A broken house. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The centuries-old Chandiwali Haveli in Old Delhi’s Katra Khushal Rai neighborhood is an extraordinary mansion. Though dilapidated, it is home to many families and is supremely picturesque. A beautiful door…
The party secrets. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A blue shade covered her bare shoulders. The delicate cloth languidly fell over her red gown. And her blue necklace resembled a late-night dream. The Israeli ambassador’s beautiful partner, the…
The 128th death. [Text by Preeti Saini; photo by Srija Sharma] She never looked nice. Preeti Saini looked like an art work, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something. Nobody was able…
The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The little girl was in a blue and white frock. Her hairpin was also blue. The flower-shaped rubber bands on her pigtails, too, were a shade of blue. One morning…
The dead poet’s society. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the principal pilgrimages of poetry lovers in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan lies in Delhi–the tomb of Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil. A 17th century Persian poet of Delhi, Bedil…
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Is he a writer? A novelist? He is tapping on his laptop with full concentration. One night The Delhi Walla spots a man seated alone…
The 127th death. [Text by Aftab Yusuf Shaikh; photo by Shaheer Shaikh] Last Friday, Bombay-based author and poet Aftab Yusuf Shaikh, died in his sleep in this city. He was staying at his usual hotel while on a visit to…
A woman’s friends. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The white-haired homeless woman is seen every morning by commuters in her usual place—a pavement close to Barakhamba Metro Station in Central Delhi’s Connaught Place. There she loudly sings sacred…
The 126th death. [Text by Faiza S Khan; photo by Avantika Sujan] Publisher and critic Faiza S Khan died last week at the age of forty-one when she read the words “isn’t that just reverse sexism?” in an article causing…
The 125th death. [Text by Farha Noor; photo by Shireen Akhtar] Farha Noor died in her dream. She dreamt she was dying. She was found dead on her bed beside a pile of half-read books in five languages and a…
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