Mission Delhi – Suhail, Central Delhi Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - February 16, 20240 One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The vast bookstore echoes with the traffic’s dull roar—the busy road is just outside. Moments later, a melodious sound is heard. Distinct from the steady rumble of autos and buses, it is barely perceptible, like the humming of a bathroom singer. This has to be shop staffer Suhail, forever busy shifting stacks of books between the racks, or politely keeping an eye on potential flickers. Nonetheless, he frequently bursts into songs from the Hindi films of 1980s and 1990s. Right now it is a sentimental ditty from Pyar Jhukta Nahin. “Sometimes I hear a gaana coming out of a passing car and I pick up the tune, sometimes
City Landmark – Art Gallery, Ghalib Academy Hangouts Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - February 15, 2024February 15, 20240 Poetry intersecting with painting. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He seems so far from the world of today, but Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan Ghalib died only 155 years ago, aged 72. This being the great poet’s death anniversary, it is sweet and proper to perform a haziri (pilgrimage) to his marble mazar (tomb) in central Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti. A panoramic view of the dainty monument can be glimpsed from an adjacent building. That multi-storey came into existence on Ghalib’s 100th death anniversary, and is devoted to his life and works. The singular thing, however, that makes Ghalib Academy one of Delhi’s most exclusive destinations is its rarely visited top-floor corridor, crammed with original Ghalib-inspired artworks painted by eminent artists
City Faith – Basant Panchmi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s Dargah Faith by The Delhi Walla - February 14, 20240 Season’s greetings. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Someone today will put on a yellow scarf. Somebody else might pick up a yellow turban, or perhaps a yellow kurta. Some other might do with a yellow rose, though yellow mustard flowers are more traditional. This evening, the dargah, or sufi shrine, of Hazrat Nozamuddin Auliya will be packed with citizens in yellow, gathered to greet Basant Panchmi, Delhi’s brief spring season. The tradition of celebrating the Basant in the historic shrine began about seven centuries ago, remarks Peerzada Altamash Nizami, whose family has descended from the aforementioned sufi through his sister’s side (Hazrat Nizamuddin never married). The mild-mannered gentleman in white kurta-pajama vividly details the origins of the dargah’s connection to
City Monument -Chausath Khamba, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Monuments by The Delhi Walla - February 13, 20240 Of light and stone. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Winter dhoop is making the marble glow, as if the soothing sunlight were emanating from the opacity of the stones themselves. The most beautiful of all buildings—old and new—in the congested Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, the 17th century Chausath Khamba is the world’s first all-marble structure raised by the Mughals. The great Taj Mahal came much later. Additionally, Chausath Khamba’s distinctive theme of pillared hall was later adopted by Emperor Shahjahan for his Diwan-i-Aam, Hall of Audience, at the Red Fort. Curiously, this is among Delhi’s less visited monuments. Folks are rarely sighted. May be because it lies hidden from the public view, tucked away from the main alley of the Basti, which
City Life – Staircases, Gurgaon Mosque & Gurgaon Mall General Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 13, 2024February 13, 20240 More than just a fire exit. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Here are two aspects of one city. As seen through two staircases. The first one is a steep staircase littered with shoes, sandals and chappals—see right photo. The second one is a sparkling staircase—see left photo. The first is part of a mosque. The second is part of a mall. The first is in Jama Masjid, in Gurgaon’s Sadar Bazar. The second is in South Point Mall, in Gurgaon’s Golf Course Road. The Jama Masjid staircase is crammed with many footwears today, because it is the Friday afternoon prayer, and the mosque’s courtyard and corridors are packed with barefoot worshippers—Jama Masjid, of course, means Friday mosque. The shopping mall staircase
City Home – Kue Wala Ghar, Chawri Bazar Delhi Homes by The Delhi Walla - February 11, 20240 Old address. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sunlight falling on the tall blue walls quivers softly, making the concrete look liquefied. The staircase to the roof is crisscrossing upwards into a series of landings. And the sehen, the courtyard below, is marooned in shantih. This house in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazar belongs to one of its most eminent families. Around, the market is noisy, crowded and chaotic, but the house feels far from this agitation. Until 50 years ago, any letter reaching this residence wouldn’t mention Chawri Bazar. Houses had no number either. In the old days, the address written on the letter would tend to start with what is nowadays written last. This was the old postal address of
City Hangout – Day-End at Sunday Book Bazar, Mahila Haat Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 11, 2024February 11, 20240 Time passing, and final hours. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Endings mark closure to stories, give clarity. Endings tend to be poignant. Such is also the case with the fabled Sunday Book Bazar. The story of Delhi’s weekly market for used books goes back to the 1960s, when it first opened on the outskirts of the Walled City, along the mile-long pave of Daryaganj, extending from Delite Cinema to Dilli Gate to the non-existent Lohe wala Pul foot-over bridge. Some years ago, the bazar permanently ended—in Daryaganj—and was made to move to the sprawling plaza of Mahila Haat nearby, across the road from Delite Cinema, where conditions turned out to be more convenient for both book buyers and booksellers. That aspect has already
City Food – Fig & Honey Ice-Cream, India International Center Food by The Delhi Walla - February 8, 20240 Legends of a legend. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The chef is refusing. He wants the recipe to remain a secret. Chef Vijay Kumar Thukral is a living landmark of Delhi’s iconic India international Center, and the recipe he is declining to give is of a major culinary monument. The venerable man is so possessive about the fabled delicacy that he didn’t even disclose its secret in the book he co-authored a decade ago—‘Secrets From the Kitchen-Fifty Year of Culinary Experience at the India International Centre.’ One of the most special dishes in one of Delhi’s most exclusive members-only social spaces, the fig & honey served at the IIC’s so-named Dining Hall is arguably Delhi’s best ice-cream, a fact that can be
City Landmark – Bani Temple, Gurgaon Faith Hangouts Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - February 7, 2024February 8, 20240 A shrine with a view. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] So surreal. These gigantic stalagmites stranded in the polluted air. They are actually far-off business towers, their view diffused in the winter fog. The scene shifts with a slight turning of the head: now you look down at an assortment of single-storey dwellings. The familiar world is looking unfamiliar from this extraordinary vantage point. One of the most escapist destinations in the Delhi region, Bani Mandir is a temple in Ghata village (pronounced Ghaata). The village lies tucked within the wild ridges of Gurgaon, yet is within eyeshot of the Millennium City’s high-rises. The temple is perched atop a hill; the village lies around the base of this hill. A
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Naeem Khan, Pahari Imli Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - February 7, 2024February 8, 20240 The parlour confession. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The hilly Pahari Imli gets its name from a tamarind tree that no longer exists. But Naeem Khan’s tailoring establishment serves as an idyllic substitute for that extinct imli ka ped. It is nestled at a perfect vantage point in the Old Delhi neighbourhood, giving a clear view of who is walking up the hill, who is walking down the hill (see photo: tea man Iqbal walking down the hill). Laughters and shouts from the surrounding windows echo. Passers-by stop to share gossip about the Pahari Imli society, as they might have done under that legendary Imli tree if it were still standing today. Naeem Khan agrees to become a part of