City Food – Zina Tea Stall, Near Chitli Qabar
Staircase chai. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Staircase is obsolete. This is the experience of many of us living in places like Gurgaon and Noida. Days go by without spotting a sweeping flight of steps. The reason is…
City Walk – Gali Nawab Mirza, Old Delhi
A secretive lane. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The door is half-open. Inside, bright daylight is descending chup-chaap from the steep staircase, fading into a cooling darkness on nearing the floor. A young man is standing mutely by…
City Landmark – Central News Agency, Connaught Place
Passing of an era. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There would be many, many (print) dailies, in many languages and editions, trooping in daily from across India and abroad. Where have they gone? The shelves and racks are…
City Season – Best Bougainvillea Show, Chelmsford Road
Season’s gift. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Cancel all appointments, postpone all deadlines, and rush to Chelmsford Road. Close to the New Delhi railway station, this spot might be hosting the best bougainvillea show in our megapolis. No…
City Monument – The Jali, Gurgaon & Elsewhere
The world of screen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Look at this derelict building. The central pattern is as intricate as an embroidered fabric. It is made of entwined quadrangles and circles, multiplying several times over, and spanning…
City Monument – Sequence of Taak, Deer Park
A disappearing element in architecture. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] All are dusty, and some are cobwebbed. But it doesn’t matter. After all, it might be the most exquisite collection of taaks in the entire Delhi region. Taak,…
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Maliha Sultan, Gurgaon
The parlour confession. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] She spent her growing years in a home that overlooks Humayun’s Tomb. Perhaps it was the perfection of the Mughal-era dome that inspired her to become an architect. Maliha Sultan’s work has straddled…
City Hangout – Exercise Trail, Deer Park
The language of health. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s not rocket science. Try deciphering the directives painted on the board: • Stand erect • Feet together • Jump stride • Bringing arms to shoulder level Follow these,…
Mission Delhi – Muhammed Zafar, Chitli Qabar
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] You rarely see him talk. His silent face expresses enigma, and thoughts difficult to decipher. He must be an introvert, ill-at-ease with communication. That’s a…
City Season – Leaf Fall, Around Town
Season’s losses. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] See—a biscuit packet, a chips packet, a juice tetra-pack, an orange sachet, two paper cups, a plastic thaila, another plastic thaila, one more plastic thaila… all empty. These discards are many…
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