City Life – FIFA Soccer World Cup, Jo’burg & Jor Bagh
A home away from home. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Evening. June 11, 2010. The Jor Bagh resident is in her living room, in front of the television. She is waiting for the inaugural ceremony of the FIFA…
City Faith – Shah Farhad’s Sufi Shrine, Bagicha Peerji
Death is beautiful. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The aroma of freshly cooked mutton biryani is wafting in the air. The old woman in white is whirling round into a blur. Two boys are lighting candles. Qawwals are…
City Culture – The Band of Brothers, Hauz Khas Ruins
The 7 idiots. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Their shoulders are swinging softly, their feet are tapping on the stone floor and some of them are shutting their eyes in intense passion. This is a group of seven…
City Style – The Classy Delhiwallas
Searching for the stylish. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Are you classy? Have you read Marcel Proust and Munshi Premchand? Can you distinguish Bach from Beethoven? Do you feel joy listening to Raag Malhar? Do you feel a…
Photo Essay – The Last of the Old-Fashioned Book Lovers
They will soon be gone. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] There is a land of Daryaganj and Paharganj, of Fact & Fiction and Mid Land, of dusty wooden shelves. Here in this pretty world of second hand bookstalls…
City Landmark – My Bar, Paharganj
Cheap but with character. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] They are a rare sight. Roshni Kapoor, a post-grad student of international relations, and Priya Bhattacharji, an advertising professional, are the only two Indian girls in My Bar. It…
City Life – The Love Life of Vidya Rao, Thumri Singer
The other woman in her life. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Vidya Rao, thumri singer, actor and part-time editor at Orient Longman, lives with Sufi in a sunny second-floor apartment, not far from Qutub Minar, in Mehrauli, south…
City Food – Julia Child Makes Aloo Salaan in Nizamuddin East
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Nizamuddin East, an artsy neighbourhood of bungalows, ruins and gardens in central Delhi. The author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam, Ms…
Who Do You Think You Are – Prashansa Taneja, Book Lover
[Interview and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla was at the Full Circle bookstore in Khan Market when he approached a girl. Who are you? What are you doing here? I’m Prashansa Taneja. I just finished my Xth…
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