Photo Essay – Basant Celebrations, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
Colour me yellow. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] On January 19th, 2010, the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya was all yellow. It was the eve of Basant Panchmi, the day that marks the arrival of spring. Hence yellow,…
Mission Delhi – Changa Kumar, Hauz Khas Village
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The water in the bucket is as freezing as the 4.30 am air. But the stairs in this four-floor apartment complex have to be…
City Monument – Birla Temple, Mandir Marg
The land of Vishnu. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Spread over seven acres, Shri Lakshmi Narain temple, popularly called Birla Mandir, is a dense neighbourhood of gods. A world in itself, it is a land of plenty. It…
City Kitchen – Julia Child Makes Heartfelt Cookies in Jorbagh
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet Jorbagh’s Julia Child. Her living room has a handsome Shakespeare. Her guest room has an Alice Munro hardbound. Her library has two copies of a VS…
City Secret – Raja Bookstore, Paharganj
Almost like Paris. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The setting of this café, or rather, a spot in the café, is very special. Perhaps you won’t find it anywhere else in Delhi. Fancy this — a table is…
Mission Delhi – Aanchal Malhotra, Jama Masjid
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] While most girls of her privileged background are obsessed with bar-coded clothes and pub parties, Aanchal Malhotra, 20, finds joy in simpler pursuits, such…
City Secret – Razia Sultana’s Tomb, Pahari Bhojla
India’s first woman ruler is sleeping here. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Razia Sultana’s tomb chamber in Old Delhi. No dome, no crowd here. This is no place for a queen. As the first woman ruler of the…
City Commute – Business Class for Delhi Metro?
The mass in the mass rapid transit system. Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] While residents of east Delhi and neighbouring Ghaziabad happily boarded the Metro on the new line that opened in Anand Vihar on January 7th, 2010,…
Mission Delhi – Pooja, Paharganj
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The white man is finally coming out of the little tea shop, tucked into one corner of the busy market square in Paharganj’s Main…
City Region – Pratap Street, Daryaganj
The alley’s private life. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Walking through Delhi’s bylanes is like being in a surreal art-house movie: peeled walls, closed doors, musty air, entangled wires, clouds of dust, dark corners and dead ends. Pratap…
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