Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Akhil Katyal’s Poem ‘He was as arrogant as a Chattarpur Farmhouse’, Jangpura Extension
Poetry in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He shares his second-floor flat with Agha Shahid Ali and they often sleep together. He has that deep bond with The Veiled Suite, the late Kashmiri poet’s collected poetry—the…
Atget’s Corner – 1001-1005, Delhi Photos
The visible city. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi is a voyeur’s paradise and The Delhi Walla also makes pictures. I take photos of people, streets, flowers, eateries, drawing rooms, tombs, landscapes, buses, colleges, Sufi shrines, trees, animals, autos, libraries, birds,…
Photo Essay – The Deceitful Sky Over Our Jealous Jama Masjid, Old Delhi
Beauty lost. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] What’s gone wrong with Jama Masjid?! It is morning and the grand Mughal-era mosque is still standing on its centuries-old spot but there is no trace of its yesterday’s grandness. It…
City Moment – An Evening in the Life of Authors Padma Lakshmi and Sheela Reddy, Bahrisons Booksellers, Khan Market
The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The evening is opening up like a play and is best divided into six acts. Act 1 Bahrisons Booksellers, Khan market, is looking a little different today. A table and…
City Library – William Dalrymple’s Books, Mira Singh Farm, South Delhi
A vanishing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] His empire at Mira Singh Farm, on the outskirts of Delhi, teems with Polish chickens and Scottish bantams. He also rules over a large population of goats, including Petunia, who…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Madhulika Ra Chauhan, Dalian, China
The 137th death. [Text by Madhulika Ra Chauhan; photo by Unknown] Madhulika Ra Chauhan, the vivacious septuagenarian, was found lying dead comfortably in her cozy home and without the hint of a scandal. Perhaps her face, which bore a mysterious…
City Culture – The Art of Seat Weaving, Near Tolstoy’s Statue
Handmade chairs. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Do you know who has made the seat of the chair on which you are sitting? A man or a woman, certainly, but this might be true only up to a…
City Notice – The Delhi Walla’s Photograph is the Cover Photo of Arundhati Roy’s Forthcoming Novel, ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’
On Arundhati Roy’s second novel. [Text by Mayank Austen Soofi] This was a dream that was never dreamed. Arundhati Roy wrote The God of Small Things 20 years ago. The Delhi Walla is a faithful acolyte of that novel as…
City Food – Kashmiri ‘Noon’ Chai, Around Jama Masjid
The pink tea. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A freezing morning certainly, but no snow, no mountain, and no valley. Yet, you see people of Kashmir snugly absorbed in their traditional breakfast of the noon chai and lavassa…
Photo Essay – Sandal Vs Chappal, Delhi High Court & Elsewhere
The great riddle. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] What is India Gate and what is Gateway of India? The first monument is in Delhi and the second is in Bombay. But there’s a greater riddle. What is chappal…
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