Celebrations in Jantar Mantar. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is the new Delhi. It happened in public. Men kissed men. Women hugged women. And cops just watched. On the evening of July 2, 2010, a year after…
Requiem for the dead. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] On the night of July 1, 2010, three suicide bombers struck in quick succession at the Sufi shrine of Data Ganj Baksh, or Data Darbar, in Lahore, Pakistan. 35…
One year after the landmark Delhi High Court verdict. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Time: Late evening. Place: Central Park, Connaught Place. Props: Trees, pathways, bushes and men — young and old, masculine and effeminate. Under unlit lamps,…
Allah is closer to Old Delhi rooftops. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] One afternoon The Delhi Walla went knocking around houses in Old Delhi’s Matia Mahal asking the residents, “May I please climb to your rooftop?” I was…
Love birds under threat. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is no longer happening elsewhere — in Pakistan, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. The killings of runaway couples belonging to the same gotra (sub-caste) or different caste…
A pocket-friendly haven. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] T-49. Ground Floor, at Hauz Khas Village (9650702777) – Though there is no crunch of hangouts in this historic village, anyone weary of The Living Room lounge, Gunpowder restaurant, designer…
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Vasundhara, a suburban neighbourhood beyond the borders of east Delhi. As a girl, Ms Child was a javelin throw star in her…
The death and life of a bookstore. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] In my dream, I find myself outside Khan Market’s The Book Shop. I was told it had shut down in 2006 and that there’s a Swarovski…
[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s dream village. In a city as disconnected from cowbelt India as Delhi, it is poignant to enter Dilli Haat (opened 1994), the food and craft bazaar spread over six acres and modelled…
Searching for the stylish. [Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi] One summer morning while walking down Kasturba Gandhi Marg in Connaught Place, The Delhi Walla was struck by this woman’s appearance. Amid a blur of tight jeans and salwars…
Recent Comments