City Food – Railway Station Chai, Gurgaon
The romance of the platform tea. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Frothy, extra-sweet, moderately milky, ginger-flavoured and aggressively invigorating. Such is the chai you’ll find on platform No. 2 in the Gurgaon railway station. The tea, however, is…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Tanvi Lall, Rohini, Delhi
The 225th death. [Text and photos sent by Tanvi Lall] Tanvi Lall, 57, was found cold and breathless early this morning, in her own bed donning a creepy smile. It was as if she was denied a fancy closure. On…
City Landmark – Jain Paan House, KG Marg
Small wonder. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Any number of kiosks in our fair city attract a steady stream of regular customers who show a loyalty that grand showrooms might well envy. There’s Jain Paan House on KG…
City Poetry – What if Ghalib Were a Woman, Old Delhi
Ghalib as woman. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Not only was poet Mirza Ghalib to be reckoned with in Delhi’s super-sophisticated literary and aristocratic salons but, according to late historian Percival Spear, he also “burrowed below the dignified…
City Monument – Moti Bagh Gurudwara, South Delhi
A refuge in Sikhism. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Peace is softly settling about each person. This is how it appears to be during ordinary afternoons at this historic gurudwara in South Delhi—a site sanctified by the visit…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Swapnil Sinha, Patna
The 224th death. [Text and photos sent by Swapnil Sinha] At the ripe age of 77, Swapnil Sinha died a child, for he believed that homes belong only to children and that as we grow, homes turn into a carcass…
City Season – Semal Trees in Spring Bloom, Around Town
Season’s gift. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A soft thud on the ground and a beauty is born. This phenomenon is unfolding again and again, day after day—thanks to a ceaseless “snowfall” of red and orange semal flowers…
Home Sweet Home – Staircase to Heaven, South Delhi
Jacob’s ladder. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Staircases are surely one of the great human inventions though there is no knowing just when the world’s first staircase was built. Neither is it clear which civilisation came up with…
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Rupali Rakheja, South Extension, Delhi
The 223rd death. [Text and photos sent by Rupali Rakheja] A hypocrite of emotions, perplexed between her thoughts on archaeology and history. Rupali Rakheja died yesterday because of thinking too little about others and too much about her medieval ancestors….
City Monument – Madhi Masjid, Mehrauli
So beautiful, so ignored. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Monuments aren’t only about stones, not always. Sometimes they are more about air and sky. Such is the case with Madhi Masjid in Mehrauli. Close to Jain Mandir Dadabari,…
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