City Landmark – The Banyan Tree, Shiv Park, Jacobpura Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - September 3, 20190 A solitary wilderness. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is like spotting a long-haired hippie stranded amid a group of suited-booted hedge fund managers. The banyan is looking that out of place. The tree stands in the centre of a genteel neighbourhood park in Gurgaon’s Jacobpura in the Greater Delhi Region. Surrounded by cement benches, and spindly trees painted in the colours of the national flag, the feral banyan seems beyond the reach of domesticated middle-class restraint. Dozens of aerial roots are hanging flamboyantly about its branches—like snakes hissing about Medusa’s head. A shopkeeper in the area discloses that the tree is ancient by several centuries. There is no easy way of confirming the claim but, at least, the gnarled trunk looks as
City Walk – Hauz Rani, South Delhi Walks by The Delhi Walla - September 2, 2019September 2, 20190 Signs of a locality. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At first glance, this South Delhi village seems very unremarkable as a cluster of ordinary lanes and dwellings. But like so much else in Delhi, Hauz Rani reveals its magic slowly but surely. A simple stroll along the street going past Badi Masjid offers an indication of beauty in the shape and content of signboards. Painted in often fascinating fonts, the boards provide tantalising clues to the neighbourhood’s inner life. Of course, you can’t avoid noticing all those “To Let” posters basically targeted at young single professionals who work in nearby malls and hospitals. And if you turn up in the morning when most shops are closed, you’ll spot a painted shutter giving directions
City List – The Ghalibians, Ghalib Academy Delhi by List by The Delhi Walla - September 2, 2019September 2, 20190 People of Ghalib's world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A long beard. A pointed Turki topi. That’s Ghalib, the illustrated portrait that adorns the cover of his poetry books. Many of us might not have read the city’s great 19th century poet (1797-1869) due to unfamiliarity with classical Urdu and Persian but Ghalib’s spirit is so omnipresent in Delhi’s ambiance that he seems a part of our everyday life. But what about the people who influenced Ghalib’s life and times? Who were the early scholars who laid the foundation of his literary reputation? How did they look like? It’s very easy to find all these answers. You don’t even have to get your hands dirty in smelly dust-covered libraries. Just arrive at
Mission Delhi – Rameshwar Thakur, Near Ramlila Maidan Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - September 1, 2019September 1, 20190 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] If there’s one thing this footpath barber truly prizes, it’s his torn umbrella. On this drizzly summer day, it’s keeping Rameshwar Thakur relatively dry while waiting for a customer or two over here on the pavement near Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi. But, but. Why is that umbrella strung so high on a bamboo pole—which itself is perched on a pair of bulky bricks. Mr Thakur smiles: “Oh, that way, both me and my customer are sheltered.” A native of Bihar, he’s been running his stall for more than 30 years—catering “mainly to poor people like rickshaw pullers and labourers... Why would big people come to my stall when I