City Food - Sunny's Sattu Ghol, Chitli Qabar Bazar

City Food – Sunny’s Sattu Ghol, Chitli Qabar Bazar

A hawker’s summertime life. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The light is so white that it makes the eyes hurt. The market street, here in Old Delhi’s Chitli Qabar Bazar, is always packed — but this afternoon the…

City Monument - Naubat Khana, Red Fort

City Monument – Naubat Khana, Red Fort

A lesser-known monument. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Red Fort is like a poetry anthology, and its scattered, damaged monuments are like poems. Naubat Khana is one of the most tender ones. Its walls are sculpted with…

City Food - Mukesh's Roasted Bhuttas, Anand Vihar

City Food – Mukesh’s Roasted Bhuttas, Anand Vihar

Taste of monsoon. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Are summers ending and monsoons knocking at the door? Yes. That’s what Mukesh feels. Three days ago this street food vendor started winding down his summertime business of icy chuskis,…

City Landmark - Akhil Bharti, Galli Charkewalan

City Landmark – Akhil Bharti, Galli Charkewalan

A lesser known bookstore. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The door is narrow, the place within is very small, but what an illustrious crowd— Jaiprakash Bharti, Devaram Bhamu, Hardarshan Sehgal, Jaishankar Prasad, and many many other writers. This…

City Food - Kailashji Samose Wale, Kotla Mubarakpur

City Food – Kailashji Samose Wale, Kotla Mubarakpur

Small town taste. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The bazar is a haze of moving faces. A sense of stability is gained by focusing on the unmoving landmarks rooted to their spots—Chhabra Bag House, Hans Furniture, Intimate Laundry…

Mission Delhi - Karua, Meethapur

Mission Delhi – Karua, Meethapur

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] There’s a saying in Hindi—baal ki khaal ukharna, to peel off the skin of the hair. That’s what this grey-haired man is upto, on a…

City Life - Sabeena & Afzal, Sarai Kale Khan

City Life – Sabeena & Afzal, Sarai Kale Khan

Love story. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Both of them are fond of chai. And when they are having chai together, they drink it from the same glass. “We feel good this way,” he says. “Because we like…

City Faith - Hazrat Amir Khusro's 718th Urs, Hazrat Nizamuddin Sufi Shrine

City Faith – Hazrat Amir Khusro’s 718th Urs, Hazrat Nizamuddin Sufi Shrine

Commemorating a legend. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This should start with one of his paheliyan, or riddles. “Invisible, but they call it tender Feels bad, but it evokes laughter” A tickle! Today is the 718th Urs —…

City Monument - Ghamandi Sarai, Gurgaon

City Monument – Ghamandi Sarai, Gurgaon

Gateway lives. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The gateway is bathed in the evening light with a beauty so tender you fear it might vaporise with the next heatwave. The time is altering the place in other ways…

City Walk - Old Houses of Jangpura, Central Delhi

City Walk – Old Houses of Jangpura, Central Delhi

Almost gone. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The door is stained with tiny shreds of old peeling paint. The latch is entwined into a small lock so rusty that it has gone red. Green plants are growing uncut…