City Hangouts – Bougainvillea in Bloom, Lodhi Garden & Elsewhere Hangouts Nature Photo Essays by The Delhi Walla - March 5, 20250 Season's sights. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Why oh why he never wrote a poem on these two Lodhi Garden trees? Poet Octavio Paz was a Lodhi Garden loyalist, back in the 1960s when he was posted in our city as Mexico’s ambassador. To be fair to him, he did write a poem titled ‘In the Lodhi Garden,’ but without mentioning the park’s magical twins. This Seeta-aur-Geeta duo bear bougainvillea flowers throughout the year, but the densest blossoming returns punctually with the departure of winter. This afternoon, the tiny pink flowers are freely detaching themselves from the branches, falling on the ground in slow motion. The flowers smell of... nothing. (Technically speaking, these aren’t flowers, but leaves.) Whatever, the scentless “leaves” are
City Hangout – Mehfooz Chaikahana and Others, Old Delhi Food Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 28, 20250 The tea houses of the old quarter. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The long-time Salim chaikhana shut some months ago, condemning the Walled City to one less chakhana. This is more discouraging than it sounds. For a chaikhana is a rare thing. It is profoundly different from the ubiquitous chai stall, which is simply a pavement kiosk for citizens to have their chai on the go. The chaikhana, or tea house, is a more formal place with furnished interiors dedicated to serving chai, snacks being incidental. Citizens exploit the chaikhana to rest, to rejuvenate, to press the pause button on the fast-moving life. Some chaikhana extroverts do like to share qissa-kahani with fellows at adjacent tables, many others prefer
City Hangout – Bhaijaan Market, Sir Syed Ahmad Road Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 8, 20250 Bro's bazar. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Jaan means life. Bhai means bro. So bhaijaan maybe implies a bro who is as dear as one’s own life. Whatever, one of the most commonly heard words in Old Delhi streets is bhaijaan. The word is instinctively summoned to hail a friendly chap--or even any random male encountered on the street. And here’s this little-known multi-storey in the Walled City called Bhaijaaan Market! The ground-floor is essentially a U-shaped corridor lined with shops and offices. The complex is located on a noisy street named after legendary scholar Syed Ahmad Khan. (This historic Walled City figure is too revered to be a mere Syed Bhaijaan; he is instead Sir Syed.) Bhaijaan Market is fronted by the
City Hangout – Hazrat Nizamuddin East Market, Central Delhi Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 5, 20250 Mom-and-Pop around the corner. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] In black Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses and a black Givenchy dress, Audrey Hepburn gazes at a Tiffany window in New York. This iconic portrait of the actress is hanging on the wall of a coffee shop in Delhi. Once, outlets of this same Café Turtle thrived in some of our city’s fanciest markets. One by one, they all shut down—except for this one, located in Delhi’s most discreet commercial destination. Nizamuddin East Market must be the capital’s quietest bazar, nestled along the back lane of Nizamuddin East. It is as serene as the colony streets, the only sounds being the incessant cawing of crows, the circling cries of kites, and the announcements from
City Faith – Basant Festival 2025, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s Dargah Faith Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - February 1, 20250 Colour us yellow. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] There shall be yellow flowers, and happy people in yellow turbans, yellow scarves and yellow kurtas. Such scenes shall unfold Sunday evening tomorrow to mark the debut of 2025 spring Basant at the dargah of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. (The photo above is of the last year’s festivity). The historic shrine in central Delhi is dotted with centuries-old graves of Mughal-era royalties (including an emperor), along with graves of poets, fakirs, scholars, nobles. Of course, the principal grave here is of Hazrat Nizamuddin himself. Everyday, pilgrims arrive in the dargah to offer prayers. Many in the crowd also happen to be tourists wanting to experience the world-famous qawwalis performed daily at the dargah’s
City Walk – Gali Chunnamal, Old Delhi Hangouts Walks by The Delhi Walla - January 30, 20250 The Walled City encyclopedia. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some walls are continuing to stand, so do some shelves and doorways. A flight of stairs as well. All else has become a huge pile of bricks. Anyhow the debris of the old building, which locals say fell some years ago, looks integrated to the texture of the land. This afternoon, passers-by are haring by busily, no one looking at this heap. Such is the surreal start to Gali Chunnamal. Located close to the Walled City’s vanished city wall, the lane this afternoon is dappled in shade, splashed here and there with spheres and squares of sunshine. The gali is rich in stylish old doors; all of which are locked. Some are
City Life – Empty Quarter, Ghaziabad Hangouts Life by The Delhi Walla - January 30, 2025January 30, 20250 Topography of the suburbs. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Only a heap of broken images where the evening sun beats. But let’s skip the introductory passage, and straight jump into our on-the-ground report. Following are the surreal scenes observed on reaching an open sprawl in a far-flung corner of the capital region. This vast ground is thickly covered with sand. Swirls of sand are rising from the ground, drifting along some distance, and then fading from view. A green plastic thaila has wrapped itself about a dead plant—see photo. A bunch of sheep are being herded by a man in a huge red turban. A mangy dog is lying exhausted, silent but eyes wide open. Earth has been dug up at various places across the ground;
City Landmark – Jain Book Center, Connaught Place Hangouts by The Delhi Walla - January 22, 20250 Cave of classics. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Have you been to this little-known bibliophilic haven? It is in Connaught Place—the graveyard of some of Delhi’s greatest bookshops. Indeed, this particular haven is located close to what used to be Bookworm—that shop’s super-kind assistants would sell books on credit, never embarrassing the buyer with payment reminders. It is also close to what used to be New Book Depot—that shop’s owner would unhesitatingly scold customers for daring to turn the pages of his books a tad carelessly. It is also close to what used to be ED Galgotia & Sons—that shop’s blue seal is often sighted on the opening pages of old mildewed books fished out weekly at Delhi’s Sunday Book Bazar. Unlike
City Obituary – Salim Tea Stall, Matia Mahal Bazar Hangouts Landmarks by The Delhi Walla - January 15, 20250 Death of a chai khana. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some places go away discreetly, making no fuss. One day they are here among us. Next day, gone. Their presence is stitched so seamlessly into the fabric of our everyday world, that it takes some time to be aware of their absence. The long-time Salim Tea Stall—more like a tea house— shut down unnoticed some months ago, It was located in Old Delhi’s Matia Mahal Bazar, close to the monumental Jama Masjid, a very touristy area. Almost every eatery and guest house here, every stall and shop, is so concentratedly curated for the tourists that a great part of the stretch has nothing spiritually common with the more inward galis
City Neighbourhood – Chatta Jaam Beg, Old Delhi Hangouts Life by The Delhi Walla - December 9, 20240 The Walled City encyclopaedia [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] No horses here any longer. Haven’t been seen for a long, long time. They aren’t even part of anybody’s lived memory. The horses have become a legend, and so have their “tabele,” the stables. But during the Badshah raaj, when the Mughals commanded the empire from the Red Fort, this Old Delhi street had tabele for horses. That must had also been a time when Jaam Beg hadn’t yet become a myth. Today, the man who gave his name to the street is remembered only as mister somebody who was VIP enough to have got the honorific title of ‘beg.’ Like any classical Purani Dilli street, Chatta Jaam beg in Tiraha