City Hangout – Dilli Gate Nukkar, Old Delhi
In the big city, a small town. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Khurja, Kalpi, Najibabad, Sandeela… these are the small towns where expresses never stop. The train hisses by the platform in great speed and arrogance. Sympathetic window-side…
City Hangout – Cyber Hub, Gurgaon
Ten years of the Hub. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some shoppers are strolling down the promenade with a more easy-going stride than others. Some of those others are looking a tad dazed by the scale of things….
City Hangout – Secret Passageways, Connaught Place
Less seen spots. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Ducked in light and shade, some parts are refreshingly cool, some parts are on slow-roast. This arched passageway is breathtaking, evocative of the legendary arched bridge of Isfahan. Yet the…
City Faith – Ramzan Treats, Old Delhi and Around Town
Season’s evenings. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Jama Masjid is lit for night. The facing street is jazzed up with lamps, buntings and selfie clickers. Salam Namaste to this evening in Ramzan, the Muslim month of quiet…
City Hangout – Shri Shakti Raj Park, Lajpat Nagar
The Lajpat nobody knows. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Begin, Muse, this poem to commerce. Sing it aloud, the way Homer chanted the names of ships and warriors of the Achaean army: Keshika Creations, Lucy Beauty Parlour, Apna…
City Landmark – Central News Agency, Connaught Place
Passing of an era. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There would be many, many (print) dailies, in many languages and editions, trooping in daily from across India and abroad. Where have they gone? The shelves and racks are…
City Hangout – Exercise Trail, Deer Park
The language of health. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s not rocket science. Try deciphering the directives painted on the board: • Stand erect • Feet together • Jump stride • Bringing arms to shoulder level Follow these,…
City Hangout – Extinct & Existing Bookstores, Urdu Bazar
The Lajpat nobody knows. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Urdu Bazar is a terrifyingly congested block of human cacophony and traffic tumult. Tolerated only because it hosts a picturesque part of the Walled City (Jama Masjid gate no….
City Hangout – February Light, Around Town
Bergman’s light. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Before finalising the locale for the movie Winter Light, in 1961, filmmaker Ingram Bergman journeyed through a series of churches in north Sweden, sitting for hours on the pews of each…
City Hangout – Madras Coffee House, Connaught Place
A lounge to be with yourself. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The chandelier is burning faintly. Its slight light is shining up an elderly man’s bald pate. Elsewhere, a woman is sitting alone, wiping her eyes occasionally with…
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