City Moment – The Sufi Feminist’s Rebellion, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s Tomb
The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The little girl was in a blue and white frock. Her hairpin was also blue. The flower-shaped rubber bands on her pigtails, too, were a shade of blue. One morning…
City Monument – Bedil’s Tomb, Pragati Maidan
The dead poet’s society. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the principal pilgrimages of poetry lovers in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan lies in Delhi–the tomb of Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil. A 17th century Persian poet of Delhi, Bedil…
Mission Delhi – Prahlad Singh Shekhawat, Ajay Guest House, Paharganj
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Is he a writer? A novelist? He is tapping on his laptop with full concentration. One night The Delhi Walla spots a man seated alone…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Aftab Yusuf Shaikh, Bombay
The 127th death. [Text by Aftab Yusuf Shaikh; photo by Shaheer Shaikh] Last Friday, Bombay-based author and poet Aftab Yusuf Shaikh, died in his sleep in this city. He was staying at his usual hotel while on a visit to…
City List – The Morning Gifts of City Commuters, Near Barakhamba Metro Station
A woman’s friends. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The white-haired homeless woman is seen every morning by commuters in her usual place—a pavement close to Barakhamba Metro Station in Central Delhi’s Connaught Place. There she loudly sings sacred…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Faiza S Khan, Clifton, Karachi
The 126th death. [Text by Faiza S Khan; photo by Avantika Sujan] Publisher and critic Faiza S Khan died last week at the age of forty-one when she read the words “isn’t that just reverse sexism?” in an article causing…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Farah Noor, Vasant Kunj
The 125th death. [Text by Farha Noor; photo by Shireen Akhtar] Farha Noor died in her dream. She dreamt she was dying. She was found dead on her bed beside a pile of half-read books in five languages and a…
Delhi Proustians – My Life with Marcel and the Unjustness of Proust’s Great-Grand-Niece
Consider the Proustians. [Text by Mayank Austen Soofi; photos by friends] This is personal. French novelist Marcel Proust’s personal archives is to be auctioned by Soethby in Paris. They are being sold by his great-grand-niece. Here’s the news from AFP,…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Rituparna Sengupta, Govindpuri
The 124th death. [Text by Rituparna Sengupta; photo by Srijit Chakravarty] Rituparna Sengupta bore the curse of being a peculiar person with a very common name all her life. Even after her death it took her acquaintances a few weeks…
City Food – Kwality Special Pudding, Regal Cinema Building
The sins of our fathers. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is extremely creamy and is embellished with canned pineapple. Its bulwark is of stale white bread. The Kwality Special Pudding is served in a restaurant of the…
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