Mission Delhi – Ms Phoolwati, Connaught Place Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - December 11, 20210 One of the one percent in 13 million. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] She’s a living landmark of Connaught Place. The colonial-era commercial district has seen rapid transformation over the recent decades, and very few longtime institutions have managed to survive. But fruit seller Ms Phoolwati, 60, is seen everyday at the same spot on the KG Marg pavement for forty years. She sits still and quiet, with such a calm composure that the mere act of buying an apple or a guava from her might turn out soothing, or meditative. This afternoon, as always, Ms Phoolwati is sitting motionless amid her fruit baskets. The shoe repair man behind her is lying sprawled on his pavement stall, asleep. A pedestrian has paused by
City Walk – Chhanhirai Gali, Near Roshanpura Walks by The Delhi Walla - December 11, 2021December 11, 20210 Lane to another time. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is a world of yesterday. Which is very rare to land into in a metropolis that is also known as the Millennium City. This narrow lane near Gurgaon’s Roshanpura in the Greater Delhi Region is one of those relics of old times that have managed to survive, so far, in this brave new universe of high-rises. The buildings here have their walls coated in rusty patina of several decades. They are accompanied by old doors and windows that have become a rare sight even in the gallis and kuchas of Purani Dilli. It feels like being transported into some atmospheric Old Delhi by-lane. The street’s name is evocative of its ambiance. Chhanhirai
City Landmark – Tajuddin Vegetable Shop, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - December 11, 2021December 11, 20210 Here veggies meet art. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The plastic container, filled with neatly stacked green shimla mirch, is defying gravity by clinging vertically to the wall. Little plastic packets, containing corn, are hooked along the wall like the procession of a caravan. The bitter karelas, on the other side, are arranged in stand-up position inside another gravity-defying container. And then there are the humble laukis, hanging individually in front of the counter like a row of chandeliers in a hotel lobby. This has to one of Delhi’s most eye-catching vegetable stalls. The fresh veggies are arranged artistically, as if great amount of thought and planning had gone into the execution of the display. It is proper manners at