Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Hyderabad has the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Bombay, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and Chennai, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Our Delhi has well over 60 institutions, landmarks and places named after the Nehru-Gandhi clan, the family that has given India three Congress party prime ministers. No matter what your feeling may be for this political dynasty, the Nehru-Gandhis have left a mark on history. And perhaps the coming generations will look upon the family with as much awe (or boredom) as we now do in the case of the Tomars, the Mamluks, the Khiljis, the Tughlaqs, the Sayyids, the Lodis, and the Mughals. The Delhi Walla lays out the dynasty in the first

A few famous names. [Compiled by Mayank Austen Soofi] During the reign of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, a young man from Hyderabad called Dargah Quli Khan stayed in Delhi from 1739 to 1741. Muraqqa e Dehli, his diary of those years, contains observations on the city’s cultural and religious life, which includes his insights on Delhi’s famous dancing girls and boys. The Delhi Walla cherry-picks a few. 1. Ad Begum She paints her legs with beautiful designs that look like pajamas, but she doesn’t actually put on one – even when she is dancing in a gathering. 2. Saras Roop Highly admired for her dancing, her singing is like a breath of fresh air for the weary soul. The aroma of her verses is fast spreading

Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Mughal-era Walled City of Shahjahanabad, or Old Delhi, had 14 gateways, out of which two were raised in the Red Fort. The fort was commissioned by Emperor Shahjahan in 1638; the city's construction was started ten years later. The length of the city's wall was 5.5 miles; today it survives only in fragments. Here is a list of the gateways as they stood in the Mughal capital hundreds of years ago; most of them have disappeared with time. 1. Calcutta Gate to the north-east 2. Nigambodh Gate to the north-east 3. Kashmere Gate to the north 4. Mori Gate to the north 5. Kabuli Gate to the west 6. Lahori Gate to the west 7. Farash Khana Gate

Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi has dozens of multiplexes. Indeed, the country’s first multiplex, PVR, opened in the capital in Saket in 1997. The Delhi Walla is in possession of the cinema-listing page of the extinct Patriot newspaper, dated November 5, 1978. Here is a list of the city’s single-screen landmarks that existed in the Seventies. 1. Alankar 2. Alpna 3. Amba 4. Chanakyarama 5. Chandralok 6. Choudhury 7. Deep 8. Eros 9. Excelsior 10. Filmistan 11. Gianand 12. Golcha 13. Janak 14. Kalyan 15. Kamal 16. Kumar 17. Liberty 18. Majestic 19. Minerva 20. Moti 21. Naaz 22. Natraj 23. New Amar 24. Odeon 25. Palace 26. Paras 27. Payal 28. Plaza 29. Rachna 30. Radhu 31. Regal 32. Ritz 33. Rivoli 34. Sangam 35. Sapna 36. Savitri 37. Shobha 38. Swarn-Kisan 39. Uphaar 40. Vasant 41. Vishal 42. Vivek 43. Westend Movie screenings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s first Sufi establishment is said to be that of Khwaja Qutubbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, the 14th century ascetic. He was the disciple and spiritual successor of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. Khwaja Kaki lived in south Delhi’s Mehrauli village. Today, Delhi has hundreds of Sufi dargahs. The city is traditionally known as ‘Bais khwaja ki chaukhat’, the threshold of 22 Sufis. Although the capital’s principal shrines exceed this number, here is a select list of Delhi's 22 Sufi masters. 1. Hazrat Qutubuddin Bhakhtiyar Kaki 2. Hazrat Sheikh Shahabuddin "Aashiq Allah" 3. Hazrat Sheikh Imaduddin Ismail Firdousi 4. Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya 5. Hazrat Amir Khusro 6. Hazrat Sheikh Salahuddin 7. Hazrat Sheikh Alaama Kamaluddin 8. Hazrat Sheikh Nassiruddin Chirag Dehlvi 9. Hazrat

Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] According to the Delhi Metro Railway (Prohibition of Carriage of Large-sized Luggage, Carriage of Offensive and Dangerous Goods in the Metro Railway, Travelling of Persons Suffering From Infectious and Contagious Diseases in the Metro Railway and Value, Period of Validity and Such Other Particulars Indicated in the Ticket Issued by the Metro Railway), Rules, 2002, the commuters are prohibited from carrying 20 items while traveling in the metro train. 1. No goods other than a small baggage containing personal belongings not exceeding 60 cm * 45 cm * 25 cm in size and 45 kg in weight 2. Explosive substances, which possess risk of explosion, or fire, or both 3. Gases, compressed, liquefied, or dissolved under pressure 4. Petroleum and

Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Spread over 80 acres, Lodhi Garden was developed around four monuments. A village called Khairpur was erased to give way to this urban oasis. The garden was originally named after Lady Willingdon, wife of India’s Governor-General, who inaugurated it in 1936. The park has a glass house, a bonsai park, a rose garden, a bamboo garden, and an herbal garden; and it is also home to 28 varieties of birds. 1. Green Parakeet Local name – Tota 2. Weaver bird Local name – Baya 3. Pied Cuckoo Local name – Kala Papeeha 4. Black Headed Myna Local name – Puhya 5. Common Myna Local name – Desi

Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The multicultural megapolis Delhi should have dozens of hyper-local blogs exclusively dedicated to its distinct neighborhoods, peoples, monuments, cuisines and lifestyles. One day the city might get all those blogs. In the second of the City List series, The Delhi Walla gives you names and addresses of blogs that focus on the capital. Some of these are no longer uploaded but they make for an interesting read. The list will continue to be updated. 1. A Date With Delhi adatewithdelhi.wordpress.com/ 2. Akanksha Redhu akanksharedhu.com 2a. Compulsive Confessions compulsiveconfessions.com 3. Confessionz of a Closet confessionzofacloset.blogspot.in/ 3a. Cookaroo thegreatcookaroo.com 4. Delhi Bound delhibound.com 4a. Delhi Events delhievents.com 5. Delhi Expat Club delhiexpatclub.com 6. Delhi Foodies’ Zone delhifoodies.blogspot.in 7. Delhi Heritage Walks blog.delhiheritagewalks.com 8. Delhi Heritage Walks with Sohail Hashmi delhiwithsohailhashmi.wordpress.com 9. Delhi Street Food delhistreetfood.blogspot.in 10. Delhi Wonders delhiwonders.com 11. Eat and Dust eatanddust.com 12. Eating Out in Delhi eoid.wordpress.com 13. Little Black Book Delhi littleblackbookdelhi.com 14. Love Struck Cow lovestruckcow.blogspot.in 15. Our Delhi Struggle ourdelhistruggle.com 16. Sarson ke

Delhi by list. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Perhaps your most beloved author lives in your city. Perhaps it is almost impossible to meet her. Perhaps you are shy of coming face-to-face with her. Perhaps it is better just to wander in her neighbourhood, and soak in the sights and sounds of her streets, and walk past houses one of which could be hers. In the first of the City List series, The Delhi Walla gives you locality names of Delhi’s many authors, living and dead. The list will continue to be updated. 1. Aatish Taseer – Rajesh Pilot Lane, near The Claridges 2. Anuja Chauhan – Ambience Lagoon, Gurgaon 3.