City Hangout – Pond-Side Trees, Redeveloped Central Vista
First day in the new Central Vista. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] These don’t look like happy trees. Sad and despairing, they in fact remind one of Ophelia, the grief-stricken heroine in Shakespeare’s Hamlet who dies by drowning….
City Hangout – Underpass, Redeveloped Central Vista
First day in the new Central Vista. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gentleman in a white mundu, pulled up to his waist, like Shah Rulh Khan’s lungi in the movie Chennai Express. The hat on his head is…
City Hangout – The Lawns, Redeveloped Central Vista
First day in the new Central Vista. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The grass is thick, green and humid. The air is steamy with late afternoon heat. The lawns fall between Man Singh Road and Janpath Road: trees…
City Hangout – Public Park, Greater Kailash 2
A lesser known oasis. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some poet wrote that a true garden is simply made of lights. If so, then this park in Greater Kailash 2 has to be Delhi’s truest garden, at least…
City Hangout – The Mid-August Sun, Defence Colony Flyover
An evening to memorialise. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The people who commanded the stage on 15 August, 1947, seem so far away in time and history — almost like myths. While in contrast this red disk, our…
City Hangout – Gwal Pahari, Near Golf Course Road
City escape. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] I love Rashi—the declaration on the rock is scrawled in white. The ‘love’ is depicted with a heart. The same declaration covers the surface of the adjacent rock. The rock next…
City Hangout – Asaf Ali’s Statue, Near Dilli Gate
A place like no other. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This day, last year: hundreds of pigeons around freedom fighter Asaf Ali’s statue. This day, this year: hundreds of pigeons still around the same statue. Yet, the place…
City Hangout – Gate No. 1, Jama Masjid Metro Station
An accidental refuge. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The cold blast hits you as soon as you enter the foyer. The sweat on your skin instantly dissipates. It is like steppping inside the lobby of a 5-star hotel…
City Hangout – Sidewalk Cafés, Lado Sarai
New wave in the village. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Three coffee drinkers perched on street-side chairs, on the pave. Their arms are swaying up and down with the passions of an animated chatter. This could be a…
City Hangout – 9pm at Sunder Nursery, Central Delhi
Night revellers. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The smoggy sky is pitch black. Amid the trees, a procession is standing silently with flaming torches. No, these are lamps lining a pathway. This is Sunder Nursery at 9 pm….
Recent Comments