The remarkable Delhi instant.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

She is with a huge backpack.

One hot afternoon The Delhi Walla comes across a young woman in a blue top, sitting alone in Appetite German Bakery, a café in Paharganj. She is having green salad with yogurt-lemon dressing.

After finishing off the salad, the woman thoughtfully browses through the menu and asks for a slice of lemon cake. While waiting, she takes out a handwritten letter from her bag and starts to read it. The woman’s face appears to mirror the feelings evoked in the letter. She smiles. Now, she merrily shakes her head. She looks a bit concerned. Now, she looks relieved. She almost laughs. Now, her expression is blank.

The cake is served.

The woman is still absorbed in the letter. She digs her fork into the cake but her eyes are on the letter’s third and final page. She smiles again.

Finally, the woman carefully places the letter under the dessert plate. She again digs her fork into the cake.

It is a beautiful moment.

The age of hand-written correspondence

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