Mission Delhi – Sohan Singh, The Book Shop
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He is standing in front of the Indian fiction shelf. One cold evening, The Delhi Walla meets Sohan Singh at The Book Shop, a small…
Delhi Proustians – Marcel’s Dream, Venice
Du côté de chez Proust. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In his novel In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust’s narrator said, “When I went to Venice I found that my dream had become – incredibly, but quite…
City Travel – Old Delhi Streets, Venice
A tale of two cities. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is just like the Old Quarter of Shahjahanabad. This one has many churches; that one has many mosques. Both are rich in pigeons. The Delhi Walla is…
Delhi Proustians – Bois de Boulogne, Paris
Marcel Proust’s garden. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One cold grey morning The Delhi Walla walked into the woods of Bois de Boulogne, a park along the edge of 16th aggrandizement of Paris, one of the city’s wealthiest…
City Moment – The Kiss, Nehru Place
The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One afternoon The Delhi Walla came across a hijra in the office district of Nehru Place. She was wearing a white dupatta and pink suit, and she was with…
Delhi Proustian – Le Swann, Rue de Constantinople
A hotel for Proustians. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One afternoon in Paris The Delhi Walla entered Le Swann. This hotel in rue de Constantinople is named after Charles Swann, perhaps the most romantic/artistic/melancholic character in Marcel Proust’s…
City Food – Paratha & Other Snacks, Chandni Chowk
Our culinary heritage. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The best sight in Delhi is of a heaped tray of mashed potato, chopped cauliflower, grated radish, shelled peas, scrambled paneer (cottage cheese); the best music, desi ghee sizzling in…
Delhi Proustian – Marcel Proust’s Tomb, Père Lachaise
The Delhi Walla in Paris. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One cold January afternoon The Delhi Walla visited Marcel Proust in Père Lachaise, the cemetery in Paris that is home to some of the most distinguished citizens of…
City Moment – Friend’s Grave, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s Dargah
The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One cold midnight The Delhi Walla entered the dargah of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. The courtyard was empty. The dome was lit up with strings of tiny electric…
City Monument – Cathedral Church of the Redemption, North Avenue
Memories of Venice. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The former Viceroy’s Church, housed in the President’s Estate in Lutyens’ Delhi, is built of red sandstone and Burmese teak and was opened in 1931. The design, inspired by the…
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