City Food – Muhammed Hafiz’s Biryani, Chitli Qabar Chowk Food by The Delhi Walla - February 1, 20220 A culinary landmark. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This gentle soft-spoken man is like the Jama Masjid. He’s always seen here, like he’s part of the landscape. Day after day after day, Muhammed Hafiz stands behind his giant deg of biryani, with two benches plonked up beside him. This street eatery in Old Delhi’s Chitli Qabar Chowk looks as rooted to the place as the adjacent Sufi shrine of Hazrat Chitli, which gives its name to the traffic intersection. A spectator feels that the stall must have been here from all those centuries ago when Emperor Shahjahan set up his new capital of Shahjahanabad. And that the biryani must be an authentic Walled City version. But these are mere perceptions. Despite its seeming
Mission Delhi – Maha Dev, Gurgaon Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - February 1, 20220 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Auto rickshaw driver Maha Dev is lounging on the back seat of his auto rickshaw, where his passengers sit. He is asleep. His legs are resting on top of the driver’s seat. It is early evening, the auto is parked outside a Gurgaon garden. As he opens his eyes, Mr Dev, 32, is showered with a volley of questions. How long have you been sleeping? I was waiting for customers. I have been driving since morning. I was tired, so I thought I will lie down on the seat. Aur phir aakh lag gayi (and then the eyes closed). I think I fell asleep just 10 minutes ago.
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Gursimran K. Bakshi, Allahabad Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - February 1, 2022February 1, 20220 The 271st death. [By Gursimran K. Bakshi] Gursimran took a quick nap under the shade of a tree on a sunny day. That was where she was last found. She did not leave behind any handwritten letters because she felt quite distant from everyone. Perhaps, she did not want to be remembered. She was born an extrovert. But died as an introvert, who found comfort in Khalid Hosseini’s novels. She often dreamed of visiting Hosseini’s Afghanistan, the land of pomegranate fields and a friendship like that of Hassan and Amir. But she was aware that land and a friendship like that no longer existed. On her good days, she would be seen sipping a cup of chai and exploring the world of
Our Self-Written Obituaries – Lisa, Ojai Farewell Notice by The Delhi Walla - February 1, 2022February 1, 20220 The 270th death. [By Lisa] Today, I died: January 30,2022. I died today, leaving behind my 99-year-old father, two sisters, and Trenton. Trenton, the terrier, is wondering why I am no longer walking, laughing and kissing with him. My father is wondering too. I just disappeared, as far as they know. Over the past several years, due to the ubiquity and lethality of the coronavirus, I had spent my days photographing the surrounds of my home rather than going far afield. I had become increasingly impressed with the local landscape’s similarity to what I imagine was present when dinosaurs inhabited this earth. I had also cooked more imaginatively, discovering how to mix together unexpectedly compatible ingredients, such as fennel, green beans and anchovies.