City Food – Haleem, Meena Bazaar
The one-dish meal. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is hearty food, different from the subtle confections of traditional Mughlai cuisine, like koftas and pulaos. Yellow and with paste-like consistency, haleem is a one-dish meal of wheat, lentils…
City Style – The Classy Delhiwalla, Bulbuli Khana
Searching for the stylish. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla saw this man at an alley in Bulbuli Khana, a congested neighborhood in the Walled City, the historic district established by the Mughals. His outfit was…
The Delhi Walla Books – A Work of Passion
Interesting and informative guides. [By The Book Lovers] Delhi, the capital of world’s largest democracy, is perceived differently by different people. You can hate it, love it but you cannot ignore it. The city has been the hot seat right…
Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Pakistan’s Poet Zehra Nigah, Mehrauli
Visitor from Pakistan. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] One spring afternoon, The Delhi Walla accompanied Urdu poet Zehra Nigah, 75, to Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Ms Nigah, who lives in Karachi, Pakistan, was in Delhi to attend a mushaira,…
City Classified – Penguin’s Literary Festival, India Habitat Center
From March 4 to March 13. [Picture by Mayank Austen Soofi] Spring Fever, the annual literary festival by Penguin Books India, is taking place at the Amphitheatre at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, from March 4 to March 13. Time:…
City Monument – Jantar Mantar, Opposite Park Hotel
Check the time. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Formally Delhi’s largest pissoir, this 18th century tongue-red solar observatory underwent refurbishment that includes installation of public toilets. Built in the early 1700s by the founder of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai…
City Food – Julia Child Cooks Litti Chokha in Mayur Vihar-I
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Mayur Vihar, Phase-I, a neighborhood near Akshardham Temple in east Delhi. A graduate in science from Bihar’s Ranchi Women’s College, Ms Child…
Mission Delhi – Sakina Mehta, Greater Kailash-II
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gazing at her husband’s photograph, she says, “He taught me a lot.” A pause follows after which 80-something Sakina Mehta continues in her soft…
Photo Essay – Hauz Khas Lake, Near Green Park
An urban oasis. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The lake is still. Its dead trees lie marooned, partially submerged in water; the bare trunks standing erect. Ducks swim, leaving a trail of ripples behind them. Birds flap noiselessly,…
City Hangout – Shahpur Jat Village, South Delhi
A designer getaway. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] In Shahpur Jat (SPJ) village, south Delhi, the turbaned elders smoke hookahs in street corners while primped mannequins gaze out through glass windows. More than a hundred stores – from…
Recent Comments