City Neighbourhood – Gali Gondni Wali, Old Delhi
A street of the interiors. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Walking down the Walled City galis is comparable to chase scenes in James Bond thrillers in which the hero is running after the anti-hero through a variety of…
Delhi’s Bandaged Heart – Tansy Troy’s Khan Market Poems, Front Lane
Poet in the city. [Photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Their silks and shoes are as shiny as new money from the mint. They go about the lanes, democratically (and sportingly) breathing the city smog, before retreating back into their moneyed…
Mission Delhi – Shahinder Kumar Sinha, Somewhere in Delhi
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The evening was briefly distressing. Shahinder Kumar Sinha, an auto rickshaw driver, notes in his melodious speaking style, escorting a commuter from Connaught Place to…
City Vox Popili – A Life in Aditya’s Day, Bombay
As part of The Delhi Walla series asking citizens to “write down everything you did in one day.” Send yours in 400 words max to thedelhiwallasoofi@gmail.com [Photo by Sanyuja Shiledar] [By Aditya Shiledar, a literature student in Bombay.] I begin…
City Food – Poet Ghalib’s Daal, Somewhere in Delhi
On the poet’s birth anniversary. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Happy Birthday, Ghalib! You turn 226 today. It’s not easy to crack Delhi’s greatest poet. The most sophisticated Urdu intelligentsia find his poetry formidable, for Mirza Ghalib is…
City Neighbourhood – Gali Dakotan, Old Delhi
Lane of Saturday people. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Place-names in Old Delhi make sense. Gosht Wali Pahari is nestled along a pahari and has shops selling gosht. Pahari Imli had an imli tree. Gali Akhare Wali had…
City Vox Popili – A Life in Rahul’s Day, Vaishali
As part of The Delhi Walla series asking citizens to “write down everything you did in one day.” Send yours in 400 words max to thedelhiwallasoofi@gmail.com [Photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] [By Rahul Sharma, a “quality analyst” in Vaishali, Ghaziabad.]…
Mission Delhi – Jagdish Bhatt, Paharganj
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] His right elbow is resting on the café table, his left palm is cupping his chin. His gaze is directed towards the crowded street. He…
City Hangout – 32 Parks, Hazrat Nizamuddin East
Neighbourhood of gardens. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Found, a bench bearing a most unusual dedication. Found, a huge cat. Found, a serene Buddha. Each of these is in a different park. But all three parks are in…
City Life – Nighttime Darkness, Around Town
Let there be darkness [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Never noisy here, not even in the day. It is one of the more serene neighbouhoods in the National Capital Region. The silence deepens at night, but alas! The…
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