Exclusive pictures on Potter mania in the capital.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]On the day of its release, the final novel in the Harry Potter series created a little hysteria in the capital. Bookshops were decorated with Potter memorabilia. Even magazine stalls were sporting the novel. However Khan Market’s Fakir Chand bookstore stole the show by garlanding its copies of the Deathly Hallows with marigold flowers! Such muggle-world efforts did not go waste. First-day sales were brisk. Basant Lok’s Fact & Fiction sold more than 70 copies while Bookworm at Connaught Place was luckier with the 115 figure. The media-aided tamasha would disappear but here are exclusive pictures to testify Delhi’s Potter mania.Here He ComesHoly HeroHigh HopesMuggle WorldBottoms UpHe's

A resident American scholar sees India afresh through his wife’s eyes.[Text and picture by James Mutti; the author has a Master's degree in South Asian Studies. He hails from Seattle.]Today is June 18. Tomorrow my wife arrives in Delhi. In November, I received Government of India research approval to spend a year in India. In December we were married in Seattle. My wife is in school to be a naturopathic doctor and chose to stay in Seattle to take classes while I pursue my research in India. Our relationship has spanned nine years and we have often spent time apart. We have learned the value of being away from each other and of pursuing our different interests, even if it

Reflective getaway from the city’s chaos and confusion.[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]First I went to the Jewish graveyard, Delhi’s only Jewish graveyard. Then I walked out, strolled straight to the left, and turned left again. The air was humid and warm; it had rained in the morning. Flowers were being sold outside the brick-red wall of the city’s Christian cemetery. I ignored the florist and stepped inside where the traffic sound was subdued and Taj Man Singh Hotel was hidden behind the trees. I seemed to be the only one in the graveyard.The slippery pathway was mossy. The overgrown grass whispered with underworld life. The monsoon sun shined sharply in honeyed hues. I stepped over several grave-stones to

Here's why Delhi Chief Minister would rather walk than board a city bus.[Text by Mayank Austen Soofi; picture by Mukesh Aggarwal]Mrs. Sheila Dikshit is no Marie Antoinette. In the recent commuting crisis following a spate of fatal traffic accidents when many private bus operators pulled back their services for fear of challans, she never said, “Let Delhiwallas have Maybachs.” Instead, her words were, “…I would prefer to walk than board a Blueline bus.”This makes us think if our sophisticated Chief Minister has ever traveled in a DTC bus. Is she familiar with the nervous thrill of running after a Blueline? Has she ever screamed at the driver, busy racing with another bus, when he failed to stop at her stand?

The leafy Nelson Mandela Marg is being sacrificed to Shining India.[Text and picture by Pearl Toppo; she runs the blogsite Journey Called Life.]Memories of the PastMy favourite road in the city has to be the Nelson Mandela Road, the one connecting Vasant Vihar to Vasant Kunj, my neighborhood. Everyday while returning home, this long stretch of road used to help me unwind. Surrounded by forests on both the sides it made the experience almost out of this world. I remember driving on this road during rains with my college friends, pulling over and getting out of the car and getting completely drenched. Watching the setting sun or waving at the airplanes flying real low were experiences forever linked with that

Checking out a new multiplex in town.[By Meenakshi Chauhan; she owns the blog Love It or Leave it; picture by Satyam Cineplexes]Loyalty has no bounds! Since my boss’s son worked on the film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, panned in almost every newspaper review, I felt I had to see it. Another incentive was that it was directed by Shaad Ali who has made lovely films like Saathiya and Bunti Aur Bubli.So the other day we decided to invest two precious hours of our lives on it and went to Satyam, a new multiplex in town. Opened this June, it's a branch of the original Satyam which is in Patel Nagar.My two friends and I reached Nehru Place, which happenes to

A legendary showroom patronised by Maharajas and Prime Ministers.[Text and the picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]They sell such stuff as dreams are made on. Tulips and Hibiscus, bracelets and key-chains, liqueur tankers and cruet sets - all in 92.5 sterling silver. The modest exterior of the Cooke & Kelvey showroom at Connaught Place stands in sharp contrast to the boastfulness betrayed by the owners of its legendary clocks. Mr. T S Chatterjee, the showroom's manager for 30 years, remembers his appointment with Rajiv Gandhi. When asked for time, he checked his wrist watch and said, "quarter to nine, Cook & Kelvey time."Founded by Robert Thomas Cooke and Charles Kelvey in Calcutta a year after the first war of independence, the

How not to let the city's perverts snatch away your freedom to explore and have fun.[By Pearl Toppo; picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]No, I'm not paranoid. I just live in Delhi! Born and brought up here, I know the place like the back of my hand and like exploring new places in the city but let's confess - unknown faces make me nervous. It's not only my fear of being attacked by a pervert, but also because some places make me uncomfortable. Like the way the people look at me.Ok, there's nothing out of the ordinary about my look. I dress up appropriately too. So then why the stares?You see I'm a movie buff. Due to demanding work hours, I

[Weekly list, from June 25 to July 2, compiled by Khan Market's Bahri Bookshop; some of the comments might be in response to older lists; picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]Dalrymple falls, Hillary Clinton rises and Khaled Hosseini rules.NON-FICTION1. India After Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest DemocracyRamachandra Guha; Rs.695.002. India’s External Intelligence: Secrets of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)Maj Gen VK Singh; Rs. 4953. The SecretRhonda Byrne; Rs.495.004. A Woman In ChargeCarl Bernstein; Rs.895.005. The Clash Within – Democracy, Religious Violence and India’s FutureMartha C. Nussbaum; Rs.595.006. Confessions of a Swadeshi Reformer – My Years as Finance MinisterYashwant Sinha; Rs.450.007. Military Inc. – Inside Pakistan’s Military EconomyAyesha Siddiqa; £ 19.998. Indian Summer : The Secret History of the End

Dining in the thin air.[Text by Mayank Austen Soofi; picture by Ville Miettinen]If a revolving salon is judged by its views and height, then Parikrama (rotation for Hindi), 240 feet above Connaught Place in Antriskh Bhawan, scores an A grade.Opened in 1991, it is Delhi's oldest and India's tallest revolving restaurant. "We carry the idea of rooftop dining a step ahead by presenting not one but all sides of the city," said GM Rajneesh Khanna.So let's dine and do Dilli Darshan. Ignore the dumpy interior. Sip Fruit Punch (Rs 70) while gazing at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Feel uninhibited if the Jama Masjid dome inspires you for mutton Salakhi Kebab (Rs 260). Even non-vegetarians must try the crisp yet soft Paneer Tikka