Home Sweet Home – Mehvash Sattar’s Kitchen, Pahari Imli
Cooking in the Old Quarter. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A mobile phone lying forgotten beside a spice box. Oil leaking out from a pickle bottle and staining the transparent plastic jar filled with masoor dal. And a…
City Hangout – Small Town Tibet, Gurgaon
The flavour of Tibet. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Pop singer Sonam Gonpo’s soothing voice, smeared with lighthearted longing, is softly streaming through the bazar. Elsewhere, the compulsive Instagrammer Jhumpa Dolma is gleefully flaunting her little braids tied…
City Neighbourhood – David Street, Daryaganj
The mystery of a name. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Our fair city is adorned with landmarks bearing names that defy scrutiny. But you would think that David Street in Old Delhi’s Daryaganj could easily be traced. After…
Mission Delhi – Robin, Shiksha Apartment, Ghaziabad
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Usha Choudhary is 61. Her husband, Ram Kumar, a retired veterinary scientist, is 72. They live in their two-room apartment with son Robin. He is…
Atget’s Corner – 1116-1120, 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,…
City Season – Delhi Winter, Around Town
Summer nostalgia. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Everybody whom I know in my city, Delhi, is looking happy. Their reason is the same. Winter season has begun. Just why do we Indians cherish winter so much when essentially…
Mission Delhi – Vipin, Gurgaon
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A doctor has his stethoscope, a painter his brush, a writer his iPhone. And swaddled in an off-white head cloth and mud-covered T-shirt and shorts…
City Style – The Punk Sufi, South Delhi
Style in the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sitting alone on this South Delhi pavement, Muhammed Zaman’s fingers are adorned with all sorts of stones, including cool-looking plastic rings that are shaped into human skulls. His arms…
City Monument – Unknown Tomb, Mathura Road Graveyard
The god of small things. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In a city of formidable-looking monuments raised by megalomaniac despots, it is still possible to find beauty in small, obscure relics. The unknown tomb lies in a graveyard…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Anjali Dhananjayan, Chennai
The 209th death. [Text and photos sent by Anjali Dhananjayan] Anjali Dhananjayan, a confused journalist, escaped this mortal realm on Sunday, August 8, 2100. She leaves behind 2 golden retrievers, 3 soul mates and a huge pot of butter chicken….
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