Pakistan Diary – The First Evening in Karachi
The Delhi Walla in the fatherland. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] I’m standing outside McDonald’s at Park Towers shopping mall. The sea wind is breezy. The evening traffic is moving at a snail’s pace. Suddenly, a bearded man…
Mission Delhi – Rachana Rao Umashankar, Shahpur Jat
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Coming out of the kitchen, she stops at the centre of the room and looks around. Rachana Rao Umashankar’s apartment is bustling with life….
Photo Essay – The Heartbeat of Delhi
Connaught Place after 8 pm. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] To listen to Delhi’s heartbeat, make a round of the Inner Circle (or Outer Circle) in Connaught Place. Do it after 8 pm. Don’t walk inside the corridor…
Mission Delhi – Aarti, GB Road
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] A moment ago, she was smiling. Now, she is crying. “Why these tears, Aarti?” asks The Delhi Walla. The eight-year-old girl shakes her head….
City Monument – Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, Safdarjung Road
Inside the Lutyens’ bungalow. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The former residence of India’s first female Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, here she was assassinated by her own bodyguards in 1984. But this memorial is more than just a…
City Season – Leaf-dropping in Delhi
The Capital’s fall. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Leaves are falling. As summers get closer, trees across Delhi have started shedding their leaves. If it’s windy, the yellowed leaves drop continuously in a gentle shower. By noon, roads…
Mission Delhi – Sarah Rose, Cathedral Church of the Redemption
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is her first visit to a Church, but she is sleeping through it. On the warm morning of February 27, 2010, Sarah Rose…
City Music – The Real Sufi Stars
The qawwals of Hazrat Nizamuddin. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is amusing to see Delhiwallas scramble for pricey tickets each time a ‘big’ sufi music star such as Abida Parveen or Kailash Kher lands in the town…
Mission Delhi – Syed Haider Raza, Hauz Khas Enclave
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] On February 22nd, 2009, a few hours before his 88th birthday celebration, to be held in The Lalit hotel, Syed Haider Raza is struggling…
The Independent View – On Mission Delhi
Praise for the project. [Text by The Independent‘s Andrew Buncomb; picture by Mayank Austen Soofi] The UK-based Independent‘s Asia Correspondent Andrew Buncombe wrote about the Mission Delhi project of The Delhi Walla on the newspaper’s website. Go where it was…
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