Mission Delhi – Rajinder, Gurgaon Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - December 27, 2019December 27, 20190 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He has moved up in life. So Rajinder feels about himself. With the help of a generous bank loan, he recently bought a gleaming new auto rickshaw costing 3 lakh rupees. Earlier, he was a beldar, a labourer. “I used to be covered in dust, but now I stay cleaner,” he says. In his mid-20s, Rajinder is waiting for business. It’s a cold foggy afternoon and the auto is parked on an empty Sector 15 roadside in Gurgaon in teh Greater Delhi Region. The man is killing time by listening to a radio “crime naatak (drama)” on his mobile. Rajinder’s ambition now is to graduate to a cab. “That
City Landmark – Mittal Store, Pragyakunj, Vasundhara Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - December 27, 2019December 27, 20190 Hyperlocal wonder. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nowadays just about anything can be purchased online or at huge shopping malls, right? No wonder that small family-owned shops are declining—with some notable exceptions. Mittal Store in suburban Ghaziabad (Pragyakunj, Vasundhara) in the Graeter Delhi Region is crammed with a dizzying array for households. Ranging all the way from washing detergents and instant noodles to hawan samagri and whole coconuts for homely pooja ceremonies. Despite its plenty, Mittal exudes the vibe of a comfy grocery around the corner, here in a middle-class neighbourhood across the lane from the petite Shiv Shakti Mandir. In fact, the store started on this spot way back in 2003. The area then had only a handful of apartment complexes compared