City Landmark - Delhi's Only Parsi Cemetery, Near Prithviraj Road

City Landmark – Delhi’s Only Parsi Cemetery, Near Prithviraj Road

You will always remain in our hearts. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Walking through any cemetery is bound to stir feelings. And perhaps even more so in this secluded graveyard in central Delhi that belongs to the rapidly…

City Landmark - The New Bahrisons Booksellers, Gurgaon

City Landmark – The New Bahrisons Booksellers, Gurgaon

The legacy store. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gentle winter light is falling on the bookshelves, streaming into isolated pools of dappled warmth. Here and there, boxes lay on the floor, unopened, beside piles of books waiting to…

City Landmark - Lenin's Tomb, Nehru Park

City Landmark – Lenin’s Tomb, Nehru Park

A forgotten statue. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sprawling Nehru Park is a perfect escape with its abundance of trees and rocks. You would think our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s statue must be tucked away in…

City Landmark - Tolstoy's Statue, Near Janpath Market

City Landmark – Tolstoy’s Statue, Near Janpath Market

From Russia with Love. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] His arms crossed, Leo Tolstoy gazes towards Janpath’s Tibetan market. But since he is hidden behind trees, it is impossible to see him from… well, Tolstoy Marg. The plinth…

City Obituary - The Death of Prince Book Stall, Paharganj

City Obituary – The Death of Prince Book Stall, Paharganj

The passing of a bookshop. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sad news. Prince Book Stall has become history. One of the only two surviving secondhand bookshops in the backpackers’ district of Paharganj, it was opposite Khanna Cinema (which…

City Landmark - The Extinct Regal Cinema, Connaught Place

City Landmark – The Extinct Regal Cinema, Connaught Place

Of the golden age of movies. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Nobody was surprised. Regal’s closure was widely expected. Delhi’s colonial-era single-screen theatre that faces the park above Palika Bazaar Parking in Connaught Place finally shut down in…

City Landmark - The Walled City Café & Lounge, Chhatta Sheikh Mangloo

City Landmark – The Walled City Café & Lounge, Chhatta Sheikh Mangloo

Radicalised getaway. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This has to be the most liberal place in the Muslim quarter of Old Delhi. Period. The Delhi Walla has not discovered a new Sufi shrine but a new coffee place….

City Landmark - Proust's Bed & the Grand Hotel, Cabourg, France

City Landmark – Proust’s Bed & the Grand Hotel, Cabourg, France

Marcel’s host. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is the same bed on which Marcel Proust slept and the same window through which he would watch the sea outside. It is a cold and quiet day. The Delhi…

City Landmark - Victor Bros, Connaught Place

City Landmark – Victor Bros, Connaught Place

A quieter world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Don’t cry for poor dear CP (Connaught Place). The colonial-era commercial district, that world of stately white columns and louvred windows, is now a 21st century muddle of uniformly similar…

City Landmark - The Oriental Fruit Mart, Connaught Place

City Landmark – The Oriental Fruit Mart, Connaught Place

The souvenir of the old CP. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Everything—except the fruits, the cookies, the protein chocolates and the wasabi peas—looks straight out of a time warp. The wood panelling, the display cabinets, even the floor,…