Home Sweet Home – Michael David’s House, Rue de la Cité
A piece of the pavement. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A paperback is lying open beside him. It means that this pavement must be his study. Next to the book is a folded blue sweater. Now, the pavement…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – The Little Mynah birdie, Ambience Mall
The 114th death. [By the Mynah Birdie] The little Mynah birdie, an aviator and a soloist who often sang self-composed impromptu compositions to varied people of Delhi, died on March 8 on the concrete floor at Gurgaon’s Ambience mall. The…
City Landmark – Berkeley Books of Paris, Near San Francisco Book Company
The real Berkeley. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The silence is so intense that one’s own thoughts feel like noise. The Delhi Walla is at the Berkeley Books of Paris, one of the best secondhand English language bookstores…
City Moment – Evening Bird Over The Barbed Wire, Venice Ghetto
The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The wind is cool. It had rained earlier in the day. Now, some parts of the sky are completely covered with waves of clouds, and other parts are clear. The…
City Food – Youssef Safwat’s Pizzeria, Venice Ghetto
Pizza from Cairo. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Places are as shifty as time. The ancient Jewish district of Venice is no longer a ghetto. It still has its old synagogues but today it is home only to…
City Landmark – Libreria Alef, Bookshop, Venice Ghetto
Italy’s unique bookshop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was very curious. The other day the Italian Jewish newspaper Pagine Ebraiche ran a special issue on the 500th anniversary of Venice’s ancient Jewish district, the world’s first ghetto….
City Faith – Angelo Grossi’s Churches, Venice
Looking for the cross. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He always walks with his hand on his heart. Angelo Grossi believes in what he calls Proustianity, but still, he attends the evening mass every Sunday at San Giacomo…
City Secret – The Hero Around The Corner, Venice Ghetto
The closet Arlecchino. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Its small size does not match its great historical importance, as is the case with the city in which it is situated. The ancient Jewish district of Venice consists of…
City Library – Renato Maestro’s Books, Venice Ghetto
A vanishing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Thick yellowing pages sewed within leather-bound volumes. Ancient threads escaping out of cracked spines. Centuries-old letters tucked inside spotlessly white envelopes. Bundles of very old newspapers. And boxes after boxes…
City Notice – ‘Somewhere in Delhi’ Exhibition, Second Show in Venice
Facebook on khadi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was a curious show. Instead of being decked up on walls, the art works were laid down on the floor. The Delhi Walla attended the second viewing of Somewhere…
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