Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Vishal Nagraj, Somewhere in Delhi Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - February 18, 20250 Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] He is one of Delhi’s most enigmatic booksellers, dealing online in precious editions of classic novels. He tends to abruptly disappear from society causing a puzzled distress to his fellow booksellers, customers and acquaintances. As abruptly he re-emerges. This afternoon, Vishal Nagraj is sighted in a city bookstore after a long spell of disappearance. He agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. The principal aspect of your personality. I’m mostly lost. Your chief characteristic. I’m a sketcher. I like drawing sketches of writers… Emily Dickinson, James Baldwin, Szymborska, Joan Didion, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Anna
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Kevin Kelly, Sardar Patel Marg Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - January 31, 20250 Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Proust Questionnaire series has been appearing on this page for some years. The respondents have been waiters and writers, beggars and booksellers, ear cleaners and home makers. This time, we have the ambassador of Ireland—and for good reason. The birth anniversary of Ireland’s greatest writer falls this Sunday, 2nd February, which also marks the anniversary of the publication date of his greatest book. James Joyce’s Ulysses is the most descriptive city novel ever written, and reading it feels not only like walking the streets of Dublin, where the novel is set, but also like wandering through the galis and kuchas of our very own Purani Dilli. Over to Dubliner Kevin
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Goldman, Connaught Place Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - January 20, 20250 Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Always in a golden-coloured costume, every exposed part of his body painted in that colour, he calls himself a “Goldman Statue (Artist)” He daily performs in Connaught Place, mostly standing still as if he were a statue, a donation box beside him. This evening, he agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. Your favourite virtue. Talent to make people laugh. What do you appreciate the most in your friends? A friend should never be a dagabaz (betrayer). My friends betrayed me. Your favourite occupation. Acting. What would be your greatest misfortune? To love somebody. If not yourself, who would you be? If
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Abdul Rashid, Central Delhi Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - January 8, 20250 Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A halwai shop cook in a central Delhi bazar, he churns out 1,500 samosas daily. This cold night, while at work, young Abdul Rashid agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. The principal aspect of your personality. A hope in my heart to become kamyab (successful). Your favourite qualities in a man. Polite manners. Your favourite qualities in a woman. The talent to wear nice clothes, and for a courteous way of speaking. What do you appreciate the most in your friends? The ability to be useful. Your main fault. I’m illiterate. My parents tried to get me educated,
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Rukhsar, Turkman Gate Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - December 30, 20240 Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] All the 55 years of Rukhsar’s life have been spent in Old Delhi’s Turkman Gate area. This cold afternoon, ensconced within a small room, steps away from the aforementioned gateway, Rukhsar agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. The principal aspect of your personality. I’m into naach-gana (singing and dancing). People like me are sometimes born with both the genders, and sometimes not. Let me be clear. I was born a male, and I think of myself as a male. Your favourite qualities in a man. He should talk with mohabbat (love). Your favourite qualities in a
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Yasmeen Begum, Mahila Haat Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - November 22, 20240 Portrait of a mahila. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Mahila is woman for Hindi, but there is only one woman bookseller in Sunday Book Bazar held every week at Mahila Haat. One more mahila actually sits just outside the Mahila Haat gate every Sunday, where she sells bags to book buyers. Yasmeen Begum agreed to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. Your favourite virtue. My mehnat, my hard work. Your favourite qualities in a man. He must be hard-working, his language must be dignified. Your favourite qualities in a woman. Whether she be illiterate or educated, she should always cook for her family. Plus, she should not hesitate
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Ramchander, Central Delhi Pave Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - November 4, 20240 Portrait of a barber. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] On Diwali evening last week, Ramchander, a pavement barber, lit up two diyas and two candles on the exact spot of the darkened tree-lined Central Delhi pave where he daily operates his stall, although that day it stayed closed due to the festival. After offering his prayers (see photo), he agreed to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. The principal aspect of your personality. My profession. I have been doing this work of hair-cutting and hajamati (shaving) as long as I can remember of my earliest days spent back home in the village. I would
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Rajesh, Neighbourhood Service Lane Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - October 15, 2024October 15, 20240 Portrait of an ironing man. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] In his late 40s, Rajesh administers a long-time ironing stall on the deserted service lane of a posh Delhi neighbourhood. This mosquito-filled evening, with the day’s work accomplished, he agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. The principal aspect of your personality. How should I begin to answer this question… as a young boy, I had to drop out of school due to problems at home. My pitaji Shri Kallu Ram, who was running this ironing stall, had an accident and was injured. Soon afterwards, one night when it was raining heavily, the
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Shamaila Nasir, Chitli Qabar Bazar Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - October 1, 20240 A woman in the Walled City. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The congested Chitli Qabar Bazar in the historic Walled City of Delhi is crammed with hundreds of showrooms. Each is presided over by a man. Except for Fancy Apparels—the boss here is a woman. Showroom owner and its administrator Shamaila Nasir agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. The principal aspect of your personality. My sense of dressing. My self-independence. Your favourite qualities in a man. He should be caring towards his family, especially towards his wife—just as my husband, the late Muhammed Nasir, was. Your favourite qualities in a woman. She should have the ability
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Charanjeet Singh, Wenger’s Cake Shop Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - September 12, 20240 Glimpses of an iconic citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A familiar figure in turban and tie, Charanjeet Singh, 80, is the longtime face of Wenger's. The Connaught Place confectionary traces its inception to 1924, and the genial gent has been with it since 1965 (the young diploma holder from Khanna in Punjab arrived in Delhi in 1962, worked as a shift-in-charge at the Imperial hotel before being hired as a resident engineer for the cake shop’s then newly imported air-conditioning plant. He retired as a manager in 2004, but continues to work in his beloved workplace!). Over the decades, more than one generation of Delhiwale have accumulated fond memories of their cake shop chitchat with the soft-spoken “Sardarji.” He is