City Life - Metro Dialogues, Blue Lines

City Life – Metro Dialogues, Blue Lines

Did you hear. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Shuttling on the Delhi Metro is incredibly visual. You see people in their most casual attitudes, completely unconscious of others, indulging in acts that are kabhi weird kabhi cute. Our…

Delhi Metro - Icing on the Chowk, Rajiv Chowk

Delhi Metro – Icing on the Chowk, Rajiv Chowk

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] “All across the distance and spaces between us…” An instrumental rendition of Celine Dion’s love song from the movie Titanic is playing from the speakers this…

Delhi Metro - Metro Spotting, Aastha Kunj Park

Delhi Metro – Metro Spotting, Aastha Kunj Park

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Suddenly the silver-grey coaches of the Violet Line glints into view, far in the horizon (see photo). The train runs past a backdrop of high-rises. But…

Delhi Metro - Poem of All Commutes, Chattarpur

Delhi Metro – Poem of All Commutes, Chattarpur

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] The many lines of the Delhi Metro have stitched our vast, unwieldy, smoggy city into a multi-coloured embroidery. It has also rummaged its way into the fabric of our…

Delhi Metro - Suitable Commuter, Central Secretariat

Delhi Metro – Suitable Commuter, Central Secretariat

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A climate change professional and a literary critic, Nikhil Kumar shares a memorable episode of his reading life on the Metro. “IT TOOK me around a hundred Metro…

Delhi Metro - Septuagenarian Commuter, Wenger's Cake Shop

Delhi Metro – Septuagenarian Commuter, Wenger’s Cake Shop

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] At 78, the turbaned gentleman must be among very few Delhiites of his age to travel daily on the Metro. He has a day-job to do….

Delhi Metro - Woman's Commute, Chawri Bazar Metro Station

Delhi Metro – Woman’s Commute, Chawri Bazar Metro Station

On the 20th anniversary of Delhi Metro. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A young woman in Old Delhi, or Delhi 6, steps out of her house, with a large stole or dupatta purposely hiding the dress beneath. She…

Delhi Metro - First Pandemic-Era Ride, Yellow Line

Delhi Metro – First Pandemic-Era Ride, Yellow Line

Masked new world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Clean, bright and sanitized. And silent. As the Delhi Metro reopened, more than five months after coronavirus changed the world, its scenery is weirdly reminiscent of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’,…

Delhi Metro - The Sunset Journey, Blue Line

Delhi Metro – The Sunset Journey, Blue Line

The midsummer’s sunset metro line. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Over the centuries the good people of Delhi have painstakingly learned to cope with stifling summer heat. But it’s admittedly hard to form some sort of friendship with…

Delhi Metro - Train Spotting, Around Town

Delhi Metro – Train Spotting, Around Town

Metro sightings. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Delhi Walla has found the most picturesque spot from where to watch the majesty of the Delhi Metro. It lies in little-known Aastha Kunj, in south Delhi. Visited by only…