City Monument – CP’s White Columns Part 3, Connaught Place

by The Delhi Walla - 0

On a colonial-era legacy. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sure, this is easier than counting the stars. But still, it is something—to manually count the columns of Delhi’s iconic Connaught Place (CP). The white colonial-era columns constitute CP’s signature persona. They support the ceilings of its many colonnades. Identical in shape and height, the stately columns line the market arcades of the Inner and Outer Circles, as well as the corridors that link the two circles. Last to last week, the first part of this series conducted a count of the Outer Circle columns. Last week was the turn of Inner Circle columns. This week, the concluding agenda is to count the columns of CP’s intervening corridors that link the Inner and

City Faith – Sheetala Maa Temple, Chirag Dehli

by The Delhi Walla - 0

A neighbourhood shrine. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] A veggie seller is dragging his cart along the lane. He stops on reaching a tiraha trisection, turns towards a corner temple, reverently joining his palm into a posture of prayer—see photo. The historic Chirag Dehli village is well-known for its centuries-old Sufi dargah of Hazrat Chirag Nasiruddin Roshan Dehlavi—the saint gives his name to the village. But the south Delhi neighbourhood harbours also other points of pilgrimage. Just outside the village’s gateway rises the tall spire of Shiv Mandir. A short distance within the gateway is the aforementioned temple of “Maa Sheetala.” This is the shrine of a goddess who is said to ward off small pox, as well as other

City Hangout – Dancing Girl, National Museum

by The Delhi Walla - 0

An enigmatic citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Most tourists to Paris strive to see the Eiffel, and the Mona Lisa. The tower is grand; and the painting, a museum exhibit, is profoundly enigmatic. Most tourists to Delhi strive to see the Qutub. This tower too is grand. On the other hand, a particularly striking museum exhibit in the city fails to command the Mona Lisa’s wild popularity, though it is as enigmatic. Nevertheless, the Dancing Girl is one of the most celebrated souvenirs in the National Museum’s massive collection, representing various epochs of the Indian past. Last week, a university professor was briefly arrested for allegedly stealing the Dancing Girl’s replica from the museum. Sculptured in bronze 4,000 years ago, the Dancing

City Food – Aakash’s “Bainga”, Around Town

by The Delhi Walla - 0

A street snack vendor with an usual vending apparatus. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The day is still searing hot, but there are signs of winter knocking at the door. The evening darkness is descending upon the city much earlier than it were wont to do. A more substantial sign of the shift in season is perceptible in the return of a young vendor of gajak. Said to inoculate instant warmth into the body, the crisp gajak annually arrives in the capital with the onset of cold weather. Made of jaggery and sesame, it is so addictive that you might keep nibbling at it until the appetite is ready to burst. As for vendor Aakash, he says he himself makes these

City Walk – Paper Market, Old Delhi

by The Delhi Walla - 0

The Walled City dictionary. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Streets here are littered with the usual civic litter, but also with paper shavings. We know the source of the latter—the cramped shops packed with bundles of paper sheets. This is Old Delhi’s Paper Market. Yet, you cannot locate the name on the Walled City map. The place exists, and the place doesn’t exist. Paper Market is a generic name encompassing a number of lanes and alleys of Chawri Bazar, mostly centered around Barshahbulla Chowk. But there is no chosen street, or a collection of streets, that is formally labelled as the Paper Market. The fact is asserted by shopkeeper Ranveer Singh. The paper merchant explains he essentially trades in papers that are

City Poetry – Tiash’s Five Poems, Gurugram

by The Delhi Walla - 0

From the world of poetry. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Some people desire the life of a writer. That’s not an easy existence. The photos of rich best-selling novelists that flood our social media feeds might mislead. Most writers aren’t rich, and their books never sell many copies. Those in the know tend to suggest that the best way forward is to be backed by an emotional and financial anchor before committing oneself wholeheartedly into a career of writing. Take Tiash. After years of hardships and struggle, she feels she has arrived at such a place. Her son in 12th grade shall soon find his place in the world—she says—while her husband, vice-president in a big company, is greatly supportive

City Monument – CP’s White Columns Part 2, Connaught Place

by The Delhi Walla - 0

On a colonial-era legacy. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Here’s a thing to mull upon. If all the columns of Delhi’s Connaught Place (CP) are pulled out from their foundation, and installed one upon another, could they then reach the altitude of Mount Everest? The stately white colonial-era columns constitute CP’s signature sight. They support the ceilings of its colonnades, rooting them to the good earth. Identical in their circular shape and height, the columns line the market arcades of the Inner and Outer Circles, as well as the corridors that link the circles. Last week, the first part of this series conducted a survey of the Outer Circle columns. Today’s the turn of the Inner Circle columns. The following observations culled

City Hangout – Café Turtle & Ruby’s Café, Hazrat Nizamuddin East

by The Delhi Walla - 0

Both alike in dignity. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Two cafés both alike in dignity, in fair “Niz East” where we lay our scene. Today’s tale is set in tony Hazrat Nizamuddin East. The central Delhi address is filled with bungalows, apartments, parks, and trees. It is also full of celebrity residents—salam Mira Nair, namaste Vikram Seth. Even so, the place is very sleepy. Nothing much is seen outside the grand residences, except for the well-fed community dogs. Finally, the “colony” got some action. Some time ago, a café opened in Niz East. The development doubles the number of cafés in the locality to… two! Inevitably, the fashionable locals, super-argumentative in dissecting highbrow literature, have lately been exchanging notes on the comparative

City Food – Cup-Glass Chai, Old Delhi

by The Delhi Walla - 1

A queer tea ritual. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Old Delhi is changing furiously. Kebab kiosks are being replaced by pizza parlours. Groceries are displaying varieties of pasta. Mayonnaise sauce has become as much a home thing as pudina chutney. So essential to keep a track of these modernising alterations. They assert that the historic Walled City is not some predictable mango pickle preserved in vintage oil, but is throbbing with contemporary energy, and is very much a part of our transformative present. This said, a peculiar tea tradition in the old quarter has continued to remain alive. The Delhi Walla had recorded the aspect eight years ago, fearing that it might soon end. Last Sunday, a tour of the Walled

City Home – Anita Desai’s Residence, Gulmohar Park

by The Delhi Walla - 0

Writer and the city. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Gulmohar Park was until recently known to have the bungalow of film star Amitabh Bachchan. Years earlier, the same south Delhi neighbourhood was home to another illustrious figure. Author Anita Desai lived in a bungalow just across the road from Gulmohar Park Club. In fact, Anita Desai wrote the novel Clear Light of Day in Gulmohar Park—this being artist Vinita Chawla’s recollection. She says Anita Desai was her parents’ tenant. The white-haired Vinita conjectures that her parents must have rented out their Gulmohar Park bungalow to Anita Desai’s husband, Ashvin, a business executive. The couple lived there perhaps during the mid-1970s, Vinita says, as she tries to remember those long-ago days

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