City Hangout – Frangipani Island, Niti Marg
White stars. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Traffic islands seldom distinguish themselves as works of beauty. But then there’s that traffic island in Central Delhi that contains a grove of fulgent frangipani trees, laden with white flowers resembling…
City Hangout – People Tree Bookshop, Connaught Place
A ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ little store. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some bookshops exist outside the mainstream, and in which you’ll come across titles almost impossible to spot elsewhere. One such place exists in the heart…
City Hangout – Seema & Nasir’s Snack Stall, Ghalib Street
Stall of love. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s so appropriate. They live in a lane named after Delhi’s greatest love poet who penned many verses on mohabbat, mehboob and ishq. Seema and Nasir Nabi of Ghalib Street…
City Hangout – Bougainvillea’s Shaving Stall, Chelmsford Road
Barber’s paradise. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Pavement shaving stalls are just about everywhere in Delhi—unlike western cities where the tradition has died out. These are patronised, among others, by a vast populace of hardworking male migrants who…
City Hangout – Ramlila Maidan, Central Delhi
The empty quarter. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The 2019 general elections are over. The iconic Ramlila Maidan, famous for its rallies, is free to be explored. The last big gathering it hosted was a campaign speech by…
City Hangout – W-Block Park, Greater Kailash-I
City escape. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The appeal of this place rests on a paradox. Parts of W-Block Park are a dusty terrain, so very bleak that it somehow conveys a kind of surreal beauty. Or so…
City Hangout – The Monsoon Bucket List, Around Town
Season’s getaways. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] As Delhi prepares to welcome another monsoon, here are places in the city where you can feel the season most intensely. Happy rains. History spot Carry along a thermos of piping-hot…
City Hangout – Plant’s Shade, Palika Bazaar Park
Summer escape. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the very best places to cool off in Delhi isn’t an air-conditioned mall. Nor some lovely monument in a park offering shade. It’s not even a tree. But instead,…
City Hangout – Live Music Hotspots, Paharganj
A world inside a world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] So this is Delhi’s hidden Europe. That is, if you believe in the title of a recent Bollywood thriller, Paharganj—The Little Amsterdam of India. The central Delhi district—especially…
City Hangout – Bird Feeding Pilgrimage, Hamdard Chowk
To the communion. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s a hot muggy morning and these three supplicants are devoutly praying. Not in a temple but at a Central Delhi traffic island teeming with pigeons. The devotees now open…
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