City Faith – Basant Festival 2025, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s Dargah

by The Delhi Walla - 0

Colour us yellow. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] There shall be yellow flowers, and happy people in yellow turbans, yellow scarves and yellow kurtas. Such scenes shall unfold Sunday evening tomorrow to mark the debut of 2025 spring Basant at the dargah of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. (The photo above is of the last year’s festivity). The historic shrine in central Delhi is dotted with centuries-old graves of Mughal-era royalties (including an emperor), along with graves of poets, fakirs, scholars, nobles. Of course, the principal grave here is of Hazrat Nizamuddin himself. Everyday, pilgrims arrive in the dargah to offer prayers. Many in the crowd also happen to be tourists wanting to experience the world-famous qawwalis performed daily at the dargah’s

Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Kevin Kelly, Sardar Patel Marg

by The Delhi Walla - 0

Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Proust Questionnaire series has been appearing on this page for some years. The respondents have been waiters and writers, beggars and booksellers, ear cleaners and home makers. This time, we have the ambassador of Ireland—and for good reason. The birth anniversary of Ireland’s greatest writer falls this Sunday, 2nd February, which also marks the anniversary of the publication date of his greatest book. James Joyce’s Ulysses is the most descriptive city novel ever written, and reading it feels not only like walking the streets of Dublin, where the novel is set, but also like wandering through the galis and kuchas of our very own Purani Dilli. Over to Dubliner Kevin

City Walk – Gali Chunnamal, Old Delhi

by The Delhi Walla - 0

The Walled City encyclopedia. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some walls are continuing to stand, so do some shelves and doorways. A flight of stairs as well. All else has become a huge pile of bricks. Anyhow the debris of the old building, which locals say fell some years ago, looks integrated to the texture of the land. This afternoon, passers-by are haring by busily, no one looking at this heap. Such is the surreal start to Gali Chunnamal. Located close to the Walled City’s vanished city wall, the lane this afternoon is dappled in shade, splashed here and there with spheres and squares of sunshine. The gali is rich in stylish old doors; all of which are locked. Some are

City Life – Empty Quarter, Ghaziabad

by The Delhi Walla - 0

Topography of the suburbs. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Only a heap of broken images where the evening sun beats. But let’s skip the introductory passage, and straight jump into our on-the-ground report. Following are the surreal scenes observed on reaching an open sprawl in a far-flung corner of the capital region. This vast ground is thickly covered with sand. Swirls of sand are rising from the ground, drifting along some distance, and then fading from view. A green plastic thaila has wrapped itself about a dead plant—see photo. A bunch of sheep are being herded by a man in a huge red turban. A mangy dog is lying exhausted, silent but eyes wide open. Earth has been dug up at various places across the ground;

City Landmark – Mountain Locomotive, New Delhi Railway Station

by The Delhi Walla - 0

For steam engine enthusiasts. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The undulating hills, the winding tracks, and the steam engine laboriously lurching along the narrow gauge. While the carefree coaches behind merrily rumbling by the changing scenery—now passing by a village, now by a misty meadow overlooking a snowy peak. Throughout the journey, the hard-working engine continues to huff n’ puff, the coupling rods clanking over the wheels, the smoke-stack belching out murky clouds into the cold mountain air. This black smoke wafts over the pristine slopes long after the mail is already on the next hill. The mountainous Kalka-Shimla railway continues to operate, though the age of steam engine has vanished. But one steam engine that would routinely traverse through the

City Landmark – National Flag, Connaught Place

by The Delhi Walla - 0

First among equals. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Pitch blue sky, so blue that you could raise your finger and risk getting it stained with this bluest of rare blue. And there it is! The tiranga. Atop a tall pole, the national flag is billowing smoothly, inscribing its familiar form in the high altitude Delhi air. The orange, white and green stripes are infusing the atmosphere with a feel of… something that feels larger than ourselves. The monumental flag at Connaught Place is truly a monument. Installed at Central Park in 2014, it is said to be larger than the size of a badminton court. It inevitably sparked off an enthusiasm to hoist larger-than-life flags at prominent places in the capital. Within

City Life – Republic Day Parade, Old Delhi

by The Delhi Walla - 0

Walled City's national tradition. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Chapar-chapar, chapar-chapar—the footstep sounds would reverberate all through the night of 25th January on the street outside his home in Mohalla Qabristan. An endless multitude of people would be on their way to watch the great parade, which would be due to begin in the morning. This is how Old Delhi businessman Fareed Mirza remembers the Republic Day of his childhood. Most of us place the annual Republic Day parade of 26th January merely to the short stretch along New Delhi’s Rajpath avenue (now Kartava Path), where it marches through an audience comprising of our republic’s top VVIPs—this is the part of the parade that has been beamed live year after year on

Mission Delhi – Gulzar, Central Delhi

by The Delhi Walla - 1

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sky this cold morning is pitch blue. The young boy is walking with a man in white kurta pajamas, here on a central Delhi roadside. The man has a bushy white beard, his eyes are hidden behind thick black glasses, and he is walking hesitantly along the rough path, each step an act of deliberation. The boy is walking faster, but stops after every few moments for the man to catch up with him. At times, he walks back to the man, holds his hand, and silently escorts him forward. Soon they enter an underground subway, slowly walking down the dusty stairs littered with cigarette

Mission Delhi – Shanti Devi, Indirapuram

by The Delhi Walla - 0

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] We all start by being young. If we are lucky enough to live long, then at some point in our life, strangers on the streets start to address us as “uncle” or “aunty.” The ruder among these strangers might even call us “bhudda” or “bhudiya.” And here in zila Ghaziabad’s Indirapuram Sector 2, a roadside eatery calls itself Budhiya Dhaba. The modest establishment is administered by a… well, the woman says she is the “budhiya” of Budhiya Dhaba. The friendly lady is as endearing as an affectionate relative one might meet in a family wedding. She actually goes by the name of Shanti Devi. Shrugging at the unusual

City Landmark – Jain Book Center, Connaught Place

by The Delhi Walla - 0

Cave of classics. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Have you been to this little-known bibliophilic haven? It is in Connaught Place—the graveyard of some of Delhi’s greatest bookshops. Indeed, this particular haven is located close to what used to be Bookworm—that shop’s super-kind assistants would sell books on credit, never embarrassing the buyer with payment reminders. It is also close to what used to be New Book Depot—that shop’s owner would unhesitatingly scold customers for daring to turn the pages of his books a tad carelessly. It is also close to what used to be ED Galgotia & Sons—that shop’s blue seal is often sighted on the opening pages of old mildewed books fished out weekly at Delhi’s Sunday Book Bazar. Unlike

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