City Hangout - Arpit Kakar's Staircase Tea, Daryaganj

City Hangout – Arpit Kakar’s Staircase Tea, Daryaganj

An extraordinary chai stall. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Arpit Kakar always has trouble getting home. Ever since he set up a tea stall by filling up his staircase with everything from boxes of tea leaves to a…

Mission Delhi - Bhure Khan, Sheetla Colony

Mission Delhi – Bhure Khan, Sheetla Colony

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The plastic banner clings to the roadside fence. Bhure Khan Baraf Depot supplies ice in great quantity for wedding banquets — though any customer could also buy individual ice slabs directly from the…

Mission Delhi - Sanjay, Central Delhi

Mission Delhi – Sanjay, Central Delhi

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] From a distance, he looks like a dot in the world. The sprawling ground has only this man. He is sitting quietly on the edge…

Mission Delhi - Simran, Janakpuri

Mission Delhi – Simran, Janakpuri

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is how it is. Simran feels most alive when she’s walking on the streets, perhaps somewhere around the historic Jama Masjid in Old Delhi,…