City Faith - Reading the Goat's Mind, Gali Chamre Wali

City Faith – Reading the Goat’s Mind, Gali Chamre Wali

Last thoughts. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was the morning of the Muslim festival of Eid ul Zuha, or Bakra Eid, in which animals are sacrificed to commemorate the legend of a devout man’s complete surrender to…

City Landmark – Chiki Sarkar’s New Publishing House, Near Kamal Nursery

City Landmark – Chiki Sarkar’s New Publishing House, Near Kamal Nursery

A star is born. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The place is as sparse as Hemingway’s prose. There are tables and chairs, to be sure, but no unnecessary furniture. It is, however, too early to draw conclusions. This…

City Style – A Man in Asymmetrical Colours, Subway Restaurant, Khan Market

City Style – A Man in Asymmetrical Colours, Subway Restaurant, Khan Market

Searching for the stylish. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] His T-shirt is pink. His shorts are white. His hair are tied into two ponytails. Oh my God, his socks. One is pink. The other is green. There is…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Elizabeth Varkey, East Delhi

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Elizabeth Varkey, East Delhi

The 101st death. [Text by Elizabeth Varkey; photo by Hannah V. Nazareth] Elizabeth Varkey, daughter of Shri K.C. Varkeyachan breathed her last on a lovely, rainy afternoon like this, fit for jalebis and samosas and tea. But she had begun…

Netherfield Ball – Moin & Fatima's Walima, Daryaganj

Netherfield Ball – Moin & Fatima’s Walima, Daryaganj

The party secrets. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One evening The Delhi Walla gatecrashed into the women-only zenana section of a wedding dinner held in Old Delhi’s Daryaganj. Moin Ahmad Alvi had married Syeda Seemver Fatima the night…

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Vivek Malik, Sector 45, Gurgaon

Our Self-Written Obituaries – Vivek Malik, Sector 45, Gurgaon

The 100th death. [Text by Vivek Malik (second from left); photo by Vikas Rathi] Vivek Malik, a middle-level media professional, died last night during a small party he had thrown on his rented rooftop residence in Sector 45, Gurgaon. Mr…

City Landmark - Nehru's Red Rose, Teen Murti Bhawan

City Landmark – Nehru’s Red Rose, Teen Murti Bhawan

The Prime Minister’s flower. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Both Jawaharlal Nehru and Babur shared a passion for the rose. The first Mughal emperor not only composed a poem on gul, Persian for rose, but also made sure…

Atget’s Corner – 866-870, Delhi Photos

Atget’s Corner – 866-870, Delhi Photos

The visible city. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi is a voyeur’s paradise and The Delhi Walla also makes pictures. I take photos of people, streets, flowers, eateries, drawing rooms, tombs, landscapes, buses, colleges, Sufi shrines, trees, animals, autos, libraries, birds,…

City Food - Hello to the Queen, Ajay Guest House, Paharganj

City Food – Hello to the Queen, Ajay Guest House, Paharganj

The backpackers’ fantasy. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is the most curiously named dessert to be found in Delhi. The decadent Hello to the Queen is available only in a few places in the capital. The Delhi…

Mission Delhi – Devi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti

Mission Delhi – Devi, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti

One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The elderly woman is walking alone with three bags this afternoon. One in her hand, two on her back. One of the bags is actually…