GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.All happy families are alike.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]On the morning of October 2nd, 2008, the day of Eid celebrations in Delhi, Mr Sheikh Sikanadar, a man who looked to be in his early 40s’, was hanging out with his family – three children and a wife – in the festive bylanes of Matia Mahal, the bazaar opposite Jama Masjid.However, shopping was not on their mind; begging was.I caught up with the family near the turning to Karim’s restaurant. Mr Sikandar was lying on a low wooden trolley which was being pulled by his daughter who could not be more than ten. His

GO STRAIGHT TO CITY CLASSIFIEDS & CITY EVENTSGO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIESContact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.The city's bookworld may be dying.[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]On the Sunday that preceded Independence Day, there were no booksellers in Daryajanj's weekly book bazaar. "It's closed for security reasons," a paanwalla told me. I stood on the empty pavement and laughed. Trains were still chugging in Old Delhi station, chaatwallas were still frying tikkis in Chandni Chowk but this booklovers' den was a security threat.I can live in a Delhi minus the Red Fort, but not minus its bookshops. Imagine, what if Daryaganj's Sunday Book Bazaar were closed for good? What if the Bahris, of Khan Market's Bahrisons, shut down their 48-year-old