Portrait of a citizen.

[Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi]

The lovely lanes lie deserted. The proud dwellers of Delhi’s upscale Hazrat Nizamuddin East don’t loiter much about their neighbourhood’s leafy outdoors. Quite a few residents, however, prefer morning walks in adjacent Humayun’s Tomb and Sunder Nursery garden. That said, some do routinely colonise the colony lanes. Such as poetry scholar Sharif Husain Qasemi, often seen walking to the neighbourhood’s sleepy market to get cigarettes; author Nilanjana Roy, once seen motionlessly gazing up at a tree near gate no. 6, as if waiting for a fruit or flower to fall; actor Nasir Abdullah, usually seen riding his bicycle fitted with a wicker basket on the handle bar; and wellness advisor Emily McBurnie, always seen in white. This lady is sighted quietly strolling along the quiet lanes—even in peak summer. This afternoon, in her “Niz East” terrace, shared with cats Susu and Stalky, she graciously agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences.

Your idea of happiness.
Sunday walk through Humayan’s Tomb to Farmers’ Market at Sunder Nursery.

Where would you like to live?
Delhi full-time. I divide my time in three continents. I grew up in Australia.

A childhood memory very special to you.
Visiting my nani, Marion, in outback Australia—Wangaratta town in Victoria. Her sitting on her porch surrounded by her garden of massive purple hydrangea bushes, waiting all day for us, her grandchildren, to arrive. A big smile and a laugh as we reach out to hug her. She was such an interesting character. When the cinema opened in the town, it had the same phone number as hers. Instead of complaining, nani took pleasure in cutting out the weekly screenings from the local newspaper, Wangaratta Chronicle, and pasting them to the wall in front of her phone. She would happily share with townspeople what time Gone With The Wind was on that day. She was an Aussie battler and I adored her.

Your favourite prose authors.
Arundhati Roy, Jane Austen.

Your favourite names.
My sister’s name Lara, from Dr Zhivago.

The military event you admire the most.
Anzac Day ceremony in Turkey.

How do you wish to die?
Surrounded by my Persian cats.