City Moment - The Dance of a Woman, Appetite German Bakery

City Moment – The Dance of a Woman, Appetite German Bakery

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One afternoon The Delhi Walla spots a foreign woman sitting in a Central Delhi café. She is dressed in a long gown, blue ear danglers and a bucket hat. Her…

City Moment - A Rickshaw Puller's Business Negotiations, Central Delhi

City Moment – A Rickshaw Puller’s Business Negotiations, Central Delhi

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] If rickshaws could talk, they would sometimes protest. And certainly this poor vehicle has every right to complain. Laden as it is with huge bundles, one on top of the…

City Moment - The Drawing Room Darvesh, Central Delhi

City Moment – The Drawing Room Darvesh, Central Delhi

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Academic Ronie Parciack may be the only person in Delhi who has found something positive to say about our city’s loathsome pollution. “Smog blurs the surroundings which makes for good…

City Moment - Candle Light Dinner in the Time of Pollution, South Delhi

City Moment – Candle Light Dinner in the Time of Pollution, South Delhi

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was late evening. A candle was flickering. Three men were sitting around the table with untouched glasses of white wine. A Bollywood song was playing on a laptop with…

City Moment - He & She & Their Short Illustrated Story, Khan Market's Café Turtle

City Moment – He & She & Their Short Illustrated Story, Khan Market’s Café Turtle

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] He was sitting opposite her across a table. She was with iced cappuccino. He was with yogurt and muesli parfait. One afternoon The Delhi Walla was at Café Turtle in…

City Moment – An Evening in the Life of Authors  Padma Lakshmi and Sheela Reddy, Bahrisons Booksellers, Khan Market

City Moment – An Evening in the Life of Authors Padma Lakshmi and Sheela Reddy, Bahrisons Booksellers, Khan Market

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The evening is opening up like a play and is best divided into six acts. Act 1 Bahrisons Booksellers, Khan market, is looking a little different today. A table and…

City Moment - The Homeless Person Sleeping Through Sufi Songs, Hazrat Sarmad Shahid's Dargah

City Moment – The Homeless Person Sleeping Through Sufi Songs, Hazrat Sarmad Shahid’s Dargah

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This is a concert without an audience. One night The Delhi Walla is at the Sufi shrine of Hazrat Sarmad Shahid… sorry, a factual error.This is actually a shrine to…

City Moment – Music, Food, Friends, Mobile Phone at Author Sadia Dehlvi's Drawing Room, H. Nizamuddin East

City Moment – Music, Food, Friends, Mobile Phone at Author Sadia Dehlvi’s Drawing Room, H. Nizamuddin East

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was the late afternoon of the last day of the last year. The drawing room was filled with guests–many of these elegant people had their eyes closed, their feet…

City Moment - Seeing Proust's Soul in a Solitary Seagull, Cabourg, France

City Moment – Seeing Proust’s Soul in a Solitary Seagull, Cabourg, France

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The seagull is quietly watching the waves. One evening The Delhi Walla is on Promenade Marcel Proust in Cabourg, the coastal town immortalised by Proust as Balbec in his novel…

City Moment - The Overworked Music Men of the Yellow Line, Rajiv Chowk Metro Station

City Moment – The Overworked Music Men of the Yellow Line, Rajiv Chowk Metro Station

The memorable instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They were apparitions in golden dhotis and pink jackets. One late night The Delhi Walla saw members of the Kirti music band. They were sitting inside a Metro rail coach….