City Hangout - The Subways, Connaught Place

City Hangout – The Subways, Connaught Place

The Delhi underworld. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Omwati sweeps the place. Anil sells guavas and apples. Dinesh Kumar hawks mobile phone covers and chargers. Baneshwar Sahu keeps application forms for passport and PAN (permanent account number) card….

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XXXVII, New Delhi Rail Station

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XXXVII, New Delhi Rail Station

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 37th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…

City Monument – Dr Ambedkar National Memorial, Alipur Road

City Monument – Dr Ambedkar National Memorial, Alipur Road

The touchable god. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There is no one here other than The Delhi Walla. This is the memorial of Bhimrao Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian constitution and a leader who championed for…

Mid Day Review - On Nobody Can Love You More

Mid Day Review – On Nobody Can Love You More

Life in the red light. [By Rito Paul] Rito Paul of the Bombay-based Mid Day newspaper talked about Nobody Can Love You More: Life in Delhi’s Red Light District, a book by The Delhi Walla. Click here to read it…

City Landmark – SKV School, Zeenat Mahal, Lal Kuan

City Landmark – SKV School, Zeenat Mahal, Lal Kuan

A neighborhood’s future. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A cat’s drawn-out meow cuts through the squawking of chickens. These sounds, typical of Old Delhi, recede as the empty yard fills. The morning assembly at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya (SKV)…

City Hangout - Tilak Nagar Central Market, West Delhi

City Hangout – Tilak Nagar Central Market, West Delhi

Two hours in the West. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tilak Nagar Central Market (Wednesday closed) in West Delhi can be regarded as the chicken curry for the desi soul. Congested and cosy — it has the small-town…

Delhi Metro – United Colors of Helmets, Janpath

Delhi Metro – United Colors of Helmets, Janpath

Divided by the headgear. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The permanent and temporary employees in the construction sites of Delhi Metro are divided by the colors of their helmets. The white is for the officers of Delhi Metro…

City Style – The Classy Delhiwalla, Golcha Cinema

City Style – The Classy Delhiwalla, Golcha Cinema

Searching for the stylish. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla saw this man standing outside the Golcha Cinema in Daryaganj, a neighborhood on the outskirts of the Walled City. His navy-blue overcoat was unbuttoned and revealed…

City Culture - Rekhta, Urdu Poetry

City Culture – Rekhta, Urdu Poetry

Click on Ghalib. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] With the launch of Rekhta, the most comprehensive website on Urdu poetry, the 800-year-old tradition finds itself dragged screaming and kicking into the 21st century. Unveiled in January 2013 at…

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XXXVI, Nicholson Cemetery

City Reading – The Delhi Proustians XXXVI, Nicholson Cemetery

A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 36th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…