Mission Delhi – Kaloo, Jor Bagh
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] His life is about to change for ever. The Delhi Walla meets Kaloo one early autumn evening at his bungalow in central Delhi’s Jor Bagh….
City Monument – Sacred Heart Cathedral, Central Delhi
Hall of grace. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s largest Catholic church has twice been graced by the presence of Pope John Paul II. Spread over 14 acres, which includes two schools, the cathedral is the headquarters of…
Photo Essay – Alice Munro, Around Town
A few short stories. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Little happens in the short stories of Alice Munro. Her people consists of good women trying to make sense of hateship, frienship, courtship, loveship and marriage. Delhi is not…
City Life – Home Sweet Home, Roop Nagar
Inside the walls. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One afternoon The Delhi Walla knocked at the door of Vij Bhawan in Roop Nagar, a neighborhood in north Delhi. The bungalow is home to the extended families of four…
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Govind Singh, Gurgaon-Faridabad Road
The Proustian self-introspection. [By The Delhi Proustians] The Proust Questionnaire represents a form of interview that owes its structure to answers given by French novelist Marcel Proust, the author of In Search of Lost Time, at two birthday parties that…
Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – John Keats, Nehru Park
Poetry in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla arranged to meet English poet John Keats in Nehru Park, a garden in the city’s diplomatic enclave. It was an almost imperceptible autumn morning. The sunshine…
Hauz Khas Series – A House in the Village, Chapter 6
Life in Delhi’s prettiest neighborhood. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla has been asked to move out of his rented room in Hauz Khas Village. Ah, these greedy landlords! The rant of every artist/designer/hipster of Hauz…
Photo Essay – Epitaph on Chandni Chowk, Mughal Delhi
The ruins-of-an-empire mindset. [Text by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is not our Chandni Chowk. The Delhi Walla is in possession of some old photos of the city, which were taken after the downfall of Mughals in 1857. One of them…
City Sighting – Morris Minor, Jor Bagh
A ‘purple vomit’. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One evening The Delhi Walla came face-to-face with a Morris Minor. It stood on a quiet lane in central Delhi’s tree-lined Jor Bagh. The Wikipedia describes the aforementioned vehicle as…
City Food – The Lunchbox, Around Town
The love of the packed meal. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Your lunchbox is a guide to the geography of your soul. Take Delhi-based Babita, who goes by one name. The 23-year-old vivacious girl is a cashier at…
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