. The ancient abbey has been standing…
City Travel – Old Delhi Streets, Venice
A tale of two cities. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is just like the Old Quarter of Shahjahanabad. This one has many churches; that one has many mosques. Both are rich in pigeons. The Delhi Walla is…
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