The unhappy land. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The sun is setting behind Hari Parbat. The ancient temple at the top of Shankaracharya Hill has disappeared from view. The boats on the Dal lake are reduced to their…
The unhappy land. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The graves are covered with grass, irises and roses. The Martyr’s Graveyard in Old Srinagar is crowded with men who, it is said, died in the struggle for an independent…
A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 18th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…
One of the one percent in 13 million. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The cat is observing him. Syed Ameen Meer Dehlvi is helping his wife make tea. The Delhi Walla is standing outside their kitchen. The second-floor…
Portraits of Delhiwallas. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Photographing a person’s face is like stealing his or her life – a moment of it. Walking through the city, The Delhi Walla makes face portraits daily. These are long…
Heat relief. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi food is laden with butter gravies and tandoori meats offering no respite to the digestion. Relief is to be found in cut vegetables, served raw with a sprinkle of masala…
A la recherche du temps perdu. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Today is the 17th meeting of The Delhi Proustians, a club for Delhiwallas that discusses French novelist Marcel Proust. Every Monday evening for an hour we read…
Celebrating a woman Sufi. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Urs, or the death anniversary celebrations, of Bibi Zulekha, the mother of Delhi’s 14th century Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, will be celebrated on April 22 and 23,…
A vanishing world. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One late evening The Delhi Walla knocked at the door of Aatish Taseer, a novelist. In his 30s, Mr Taseer lives in an apartment in Rajesh Pilot Lane, a quiet…
The beautiful Delhi instant. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One afternoon The Delhi Walla entered Barakhamba Park, a public garden in Nizamuddin West that is an unofficial home to the homeless. Nisha Begum, a park resident, was standing…
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