Mission Delhi – Meharchand, Sadar Bazar Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - September 27, 20210 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Jeweller Meharchand’s shop is in the Millennium City of Gurgaon. But the vibes of this small cozy establishment in the town’s Sadar Bazar goes far beyond this millennium. Here’s the glass counter, this afternoon, filled with boxes containing gold rings and gold necklaces. And behind is Meharchand, dresssed in a safari suit. He is sitting cross-legged, a light smile is playing about his lips. “I opened Vinay Jewellers in 1985.” It’s named after his son, who isn’t here at the moment. Despite the distraction of the gold, a visitor’s attention is more likely to be claimed by the tijori, the mobile metal closet in the corner. The
City Hangout – A Lane in Jatwada, Old Delhi Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - September 27, 20210 The Walled City's essence. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The wall’s blue colour has faded unevenly. In some places, the patches look like a clear blue sky. In other places, they look as if the sky were shrouded over with smog. The blue though doesn’t cover the entire wall, and soon gives way to large expanses of bare ochre-coloured bricks. While cobwebbed windows and twice-locked doors stand as the wall’s gloomier centrepieces. This wall runs along a side-alley in Old Delhi’s Jatwada that passes under an arched gateway and disappears into a private residence. This afternoon, absolute silence is reigning here. Even the pigeons are quiet. One of the large windows framed into the wall has its panes made of wood instead