City Travel - Sentimental Education, Paris

City Travel – Sentimental Education, Paris

The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Just as The Delhi Walla started to feel Parisian during his trip to Paris, it was time to return to Delhi. Pari(s), merci and au revoir….

City Travel – Père Lachaise, Paris

City Travel – Père Lachaise, Paris

The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [By Jonas Moses Lustiger and Mayank Austen Soofi] A labyrinth of cobbled paths and mossy tombs, it is neither a Christian cemetery, nor a Muslim graveyard even though Christians, Muslims and Jews lie…

City Travel – Proust’s Land, Illiers-Combray

City Travel – Proust’s Land, Illiers-Combray

The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was raining. The Delhi Walla was in Illiers-Combray, a small town south of Paris that is believed to be the setting of some of the…

Photo Essay –Trees of Paris, Around Town

Photo Essay –Trees of Paris, Around Town

The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The trees of Delhi are unwieldy. The trees of Paris look more civilised. They are the gentlefolk in evening dress – courteous, healthy, symmetrical, and lovable….

City Travel – Paris Complex, Left Bank

City Travel – Paris Complex, Left Bank

The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla is trying too hard to be a Parisian. I had macarons in Laduree. I read Le Monde by the Seine. I acquired Flaubert’s…

The Biographical Dictionary of Delhi – Amir Khusro, b. Patiali, Uttar Pradesh, 1253-1325

The Biographical Dictionary of Delhi – Amir Khusro, b. Patiali, Uttar Pradesh, 1253-1325

The definitive directory of famous Delhiites. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] At 72, the maker of Hindustani classical music lost interest in the world. Poet Amir Khusro, the 14th century courtier to seven kings, was in mourning after…

Mission Delhi - Ugen Tashi Bhutia, Turqoise Cottage

Mission Delhi – Ugen Tashi Bhutia, Turqoise Cottage

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Taking a sip of beer, Ugen Tashi Bhutia, says, “Although my hometown falls in Bengal, I individually identify myself with Darjeeling alone. When people like…

City Notice - The Delhi Proustians XXVIII, Paris

City Notice – The Delhi Proustians XXVIII, Paris

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The 28th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust, was cancelled because photography is not permitted in the venue – Shakespeare…

City Travel – Paris Potty, Eiffel Tower

City Travel – Paris Potty, Eiffel Tower

The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla began the dinner with a half-dozen oysters on the half shell. Then arrived the sole meunière. It was perfectly browned in a sputtering…

City Travel – Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris

City Travel – Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris

The Delhi Walla in the French capital. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Trees, fountains, flowers, cafes, sculptures, graveled paths, busts of important artists, a pond, and, of course, a palace, which serves as the seat of the French…