Mission Delhi - Taran Pal Singh, Ring Road

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The mobile beeps. He picks up the incoming call, even as his alert gaze stays focused on Ring Road, hands deftly manoeuvring the steering wheel….

City Landmark - Anwar’s Shaving Salon, Near Gole Market

Hajamat arbour. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Found. A serene impressionistic haven to get a haircut—or a hajamat (shave) if you will. Anwar’s pavement stall beside central Delhi’s Gole Market is austere. Some might though label it among…

City Home - Arshad Fehmi’s Roof, Near Jama Masjid

His morning walk. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] His iPhone’s pedometer reading is galloping as fast as a bullish stock market index—1.009 steps… 1,100… Morning walk is daily life’s ordinary aspect. Businessman Arshad Fehmi’s 6 o’clock ritual is…

City Neighbourhood- Gali Peerji Wali, Old Delhi

Mystic’s lane. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] They forgot the water jug. The family must have vacated the old house in a hurry. Not much remains of the mansion except for a green door and a corner wall,…

City Life - Michael for Sunny, Paharganj Cemetry

Their 40-year-old bond. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Michael Marchant bends down by Sunny’s grave, holding a pack of marigolds he had brought some minutes ago this afternoon from florist Rajesh at the cemetery gateway. He suddenly lifts…

Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire - Rajneesh, Around Town

Into a cab man’s heart. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the essentials occupying an esteemed place in his car is the blue statuette of Dr BR Ambedkar holding a copy of the Indian constitution (see photo)….

City Nature - Trees, Gurugram Railway Station

Platform arbour. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The evening sun is slinking into the distant west. The air in the immediate vicinity is powdery, either with dust, or with the gathering mist, or perhaps it is simply smog….

City Faith - Shab-e-Barat Night, Panj Peeran Graveyard

Living with the dead. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The midnight moon is shining upon the land beneath, but the land has its own lights. On this night of Shab-e-Barat, a special occasion in the Islamic calendar (commemorated…

City Neighbourhood- Gali Godo Wali, Old Delhi

A secretive world. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] With its extreme narrowness and darkened ambiance, Gali Godo Wali has the mood of an underground tunnel . Plus, it is so secretive that it doesn’t exist even on Google…

City Monument - Hazrat Sarmad & Hazrat Hare Bhare, Old Delhi

Old new world. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some of us like to perceive the world through colours (to truly see the impressionism of colours in everyday existence, you have to google for the New York street-life snapshots…