Photo Essay – Are Newspapers Dead?
The ‘daily’ life in Delhi. [Edited text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Mizo woman was walking towards her home in Moti village near Dhaula in south Delhi when the men in a vehicle abducted her and took turns…
City Landmark – Delhi Photo Company, Janpath
1937-2010. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The other afternoon The Delhi Walla was walking in Janpath, Connaught Place. Reaching in front of an old landmark, I stood with amazement and then I laughed. What used to be Delhi…
Memo from Nizamuddin Dargah – Meeting the Other Sex
The world of the hijras. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] In November 2010, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi extended its pension scheme for deprived sections to the city’s eunuchs. They will now get a monthly pension of Rs…
City Food – Julia Child Makes Chai in Turkman Gate
The great chef’s life in Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Meet the Julia Child of Turkman Gate, a congested neighbourhood in the Walled City. Quiet and gentle, Child is not sure of his age but he looks…
Mission Delhi – Vijay Kumar, Paharganj
One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] For the last 10 minutes, his grey eyes haven’t blinked; his posture on the green plastic chair hasn’t changed. Vijay Kumar, 56, is selling…
The Delhi Walla Books – They Are Not Enough
Reflections at the Midland bookstore, South Extension-I. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The other day I met a friend in Lodhi Garden. She remarked on my unkempt hair. I said, “Who cares! I’m a bloody author of four…
City Style – The Classy Delhiwalla, Barakhamba
Searching for the stylish. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla saw this man coming out of Barakhamba Metro station, gate no. 6, in Connaught Place, Delhi’s premier commercial district. It was 9 am, the rush hour….
The Biographical Dictionary of Delhi – Shanky, b. Chandni Chowk, Delhi, 1968
The definitive directory of famous Delhiites. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Shanky’s is one of the more curious careers in Indian cinema. This son of a factory supervisor is as unknown as any acclaimed art house film. A…
City Season – Cold Weather Forecasting
Delhi ceases to be Delhi. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Evening. Early November. Very soon, the doors leading to the tomb of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya will close not at 10 pm, the usual time, but half an hour…
City Season – Signs of Winter, Connaught Place
Delhi’s cold wardrobe. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla is looking for signs of winter in Delhi’s colonial-era shopping district, Connaught Place. It is the second week of November. The city gets chilly, but only in…
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