The beautiful Delhi instant.

[Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi]

One cold midnight The Delhi Walla entered the dargah of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. The courtyard was empty. The dome was lit up with strings of tiny electric bulbs. A few people were sitting around the tomb-chamber. An elderly fakir, wrapped in a blanket, was sleeping. One man was reading the Quran. Another pilgrim was standing against the tomb-chamber’s locked door, and praying. I gently pulled aside the gorgeously colored curtain to have a glimpse of the tombstone inside — here was Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, alone and without the customary flowers. The grave looked humane and vulnerable – like the resting place of a true friend.

It was a beautiful moment.

A companion for life

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