City Walk – Chelmsford Road, Central Delhi
Saddest road. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some places are too melancholic, and Chelmsford Road must be one the saddest in the entire Delhi region. Maybe because of its stark disparities. Elegant bungalows bordered by bougainvilleas; and under…
City Walk – Gali Nawab Mirza, Old Delhi
A secretive lane. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The door is half-open. Inside, bright daylight is descending chup-chaap from the steep staircase, fading into a cooling darkness on nearing the floor. A young man is standing mutely by…
City Walk – Gali Kebabiyan, Old Delhi
The lane of kebab makers. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] People step into this lane for nihari and biryani, for burra and korma—all to be had at the “world-famous” Karim’s restaurant. Those in the know wade deeper, to…
City Walk – Niti Marg, Central Delhi
Sunny day walk. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] It is limpid in some places, parched in others. It is not a stream. Rationalists will rightly dismiss it as a mere optical illusion. But the magic is palpable— an…
City Walk – Gali Chandi Wali, Old Delhi
Rue du silver. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] See the photo. That deg is filled with molten chandi, the silver. Anybody can come and get a bowl full of it for 30 rupees. If only. But then it…
City Walk – Ansari Road, Old Delhi
A road by the wall. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] They say as the plane descends on reaching Mumbai, a window-side flier gets to see a large number of rooftops in blue. And as you walk through Ansari…
City Walk – The Lane Along Red Fort, Old Delhi
The best stroll. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sailing into the Red Fort used to be so smooth. You would buy the ticket, queue up by the entrance and slip in. This was before the pandemic. Now that…
City Walk – Gali Syed Rafai, Old Delhi
This way to Gali Syed Rafai. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] All is quiet. All is empty. Except for a black-and-white billi nosing around. No human is crowding this narrow gali, though it is lined with many doorways….
City Walk – Galli Maulana Muhammed Saleem, Old Delhi
This way to Galli Saleem. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Is it a calle in Venice, or a rue in Paris, or a sokak in Istanbul? This Purani Dilli galli might be mistaken for a lane in the…
City Walk – World-Class Sidewalk, Aurobindo Marg
Footpath no. 1. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Come alone. You wouldn’t want a friend to see you gushing over a footpath. But then this redeveloped footpath is so tiptop. True, Gurgaon boasts a set of three new-age…
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