Mission Delhi – Sumanta Roy, Khan Market Mission Delhi by The Delhi Walla - February 5, 2010March 12, 201615 One of the one per cent in 13 million. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] “Where’s the doorman?” Outside the entrance of Sidewok, a dimly lit Chinese eatery in Delhi’s upscale Khan Market, Sumanta Roy refuses to go in till the guard appears and opens the door for him. A man of style, he is a brand-sensitive consumer of classy dressing and fine taste who expects good service when paying for it. Dressed in Ed Hardy sweatshirt, blue-sequined Zara top and royal-blue jeans, this 29-year-old IT professional walks up the stairs carrying a snake-leather Coach bag and a Louis Vuitton wallet. His left arm bears a Chinese language tattoo and his right hand shows a Guess gold watch studded with Swarovski crystals.
City Secret – Hardayal Municipal Public Library, Daryaganj Library by The Delhi Walla - February 1, 2010November 1, 20100 The newspaper readers' club [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] In these iPad times of 24X7 news channels and streaming video sites, when the death of the newspaper is considered a certainty, a small bookless library in Daryaganj is doing well with its reading room full of those supposedly dying entities. “We have 19 dailies in Hindi, English and Urdu,” says Mohammad Alam, the attendant at Hardayal Municipal Public Library. Situated on the perennially clogged Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Marg, close to Golcha theater, about a hundred readers come here daily. “We also subscribe to 25 magazines, but most people prefer newspapers,” says Mr Alam. The bare library has no sofa, lounger or air-conditioner. This is just a large airy room with one