City Life – Mirza Ghalib’s Love Signs, Ghalib Academy
Chairs of heart. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is evening and ghazal singer Athar Hussain Khan is rendering ‘Chupke Chupke’ to a packed audience. The Delhi Walla is at Ghalib Academy in Delhi’s Nizamuddin Basti. The front…
City Life – ‘Friends Forever’ of Arab Sarai General Store, H. Nizamuddin Basti
Real world friends. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] To outsiders, Nizamuddin Basti in central Delhi is most famous for the Sufi shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. The more knowing among us may also point to the tomb of…
City Life – Amir Dehlavi’s Radio Ritual, Haji Hotel
The ultimate radio star. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Over the years many of us have established a deep bond with our smart phones. Many of us have an emotional connection with our TV too, and some of…
City Life – La La Land of The NDMC, VIP Delhi
The great gap. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is no place for the aam aadmi, or common man. A sign near the Supreme Court declares the limits of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) zone, which has…
City Life – The Marvelous Sighting of The Bride’s Palki, Galli Chooriwallan
The long life of the past. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was draped in silk, or so it seemed. One cold night The Delhi Walla comes across a silver-plated palki (aka doli), the palanquin traditionally used to…
City News – The Magnificent and Much-Loved ‘Tribal Tree’ of Alliance Française is No More, Lodhi Estate
The passing of an era. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In a world that appears to be striving for a race to the bottom, it was the epitome of stateliness and dignity. Now, it has left this world….
City Life – The Mystery of the Burning Egg Crates, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
Secrets of the night. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The white-haired man is shrouded in smoke. An empty egg crate is smoldering dangerously close to his bare feet. But he is fast asleep; his sandals are parked under…
City Life – The Book Shop Walks With Bahrisons Booksellers, Jor Bagh
Two landmarks. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They are walking together. One evening The Delhi Walla sees Nini KD Singh and Aanchal Malhotra at a public park in the quiet Jor Bagh. The two women are intimately connected…
City Life – Gilli Danda Players, Mehrauli
The forgotten game. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It looks like cricket but it isn’t cricket. It is gilli danda, a game not commonly seen on Delhi’s streets. Even so, one winter afternoon The Delhi Walla sees a…
City Life – Refugee Status, Majnu ka Tila
Live from Lhasa. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The way home may not be the way back. Tenzin Kunchok, 34, has never set foot in her homeland. “Maybe someday,” says Ms Kunchok, who co-runs a travel agency in…
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