Letter from Stanford University – On The Delhi Walla Books
A US-based scholar introduces The Delhi Walla’s books. [By Gaurav Sood; picture by Mayank Austen Soofi] In Delhi, one is surrounded by history, but oblivious of it. Worn stone and brick arches with peeling MCD (Municipal Council of Delhi) plaster,…
Mission Delhi – Muhammad Chand, Connaught Lane
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] With tiny forceps, he plucks out the steel caseback of the wristwatch. The insides reveal a net of springs, clips and wires. He pores…
City Food – Julia Child Makes Rumali Roti in Nizamuddin Basti
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Nizamuddin Basti, a congested village in central Delhi. A cheery 28-year-old, Child hails from the state of Uttar Pradesh and has been…
The Biographical Dictionary of Delhi – Kuldip Chander, b. Gujranwala, Punjab, 1941
The definitive directory of famous Delhiites. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] My disdain for Mills & Boon (MB) novellas cannot prevent the admission that Kuldip Chander, the seller of MBs, is a great product that has come out…
City Monument – Subramania Bharathi Plaza, Maharshi Raman Marg
The instant getaway. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] No escapist haven, it is still an excellent place to seek seclusion. The statue of Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi (circa 1987) in a little plaza, off Maharshi Raman Marg, near…
Memo from the North Campus – Are Delhi Commonwealth Games Doomed?
Is all lost? [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Missed deadlines, leaking stadiums, zero hotel bookings, corruption scandals, flooded roads, absentee athletes, Connaught Place looking like bombed-out Baghdad and Swagatham as our Waka Waka. Every new day the bad…
City Moment – The Man With the Dog, Mathura Road
The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla was walking one night in Mathura Road, central Delhi. I reached a pavement where a couple of homeless people were sleeping. One man was awake. Lying…
Letter from New York – On The Delhi Walla Books
Award-winning American author introduces The Delhi Walla’s books. [By Geoffrey C. Ward] Delhi Wallas come in at least three varieties: those lucky enough to have been born there; those who chose it as their home; and those like me, who…
City Hangout – Coffee House, Majnu Ka Tila
The new-age Lhasa. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] House No. 39. Basement at New Tibetan Camp, Majnu Ka Tila – For five decades, Majnu Ka Tila (MT) is where Delhiites go to experience the Capital’s Little Lhasa. A…
City Secret – LPs & Album Covers, Meena Bazaar
The old world melodies. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Overshadowed by Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid, amidst scampering goats and the air redolent with the smell of milky chai and mutton curry, stands a nondescript shop. The unimpressive exterior…
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