City Obituary – Raghu Rai, Mehrauli Life by The Delhi Walla - April 27, 20260 Passing of an iconic photographer. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] The first instinct, when one came face-to-face with this lean, long-limbed artist, was to meet his gaze. Because Raghu Rai’s eyes carried entire histories within them. For decades, they had recorded the turbulence of our restless India: the Bangladesh War, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the violence that followed, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Operation Blue Star. Yet that gaze would linger just as sensitively on more serene versions of India where, he would suggest, nothing really changes. Some of his most enduring work outside breaking news came in extended photo essays for India Today magazine in the 1980s--including the heart-touching feature on a sarus crane living with a human
City Food – Snack Names, Around Town Food by The Delhi Walla - April 24, 20260 Tasty etymology. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Over the years, we have been digging out why some curiously named streets in Delhi are named the way they are. This time, let’s try to probe the stories behind the names of some of the curiously named snacks sold along those streets. Ram Laddu No one knows how these deep-fried, savoury spheres of moong dal came to be called Ram Laddu. Perhaps, like many nameless things, they were simply placed under the generous umbrella of Bhagwan Ram’s divinity; the refuge into his sacred name being a universal inheritance. After all, even if nobody knows anything about a particular thing, Bhagwan Ram still does—Ram jaane! Or perhaps the name stuck for reasons now lost to
City Poetry – Tikuli Dogra’s Poem, Lodhi Garden General by The Delhi Walla - April 24, 20260 Poetry in the city [By Mayank Austen Soofi] The moon feels older than time. Yet once, there was no moon—only the collision that made it. Lodhi Garden might not appear as timeless as its crescent moon (see the park’s night photo), but it does look very, very old, owing to its centuries-old monuments and its huge unwieldy trees with wrinkled trunks. The park, actually, is young, landscaped by colonial-era hands. This year, it turns ninety. Last week, this space traced the garden through the lives of a few Delhiwallas. This week, poet-artist Tikuli Dogra (insta handle @tikulli), who lives in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, offers her poem drawn from the park paths. Lodhi Lines The fringes of the day lingered on the ramparts of Lodhi’s
From The Delhi Walla Archives – A Selection of Prints, “Somewhere in Delhi”, Fifth Batch General by The Delhi Walla - April 22, 20260 Tangible souvenirs [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Hello friends! I’ve come out with the fifth batch of “Somewhere in Delhi” prints! The selection is curated and designed by Venetian designer Anna Gerotto, and professionally printed on high quality Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 paper. Each print is signed and numbered by its writer-snapper--me! These tangible souvenirs are intended to carry a spirit of the work I have been doing non-stop day and night in the lanes of Delhi—since 2007! Four new options! Write to me for details at mayankaustensoofiarchive@gmail.com. Somewhere in Delhi 1. "Timeworn wall" 2. "Abandoned happiness" 3. "Sam and me" 4. "Writer's diary"
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Shaan, Near Dilli Gate Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - April 22, 20260 Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Eyeglasses cover a good part of his shirt. He is also holding very many of them in his right hand. Citizen Shaan is a street hawker of eyeglasses. This afternoon, while on the job, he graciously agrees to join our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences. What is your present state of mind? I’m thinking about how to leave Delhi for good. Where would you like to live? I’m 48, too old to keep walking the streets all day. I want to return to my village in Saharsa, Bihar. Delhi is no longer a good place to live. Too much noise, pollution,
City Monument – Zafar Khan’s Tomb, South Delhi Monuments by The Delhi Walla - April 21, 2026April 21, 20260 A snack vendor’s migrations. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Sometimes the accompaniment outshines the main course. Such is the case with the tomb of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. The emperor’s tomb is interesting, but the secondary structure appended to his majesty’s monument is more interesting. That said, the red sandstone tomb built 700 years ago on the southern edge of present-day South Delhi is imposing. It radiates power and awe, qualities typical of tombs belonging to Dilli’s long-gone sultans. This one, after all, was built for a dynasty’s founder. The tomb is so world-famous that it shows up even in the comic book Tintin in Tibet! To tell the truth, Ghiyasuddin’s tomb appears more enigmatic when viewed from the hilltop ramparts of neighbouring Tughlaqabad
City Food – Mehdi Hasan’s Bel Sherbet, Minto Road Food by The Delhi Walla - April 20, 20260 A snack vendor’s migrations. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Seasons shift, and with them come migrations. This cycle is a constant in Mehdi Hasan’s life. Until a few months ago, he was hawking roasted peanuts in a city market—that is his winter trade. During the post-monsoon months, he sells roasted bhuttas. Now the city has entered what many consider its most hostile phase: summer. And Mehdi Hasan has again migrated back into selling cool, sweet, refreshing bel sherbet. “That’s what I do every summer,” he says, his face breaking into a kind, easy smile, as if untouched by the heat, the dust, the chaotic traffic, and the noise of an April afternoon roadside. The soft-spoken gentleman launched the summertime sherbet ten
Delhi’s Proust Questionnaire – Ranveer Singh Gusain, Indian Coffee House Delhi Proustians by The Delhi Walla - April 19, 20261 Portrait of a citizen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Perched atop the second floor of Mohan Singh Place in Central Delhi, the Indian Coffee House is a soft ode to an earlier time. It belongs to an era of affordable snacking out that existed long before the age of take-away sandwiches, self-service counters, and stewards in T-shirts and baseball caps. Prices continue to remain modest here, and the ambience is steeped in a blend of informality and restraint. Head bearer Ranveer Singh Gusain is the coffee house’s senior-most server. This afternoon, he graciously agrees to join our Proust Questionnaire series, where citizens are invited to make “Parisian parlour confessions” and reflect on the experiences that shape them. Faults for which you
City Food – Fen, Around Town Food by The Delhi Walla - April 19, 2026April 19, 20260 Fans of fen. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] Flaky, light, and crisp, fen is a kind of—shall we say—biskut? In truth, it is closer to a puff pastry, made up of many fragile layers, each ready to collapse under even the slightest pressure of the finger. Fen may be brittle, but it is among Delhi’s most democratic bakery offerings. It is affordable to many. A classic companion to morning tea, it now sells for about ten rupees for two. Not long ago, it was five. At the turn of the century, it could be had for a single rupee. The snack is traditionally the stuff of mornings. At dawn, fens begin to arrive at the city’s roadside tea stalls, delivered daily by distributors
City Walk – Gali Nal Wali, Old Delhi Walks by The Delhi Walla - April 19, 2026April 19, 20260 The Walled City encyclopaedia. [Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi] There must be a tap somewhere. The cramped lane is, after all, called Gali Nal Wali. Yet no nal, or tap, shows up in this dark street in Old Delhi. At the entrance, two guesthouses flank the alley. One bears a large painting that briefly transports you to some town in Luxembourg or Netherlands—trams, elegant façades, buildings in a European style. The lane is wide at first, then narrows. It grows darker as the lane further constricts, the buildings on both sides blocking out the sky. As in many Old Delhi lanes, the gali is lined with arched doorways and slanting staircases—until you reach a building unlike the rest. The interior here is