City Obituary - The Death of Prince Book Stall, Paharganj

City Obituary – The Death of Prince Book Stall, Paharganj

The passing of a bookshop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sad news. Prince Book Stall has become history. One of the only two surviving secondhand bookshops in the backpackers’ district of Paharganj, it was opposite Khanna Cinema (which…

City Neighborhood - Tihar Village, West Delhi

City Neighborhood – Tihar Village, West Delhi

Not the famous prison, if you please. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Tihar Jail hardly needs any introduction. It is, after all, the largest prison complex in Asia, tending to thousands of inmates in various stages of “correction”….

City Life - Street Dogs of H. Nizamuddin East, Central Delhi

City Life – Street Dogs of H. Nizamuddin East, Central Delhi

A home for the houseless. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Who wouldn’t want to live in Nizamuddin East? This outrageously wealthy enclave in central Delhi is nestled amid gardens and monuments, including the grand Humayun Tomb. Calling Niz…

City Monument - President and First Lady's Tomb, Prithviraj Road Christian Cemetery

City Monument – President and First Lady’s Tomb, Prithviraj Road Christian Cemetery

The place of grace. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Perhaps the most fitting tribute to a long marriage, this is a memorial to a husband and wife. The tomb’s marble slab describes him as ‘A gentle colossus’ and…

City Hangout - Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport

City Hangout – Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport

Foreign holiday with no jet lag. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Isn’t it a hassle to file visa forms for EU nations? Besides asking us for our passport, we have to furnish our return flight ticket, salary slips,…

City Walk - Mandi House Traffic Circle, Central Delhi

City Walk – Mandi House Traffic Circle, Central Delhi

Inside the theater district’s heart. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A santoor recital. An art opening sundowner. A new play. Been there, done that. Mandi House, after all, is home to art galleries, concert halls, and the exalted…

Netherfield Ball – The Super-Duper Crowded Show at Arundhati Roy’s New York Book Launch, Brooklyn Academy of Music

Netherfield Ball – The Super-Duper Crowded Show at Arundhati Roy’s New York Book Launch, Brooklyn Academy of Music

The party secrets. [Photos by Paulsta Wong; text by Mayank Austen Soofi] As an Arundhati Roy fan, The Delhi Walla went last year to the faraway South Indian town of Ayemenem, the setting of her first novel, The God of…

City Food - Jain Lunch, Vaishali

City Food – Jain Lunch, Vaishali

A home-made meal with the Jalebiwallas. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Jalebi is in the air in Vaishali. The family The Delhi Walla is visiting descends from Nemchand Jain, the man who founded the legendary Old & Famous…

City Hangout - Sperm Park, AIIMS Flyover

City Hangout – Sperm Park, AIIMS Flyover

Silence in the chaos. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Who could have imagined the quietest place in Delhi is snuggled in the heart of noise? All around The Delhi Walla is chaos — bikes, autos, cars and buses…

Mission Delhi – Meer Chand, Munirika

Mission Delhi – Meer Chand, Munirika

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He looks a bit like Derek Walcott. He has the same white hair, the same moustache, the same face cut as the Nobel-Prize winning Caribbean…