Food for the gods. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is the sweet of the gods. On Tuesdays, Hindus offer Hanuman boondi laddu, made of deep-fried besan balls held together with flavoured sugar syrup. The pot-bellied Ganesha, the…
On the road. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Friday. 10.30pm. Hauz Khas Village. The street lamps are not working. The headlights of passing cars briefly illuminate the faces of a chic crowd on the roadside, returning well-fed from…
The philosophy of nonsense. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The image of a dark-skinned barber’s modest salon (complete with towels and a mirror) is imposed on a patchwork of hundreds of snapshots of street vendors and homeless people….
The first book on Delhi’s red-light district. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla has found a new home in GB Road, the city’s red-light area. There I gossip with the prostitutes, eat meals cooked by them, and play with…
A la recherche du temps perdu. [Photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The 28th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust, will take place on 24 September 2012. Venue: The lobby of The…
The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Just as The Delhi Walla started to feel Parisian during his trip to Paris, it was time to return to Delhi. Pari(s), merci and au revoir….
The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [By Jonas Moses Lustiger and Mayank Austen Soofi] A labyrinth of cobbled paths and mossy tombs, it is neither a Christian cemetery, nor a Muslim graveyard even though Christians, Muslims and Jews lie…
The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was raining. The Delhi Walla was in Illiers-Combray, a small town south of Paris that is believed to be the setting of some of the…
The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The trees of Delhi are unwieldy. The trees of Paris look more civilised. They are the gentlefolk in evening dress – courteous, healthy, symmetrical, and lovable….
The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla is trying too hard to be a Parisian. I had macarons in Laduree. I read Le Monde by the Seine. I acquired Flaubert’s…
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