The Delhi Walla has moved to thedelhiwalla.com

The Delhi Walla Moves to His Own Website!!!!!

2010-05-25T09:51:00.003+05:30

Go to thedelhiwalla.com!!!!!!!!!

Your Gateway to Alternative Delhi

2010-05-23T17:20:00.004+05:30

The Delhi Walla is my Arundhati Roy - Surbhi Jain, a book-lover from Faridabad, near Delhi
Contact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.

Campus Notepad - Reading Chomsky in Gulistan-e-Gandhi
Jamia Millia University is home to eclectic figures; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Food - Fenn, Matia Mahal
Delhi's most democratic bread; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Gurdwara Seesganj, Chandni Chowk
Holy and serene; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Salim Javeri, Nizamuddin Basti
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Notice – An American Reader Partially Funds The Delhi Walla
Peter Saal gifts a Flickr subscription; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Food – Ram Laddoo, Around Town
Simple and honest; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Season – Amaltas Tree, Hauz Khas Village
The summer’s gift; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Sunita Pandit, Palika Bazaar Park
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Food - Samosa, Delite Cinema & Scindia Lane
Delhi’s biggest and smallest samosas; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Monument - Mughal Masjid, Mehrauli
Delhi’s most beautiful mosque; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Love, Friendship, Sex
What Delhiwallas want; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Kareem Khan, Nehru Place
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Food – Lassi, Chandni Chowk
The cool yoghurt drink; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Kitchen – Julia Child in GB Road
The great chef's life in Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Locality – Middle Lane, Connaught Place
Nobody loves it; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Ram Swaroop Sharma, India Gate Maidan
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Food - Number Walli Kulfi, Old Delhi
The sweet game; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Faces of Delhi
Your people, my people; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Rajiv Gandhi Setu, Ring Road
An urban refuge; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Surinder, Pataudi House
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Environment – Yamuna River, Jamuna Bazaar
Delhi's holy maa; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Tughlakabad Fort, Near Badarpur
The solitary savageness; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Neighbourhood – Kashmere Gate, North Delhi
In search of lost time; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Interview – Fatima Bhutto, Pakistani Author
The new Daughter of the East; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Festival - Urs, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
Celebrating the saint's death; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi - Muhammad Waseem, Near Barakhamba
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Red Fort, Old Delhi
The necessary ruin; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Pakistan Diary - Travels in My Country
The Delhi Walla in the fatherland; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi - Rachana Rao Umashankar, Shahpur Jat
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Hijron ka Khanqah, Mehrauli
A getaway for the eunuchs; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – The Heartbeat of Delhi
Connaught Place after 8 pm; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Aarti, GB Road
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, Safdarjung Road
Inside the Lutyens' bungalow; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Season – Leaf-dropping in Delhi
The Capital’s fall; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Notice - Jashn e Khusrau, Sufi Festival
From March 4th to 14th; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Sarah Rose, Cathedral Church of the Redemption
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – The Curious Case of Kaloo
The darling of Jor Bagh; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Music - The Real Sufi Stars
The qawwals of Hazrat Nizamuddin; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Nicholson Cemetery, Kashmere Gate
The other world; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Syed Haider Raza, Hauz Khas Enclave
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

The Independent View - On Mission Delhi
Praise for the project; by Andrew Buncombe

Photo Essay - Sense of the Place
In love with clichés; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi - Muhammad Aslam, Nizamuddin Basti
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Season – Palika Bazaar Park, Connaught Place
Short and beautiful; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Sujan Singh Park Diary – My Life with Khushwant Singh
On Delhi’s legendary writer; by Sadia Dehlvi

City Secret - Jain Svetambar Temple, Kinari Bazaar
The luxury of the ascetics; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Deen Dayal, Safdarjung Enclave
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Kamla Market, Central Delhi
Asia’s big air-cooler bazaar; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline Stockholm – The Delhi Walla Enters the Nobel Prize Club
The blogger’s photography gets recognition; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Sumanta Roy, Khan Market
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Hauz Khas Ruins, South Delhi
Verses in stone; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Hardayal Municipal Public Library, Daryaganj
The newspaper readers' club; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Rakesh Chandra, Connaught Place
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Khan-i-Khana's Tomb, Nizamuddin East
Scarred with beauty; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Report – The Delhi Walla in Jaipur
Notes from the fifth Jaipur Literature Festival; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Basant Celebrations, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
Colour me yellow; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi - Changa Kumar, Hauz Khas Village
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Birla Temple, Mandir Marg
The land of Vishnu; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Kitchen – Julia Child in Jorbagh
The great chef's life in Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Raja Bookstore, Paharganj
Almost like Paris; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi - Aanchal Malhotra, Jama Masjid
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Razia Sultana's Tomb, Pahari Bhojla
India's first woman ruler is sleeping here; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Commute – Business Class for Delhi Metro?
The mass in the mass rapid transit system; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Pooja, Paharganj
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Begumpuri Masjid, Sarvapriya Vihar
Simple and grand; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Neighbourhood - Pratap Street, Daryaganj
The alley’s private life; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay 2010 – In Search of Lost Time
On the New Year's eve; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Mushirul Hasan, JNU Campus
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Season’s Greetings, Bhikaji Cama Place
Lest we forget; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Cinemas - SRS, JAM, BIG, MMX, G3S
The PVRisation of film halls; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Faith - Muharram & Christmas
Mourning and celebrating; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi - Satnam Singh Juneja, Pratap Street
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Agrasen ki Baoli, Connaught Place
The well of solitude; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Faith – Ramayan Paath, Sahibabad
Finding peace in the Hindu epic; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Shankar, Matia Mahal
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Living - Too Many Delhis
It's too varied; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Traffic Jam, Kasturba Gandhi Marg
The carefree hours; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi - Berenice Ellena, Jangpura
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Confessions - What I Really Did
Schmap Madrid Guide has liked The Delhi Walla; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline GB Road – Sex Workers Want License
Delhi’s red light district is hopeful; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Gole Park, Windsor Place
An urban Shanghri-la; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – Muhammad Salim, Mathura Road
One of the one per cent in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mission Delhi – One Per Cent in 13 Million
Cracking the city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Chanakya Cinema, Central Delhi
The landmark has vanished; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Sighting - Arundhati Roy, Jamia Millia Islamia
She was mobbed by admirers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Mirza Ghalib's Tomb, Nizamuddin Basti
Restoring the dignity of Delhi's greatest poet; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Celebrating Arundhati Roy
On the Delhi-based author's 48th birthday; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Plunder – Jantar Mantar, 19/11
Delhi’s historic solar observatory attacked; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Delhi Kishanganj Railway Station
An urban haven; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Experience – Dawn @ Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
A must-see sight before you die; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Are you an Upper Class Delhi Walla?
We all have dreams; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – Abdul Rehman, Old Delhi Romeo
Love in the Walled City; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Women Are Not Allowed Inside Nizamuddin Dargah
They say it's the tradition; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Sighting – Khushwant Singh, Hotel Le Meridian
Delhi's dirty old man; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Hindon Railway Bridge, Ghaziabad
A must-see for trainspotters; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Living – Hauz Khas Village, South Delhi
A new morning at a new address; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Sighting - Ved Mehta, Meharchand Market
The American memoirist was seen with wife; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Feature – Foreign Babe in Shahjahanabad
On her own in Old Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Aleksandr Pushkin, Mandi House
The Russian abroad; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Fatehpuri Masjid, Walled City
Its simplicity is magical; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City History - Sunday Book Bazaar, Daryaganj
The origins of the market; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Chhat Pooja, India Gate
Delhi’s several colours; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Feature – Why is Old Delhi So Dirty?
The existential question; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Will in the World
Chasing Delhi’s most popular historian; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Neighbourhood - GB Road, Delhi-6
The Capital's red light district; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Nature Notepad – Searching for the Delhi October
Winters must be coming; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Feature – William Dalrymple, The White Mughal
Delhi’s most famous expat author; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Resident – Santosh Puri, Central News Agency
Her kingdom, her stories; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Commandments – For a World Class Delhi
A Singaporean’s hard talk with Delhiwallas; by Phebe Bay

Obituary - Connaught Place, Central Delhi
The British-built district's distinctness has disappeared; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Resident - Editor, Nizamuddin East
India's most written about dog; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – Vijay Chauhan, The Dishwasher
Tracing Mahatma Gandhi’s complex legacy; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Guide - The Eighth City of Delhi
The Sufi underworld; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary – The Last Word
Looking at Delhi with new eyes; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary – The Farewell Symphony
The last day in the Spanish Capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary – The Iberian Sky
Poetry in the heavens; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary – The Beautiful People
Portraits from Spain; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary – Metro Melodies
Time out in the Alonso Martinez stop; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary – Their Monuments, Our Monuments
Time out in San Lorenzo De El Escorial; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary - Second Day, Second Show
Time out in the Spanish Capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Madrid Diary - First Day, First Show
Time out in the Spanish Capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Hotel Taj Mahal, Church Mission Road
A well-kept secret; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Letter from the Reader – On Publishing Slanderous Comments
The dilemma of free speech on the internet; by Jess Sikand

City Life – Delhi’s Beautiful People
Loving the 'filthy' Yamuna; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Connaught Place in Mid-Life Makeover
Capturing the re-rise of a Delhi landmark; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Personal Life – Fast, Pray, Love
Going foodless in Ramzan; by Sadia Dehlvi

Campus Life - The iGen, Delhi University
The new blood; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Bagh-e-Bedil, Opposite Pragiti Maidan
In the dead poet’s society; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Neighbourhood – BP Road, near Ajmeri Gate
The XXX fantasies; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Neighbourhood – Karol Bagh, West-Central Delhi
It has energy, warmth and sinful street food; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Delhi@Night
It's dangerous, but beautiful; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – A Love Story
A thumri singer on the love of her life; by Vidya Rao

City Life – The Joys of Childhood
Two in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital News - Jane Austen is Coming to South Delhi
Bollywood is adapting Emma in this city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Husseini Hotel, Nizamuddin Basti
A poor man’s eatery, since the '40s; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Plus – The Second-hand Bookstores of Paharganj
Finding thrill in unexpected places; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Walk - Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi
A trip into the heart of the Walled City; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – DDA Park, Opposite Purana Qila
A mystery best left unsolved; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Guests - Three Pakistanis in a Gurgaon Mall
A slice of their Delhi afternoon; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Is Delhi Rude?
Exposing the truth; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Interview - Ali Sethi, Pakistani Novelist
On writing and related concerns; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Travel – Encounter at the Black Mosque
The passage to Nizamuddin Basti; by Marina Bang

Viewpoint – Why Scorn Delhi’s Expat Community?
A South Delhi expat makes a point; by Anonymous

Photo Essay – The Cost of Living
Poor people and the price of water; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Citizen Profile - Mr Jones, Greater Kailash-I
He needs a mate; by Vasantha Angamuthu

City Landmark – NYC Unisex Salon, Hauz Khas Market
Delhi’s first LGBT friendly salon; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Diary – The Power of Faith
Beauty as seen in a sufi shrine; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Kuldeep Booksellers, Daryaganj
A must-visit for book lovers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital News – The Delhi Walla Gets Jane Austen-ised
An honour too good to be true; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Season - The Rain, 23/7
One afternoon in Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Education – Delhi’s Little Red Book
Quotations from The Delhi Walla; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Once Delhi, Now Delhi
The city down the decades; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Personals – Matchmaking in Delhi
They all are well-known people; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Notepad - Udaipur, "The World's Best City for Travellers"
Weekend getaway in Rajasthan; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Khan Market Metro Stop
The Metro would change Delhi's face after a few more years - and accidents; by Mayank Austen Soofi

The Delhi Walla Interview – Ms Rakhshanda Jalil on her New Avatar
She has become a fiction writer; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – Auto-cracy in Delhi
The ride of your life; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Virus – The Delhi Walla Gets Chicken Pox
Taking things in stride; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Escape – Khwaja Baqi Billah’s Dargah, Sadar Bazaar Area
The silence of the tombs; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Resident – Ms Noor Bano, The Homeless
One in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Interview – Mr Seth’s Suitable Girl
The author of A Suitable Boy talks to The Delhi Walla

City Getaways – Delhi in the Time of Monsoon
Where to enjoy the rains; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Reporting – Delhi High Court Legalizes Gay Sex
First comments, first reactions; by Mayank Austen Soofi

First Thought - Freedom at Midmorning
Delhi High Court has legalized homosexuality; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Terminal 1D, Indira Gandhi International Airport
It's better than Bombay's; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Event – Delhi’s 2nd Gay Pride Parade
It was bigger than the first; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Report – Municipal Council of Delhi Vs Daryaganj’s book bazaar
The uncertain future of the Sunday market; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Notepad – The Scooter Women of Udaipur
Weekend getaway in Rajasthan; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Notepad – The Strange Encounter with a Rajput Prince
Weekend getaway in Udaipur, Rajasthan; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Maximum City – Do You Like Delhi?
The Capital is everyone’s favorite punching bag; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Literature – Twilight in Delhi, Ahmed Ali
The definitive Old Delhi novel; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Planner - Six Day Tweeting in Delhi
What are you doing this week; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – The Full Circle Bookshop & Café Turtle, Khan Market
Moved from the front lane to the middle lane; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – The Sufi Eunuchs
The beautiful sex; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Gandhi-King Plaza, India International Center
The Macondo of the mind; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Campus Life - Dream Dating in Delhi University
Different types, different needs; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Campus Life – Delhi University Dreams
What it takes to get into it; by Antara Raghavan

City Life – The Two Wives of Mr Kumar
Family picnic in Lodhi Garden; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Institution – Indian Coffee House, Baba Kharak Singh Marg
It may or may not shut down; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Asset – Arundhati Roy Sighting
In Nizamuddin Basti; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Bollywood Seller, Ballimaran
Selling Shah Rukh in Ghalib’s territory; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Big City Loneliness
1 in 13 million; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Classifieds – Book Search for Shakespeare
A special copy needed; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Guest – Lychees in Delhi
They stay here for two months; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Reporting – The Connaught Place Facelift
Botox shot for Delhi's heart; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Guest – Mr Bond in Delhi
A beloved author’s links to this city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Amaltas Trees, Hailey Road
The best part of Delhi summers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Note – The Delhi Walla Gets a Sponsor
A reader has paid for this blogsite's flickr account

City Wonder – The Kite Flier of Nizamuddin Basti
The office peon's magic hour; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Scene – Book Launch Parties
They are now bigger, glitzier, informal; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Books of The Times - 'Ruined by Reading', by Mayank Austen Soofi
The definitive Delhi novel; review by Michiko Kakutani

City Hangout – Zaki Cybercafé, Nizamuddin Basti
Discovering globalization, halal style; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint – What About The Delhi Walla?
The future of The Delhi Walla, and 'The Delhi Walla'; by Anonymous

Capital Season - Delhi in the Time of Summer
Finding comfort in a steaming sun-drenched city; by Anuja Chauhan

City Guide – Hauz Khas, Near Green Park
Romancing in the ruins; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Regret - On Ms Amita Malik’s Library on the Road
Ms Malik's nephew writes to The Delhi Walla; by Sarbjit Roy

City Life – The Fruit Seller of Daryaganj
Living it honestly; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Regret - A Booklover's Library on the Road
Late film critic Amita Malik's books sold to a ragpicker; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Talk – Sadia Dehlvi, Author of Sufism, The Heart of Islam
The first copy of her first book has reached her home; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Guide – Time Out Tibet
Experiencing Lhasa in Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Asset – Arundhati Roy Sighting
At The Book Shop, Jorbagh Market; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Maximum City – The Curious Case of Mr Dorji Hayer
Being Indian in the Indian Capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Maximum City – A Young Kashmiri in Town
Being Indian in the Indian Capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Life – Making Love in Autos
Couples say it's safer; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Khushwant Singh, Sujan Singh Park
Delhi’s celebrated author in his winter years; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Bitching – The Delhi Walla is a Slimy Guy
Overheard in a bullet train in Korea; by Namya Sinha

Capital Walk – Raisina Hill, Lutyens' Delhi
An empire of stones; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Manners – Shoe Throwing Gets an OK
Delhi becoming less courteous; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mumbai Diary – Why Delhi is Better than Bombay
The great city has grown less great; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Heritage - Baoli, Nizamuddin Basti
A 700-year-old monument gets its first full makeover; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Timeless Art Book Studio, Kotla Mubarakpur
Delhi's best coffee-table bookshop gets a second life; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Obituary – Qasim Ali, A Good Man
He died on March 29th, aged 25; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Table for One - Everest Café, Paharganj
Food lovers' guide to Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

The New Dalit - Praveen Parcha, Valmiki Sadan
He is against job reservations for Dalits; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Opinion – Polka Club's Pink Paradox
Delhi's sole Saturday night gay disco is horrid; by Anonymous

Real Estate Classified – Flat Wanted in Nizamuddin or Jangpura
Air conditioners a must to survive Delhi summer; by Satya Prateek

City Pleasure – Street Cricket, India Gate
Delhi loves its cricket; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Citywalk Mall, Saket
Malling in the time of slump; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – Gay Saturdays at Polka Club, Kailash Colony
Chasing the pink rupee; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Ahmedabad Diary – The Idea of the Hindu State
The city’s Hindu youth have forgotten the anti-Muslim progroms; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Notepad – Not so Delhi
Six un-Dilli experiences; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Gujarat Notepad – The Enigma of Mr Modi
Understanding the charisma of India’s most divisive politician; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Artist – Keywan, Landscape Painter
An afternoon with a Sainik Farms-based artist; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Diary – Narmada River, Surat-Ahmedabad Highway
A fisher boy with river secrets; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Surat Notepad – Asmita Makwana, the Bandit Queen
Kudi Gujarat ki; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Notepad – Surat, Gujarat
Jai Ho to the Surati rickshaws; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Notepad – Surat, Gujarat
A beautiful but divided city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Guide - Main Bazaar, Paharganj
Delhi's smoggiest zone is worth a visit; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint - Delhi is a Bitch
How the city lost its virginity; by Anonymous

The New Dalit - Neeta Vaid, Valmiki Sadan
She wants other people to bow before her; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Rajiv Gandhi Jhuggi Camp, East Delhi
Slum guide for dummies; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Maximum City – Being Indian in the Indian Capital
A young man from Kashmir says that India is not his country; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline Delhi – Slipper Thrown At Arundhadti Roy, Auctioned Off at Jantar Mantar
Sign of the times; from a newspaper clipping

The New Dalit – Sanjay Salwan, Valmiki Sadan
He wants to be the world's best saxophone player; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Feature – My Dad's Bookshop, My Dad's Customers
An insider's gossip on Delhi's most eclectic bookstore; by Jairaj Singh

Valentine's Day 2009 – The Lover Boy of Nizamuddin Basti
This butcher has a lamb's heart; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Around Town – Kareena Kapoor Sighting
The Bombay star was in Connaught Place; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Purani Dilli on a High
Allah is closer to Old Delhi rooftops; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Series - The New Dalit
The changing world of Delhi's 'untouchables'; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Guest - Daniyal Mueenuddin, Pakistani Author
Hanging out in Lodhi Garden; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Hero – Vicky Roy, Ragpicker turned Lensman
Delhi's own 'slumdog millionaire'; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – St Stephen’s College, North Campus
Its snob value is worth it; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Citizen Profile – Naz Ikramullah, Artist
A Pakistani-Canadian who is a Delhiwalli, too; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Blood Letting in Old Delhi
Here illnesses are cured by slashing the body with blades; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Watch – The Twin Worlds of GB Road
The many faces of Delhi's red light district; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Sky Spotting, Around Town
In love with the deceitful season; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Barack Special – What's Obama to Me?
Asking for Obama in Delhi's Dalit Colony; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Barack Special - Obama Puri to Obama Vihar
What if Barack Obama was a Delhi neighbourhood; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – We are the Beauty Queens
They’re lovable and beautiful; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Institution - Sunday Book Bazaar, Daryaganj
Your guide to Delhi's biggest book market; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Nightmare - "Girls are coming, let's tease them"
Private horror zones in India’s rape capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – Ta Ta Thayya in a Thuk Thuk
Dial a Delhi auto for Bollywood item numbers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint - Understanding Delhi and The Delhi Walla
A PhD scholar at Stanford gives his take on this blogsite; by Gaurav Sood

Photo Essay – Enter from the Backside
Delhi’s English is a very funny language; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Season – The Midnight Summer's Dream
It’s not winter but summer that makes Delhi bloom; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Letter from Lahore - Delhi Belongs to Pakistanis, Too
A case for complex identities sans politics; by Raza Rumi

Delhi Diary – January 1, 2009
Starting the New Year with a Delhi cliché; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Diary - December 31, 2008
Let's meet next year; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Book Review - Curfewed Night; Basharat Peer
A former Delhi-based journo writes his first book on homeland Kashmir; by Sumaira Samad

City Society – Maids in Gay Households
How do they cope; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Community - The Wandering Christmas Choir
On the footsteps of an unsual band of carol singers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Community - Christmas Eve, 2008
Translating X-mas to Bada Din; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Business - Bahrisons is Expanding
A south Delhi landmark is coming to west Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Living - Where is Your Second Home?
Seeking private spaces in public places; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Khan Market After Dark
When life fizzles out of Delhi’s most uppity joint; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Safdarjung’s Tomb, Near AIIMS
The poor man’s Humayun Tomb; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Apology – To Ms Anoushka Shankar, the Sitar Player
A case of mistaken identities; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Exploration - Park End Colony, Karkardooma
Exodus from the Walled City; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Fact & Fiction, Basant Lok
Inside Delhi’s wildly eclectic bookstore; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel - TIPS TO TOES IN SERVICE OF NATION
A Delhi writer follows Sign Language lessons on the Border Roads; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bombay 26/11 Editorial - Rich India's Gravest Hour
Why should no-star India cry for 5-star India; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bombay 26/11 – Life in the Time of Terrorism
Bombay attacks have changed Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Chabad House, Paharganj
A home for travelling Jews; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bombay 26/11 - Pakistan for Mumbai
Not all Pakistani hands are stained with the Indian blood; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bombay 26/11 – Delhi is Far
The show goes on in the Capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline Bombay – Oh Taj, 26/11
All Delhi wallas are Mumbaikars today; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital View – The Best of Delhi
What do ex-Delhi wallas miss about the city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Classic - Sablok Clinic, Daryaganj
The legendary sex clinic promises a 'cure' for homosexuality; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Season – Winter in Delhi
Delhi ceases to be Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Maximum City -- Being Indian in the Indian Capital
A lady from Northeast India is called 'chinky noodle' in Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life – Spit Please, This is Delhi
The capital has a rich spitting culture; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Walk - ITO Crossing
One morning at Delhi's most irksome traffic intersection; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Neighbourhood -- A Booklover's Life in Ballimaran
All he want is some quiet; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Community -- How Delhi Treat its Biharis
There's a kind of soft aggression against the community; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Society - Darker than Obama
What does Barack's victory means to dark-skinned Delhi wallas; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline Obama - American Center, KG Marg
Recording the dawn of Obama age; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Obama Special - Obama's Delhi Boys
How Delhi's Democrats helped Obama become the US Prez; by Carolyn Sauvage-Mar

City Wildlife - Roar of the White Tiger
A week in the life of the beast; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - The Book Shop, Jorbagh & Khan Market
The past, present and future of Delhi's lovable bookstore; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Muslim Talk - "Ammi was Shocked to See Half-Naked Girls in Barista"
Chatting with two ladies in Jamia Nagar; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Guest Column – The Delhi Walla is Fake
This blog presents an incomplete Delhi and stereotype the Muslims; by Sushant

Recommendation – Time Out Nizamuddin Basti
The soul of Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - India Habitat Center as a Dating Zone
The hangout for art-loving romantic couples; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline Mehrauli - No Fervour for Phool Waalon ki Sair
A terrorist attack has disturbed the fragility of our multi-religious society; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Watch - Is New Friends Colony Friendlier?
The strange logic behind the naming of Delhi locales; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Book Review – The Immigrant, Manju Kapur
Delhi’s middle-class chronicler enters a new territory and fails; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Walk – Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran
Strolling in Mirza Ghalib’s street; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Life - Self in the City
Discovering one’s own presence in Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Bihar Diary VI, Dignity at All Cost
Losing everything but not grace; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Walk – Hailey Road, Near Connaught Place
A must visit for solitary seekers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Citizen Profile - Kareem, The Bookseller of Nehru Place
Delhi's elusive street artist; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Debut - Solar Rickshaws, Chandni Chowk
New commute in the city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Times - Uneasy Lies the Head
Donning a Muslim skullcap; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Eid Mubarak, Old Delhi
All happy families are alike; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Decline - Bookless in Delhi
The city's bookworld may be dying; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Letter from Jamia Millia - One Night in the Boys' Hostel
A peek into the mind of young Muslims; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Delhi Photo Company, Janpath
A photography studio that has survived the modern times; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Commute - Lady in Red, AC Buses
The Delhi Walla takes a ride; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bihar Diary-V: In the Heart of Darkness
Sorrows of a far-flung correspondent; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Jamia Nagar - Delhi's Rich Muslim Ghetto
The Muslim boom town in the capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Nonsense - A Chick lit for Delhi Girls
Offering a book proposal; by Mayank Austen Soofi

9/13 Opinion - Scavengers in the Blast Sites
To be or not to be a reporter; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bihar Diary-IV: Love and Loss
Don't forget Bihar's personal tragedies; by Mayank Austen Soofi

9/13 – Memoirs of the Day After
Making sense in the aftermath; by Priya Sen

9/13 Photo Essay – Delhi in Grief
Let the Capital cry; by Mayank Austen Soofi

9/13 – Serial Bomb Blasts Rock Delhi
O Delhi, my Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bihar Diary-III: Papa, I Don’t Wanna Go Home
The Delhi Walla in the flood hit Bihar; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bihar Diary-II: Misery in the Water World
The Delhi Walla volunteers in the flood hit Bihar; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bihar Diary-I: First Impressions
The Delhi Walla goes to volunteer in the flood hit region; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Guide – Thank God It’s Ramzan
Festive guide to Muslim Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Buzz - Castro Café, Jamia Milia
Young life in the university canteen; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Sanjay Akhara, Majnu ka Tila
A special camp for wrestlers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Pretentious Gourmand - Diva, GK-II
Gluttony at Delhi's priciest stand-alone restaurant; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Society - Run Lutyens Run
Searching for a perfect Lutyens’ living room; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Rant - Leave Delhi's Gay Bars Alone
A response to The Delhi Walla's article on Peg N Pints; by Priya Sen

Special - A House for Mr Musharraf
Pakistan's former Prez should return to his hometown Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Institution - Memories of Stephania
On St Stephen's, Delhi's most prestigious college; by Shashi Tharoor

Society - Delhi's Low Parsi 'Meter'
The city's Parsis are struggling to survive; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Shab-e-Baraat at Hazrat Nizamuddin
Observing the holy night in the Dargah; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Society - Rich Girls, Handsome Milkmen
A south Delhi girls runs off with a doodhwaala; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Capital Memory - Yesterday Tehran, Today Delhi
Coping with the whims of an evolving city; by Shahnaz Husain

Citizen Profile - Rohit Malik, Delhi's Struggling Blogger
Confronting, fighting and surviving odds; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Defence Colony Dreams
Living a Happy India life in South Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Buzz - Barack's Backroom Boys in Delhi
Yanks play their politics in the Indian capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Exclusive - Pakistani Novelist Reviews The Delhi Walla's Sister Site
Pakistan Paindabad's intentions are good, the execution clumsy; by Bina Shah

Column - Delhi by the Book
A Pakistani blogger-author is writing a travelogue on Delhi; by Raza Rumi

City Sightseeing - Heritage Tour 2008
A tour of the 21st century Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Demolishing the Unwanted
This ain't no city for the poor; by Mayank Austen Soofi

In Town - Readers of Arundhati Roy
Possessed by The God of Small Things; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Bus No. 620
Sightseeing in Delhi's most scenic bus route; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Pulse - 7pm in Khan Market
Life in Delhi's Upper East Side; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Feature - Talking Life in GB Road
With sex workers in Delhi's red-light district; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Feature - Delhi, the City of Villages
There are 275 of them in the metropolis; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Notes - No Women Inside Nizamuddin Dargah
Shame on the house of Delhi's best known Sufi shrine; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Getaways from Middle Class Delhi
Save me from respectable people; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Cityscape - Will Delhi Wake Up to its Heritage?
Sexing up the city's ruins; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special - 29/6, The Day Delhi Came Out
Interview with Lesley Esteves, of Delhi Queer Pride Committee; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Weekend Getaway - Nainital Behind the Mist
A journey into an Himalayan lake town; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Living - Gay Couple in Delhi
An American expat talks about same-sex relationships; by James Baer

Special - Crass is the City
Delhi Chief Minister calls Delhi the "most crass and show-offish city"; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - No Gas Masks in Delhi Metro
Smelly commute and other woes in the city metro; by Sanchita Guha

City Life - Reading Lolita in Delhi
A stranger in one's own city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Commuting - Delhi’s Dream Bus
Wish list for an ideal city bus; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Delhi-Lahore Hip Factor
Young life in both cities is a blend of cafe culture and retail nirvana; by Raza Rumi

City LIfe - On the Banks of Yamuna
A dream city by the dream river; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Chicks of Delhi
Your guide to the city's eye candy; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Living - No Room for Love Making
Young Delhiwallas can't find a place for sex; by Steven Baker

Photo Essay - Bookshop Romance of Delhi
The city has a love for books; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Discount Shopping at Humayun's Tomb
Malls, monuments, malls, monume...malls; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint - Jane Austen in Delhi
What if Delhi had its own Jane Austen Society; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Living - Those Delhi Summers
Delhi's wretched heat has lost its zing; by Sadia Dehlvi

Obituary - The Bookworm, Connaught Place
Delhi’s legendary bookstore is to die, aged 31; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – The Joys of Poverty
Shame and shamelessness in the walled city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Life - Raving 'n' Ranting in Gay Delhi
Friday night in an über-fashionable club; by a discrete Delhi walla

Guest Column - From Djinns to Pandavas
My journey into the mysteries of Delhi; by Rudradeep Chakrabarti

Photo Essay – Arundhati Roy Sightings
There goes the jazz tune; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Opinion - What's Wrong with The Delhi Walla?
This blogsite has lost its focus; by Shaheen Sultan Dhanji

Pssss of the Town - Bird Scare, LSD hangover
All the news that’s not fit to print; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed, Old Delhi
In the shrine of Delhi’s naked sufi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Neighbourhood – Gole Market
Excursion into the British-built district; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel – Mapping the Muslim Delhi
A city that shaped the contours of Indo-Muslim identity; by Raza Rumi

Culture – Inside Khushwant Singh’s Living Room
In the company of Delhi’s living landmark; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Razia Sultan’s Tomb, Near Turkman Gate
A walk into the past; by Mayank Austen Soofi

“There’s No Exclusive Gay Pub in Delhi But…” – Interview with a Gay Blogger
Conversations with a man who runs a blog on the city’s gay life; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Around Town - Sadia Dehlvi, the Rickshaw Walli
The writer's second car is a...cycle rickshaw; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Culture - Din Duniya, a Gentle Madness
One man's struggle to save a dying Urdu publication; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – The Pee Men of Delhi
Give them a wall and they will pee; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Lhasa Diary - From Delhi to Tibet, and Back
My search for home; by a Tibetan refugee

City Secret - Indian Coffee Depot, Tolstoy Lane
An excellent coffee store that no-one knows; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline Jamia Nagar - No Pizzas for Muslims
Fast-food chains don't deliver in Delhi's Muslim ghetto; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Opinion - The Why of Hating Delhi
This city sucks big time; by a discrete Delhi walla

Profile – R V Smith, Delhi’s Classic Chronicler
The city has ignored its most endearing lover; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Diary – Evenings with Jahanara Fakeera
Strange encounters in the tomb of a woman sufi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel Guide - 36 Hours in New Delhi
Weekend out in India's most happening metropolis; by Somini Sengupta

Opinion - No Rickshaws in Chandni Chowk
City planners have lost it; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Jantar Mantar Diary – Killings in Lhasa, Unrest in Delhi
Amidst the city's Tibetan citizens (6 pics inside); by Mayank Austen Soofi

Living - The Garden Lovers of Delhi
Discover favrouite gardens for discrete dating; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Ghalib Academy, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
Den of the dead poet's society; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Women's Day Special - Chasing the Working Women of Delhi
Living a hard but independent life (9 pictures inside); by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Diary – No City for a Muslim
Personal account of discrimination against Muslims; by Saif

Citizen Profile - A Coolie's Chronicle
A porter's life in the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Neighbourhood - Majnu Ka Teela, The New Paharganj
A new backpacker ghetto in town; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dubai Diary – Dilli Door Ast, or Delhi is Far
A Delhi girl finds a better life in the middle-eastern metropolis; by Manika Dhama

Profile - Raza Rumi, A Pakistani About Town
A budding writer from Lahore visits the city of his beloved author; by Mayank Austen Soofi

"I Don't Like Delhi's Crotch-Grabbing, Foul-Mouthed Coarseness"-Exclusive Interview with Siddhartha Basu, India's No. 1 Quiz Master
The iconic face of Indian TV finishes his conversations with The Delhi Walla

City Secret – Afternoon Siesta, Hazrat Nizamuddin
A retiring refuge in this noisy city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Dateline Delhi – Taslima Nasreen in Town
Arundhati Roy demands Indian citizenship for the exiled Bangladeshi author; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Opinion – Jama Masjid in Danger
The sanctity of the ancient quarter is at risk; by Sadia Dehlvi

Opinion – Kill the Jama Masjid
City planners to build an underground mall next to this historic mosque; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Neighbourhood - Punjabi Bagh
Your guide to Delhi's signature district; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi & Lahore – A Tale of Two Cities
Exploring the brother-city Lahore; by Mayank Austen Soofi

"The Sweet Smell of Hash Filled the Nooks and Corners of St. Stephen's" - Interview with Siddhartha Basu, India's No. 1 Quiz Master (Part II)
The iconic face of Indian TV muses on Delhi with The Delhi Walla

Page 3 Delhi – Pssss of the Town
All the news that’s not fit to print; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Shopping – Card Street, Chawri Bazaar
A street dedicated to wedding cards; by Mayank Austen Soofi

"Bombay is now my Karmabhoomi, Not Delhi" - Exclusive Interview with Siddhartha Basu, India's No. 1 Quiz Master (Part I)
The iconic face of Indian TV sits down with The Delhi Walla

Photo Essay – Muharram Mourning, Kashmiri Gate
The heart could not hold its tears; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Antique Coins, Daryaganj
From Mughal-era to Czarist coins; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Carrom Clubs, Muslim Delhi
Stumbling into a secret society; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint – My Delhi Vs Lucknow, Punjabis and the Americans
The city is changing its hues; by Sadia Dehlvi

Media Report - The Delhi Walla is the Most Compelling and Attractive Indian Blog
Mail Today newspaper, part of the India Today Group, is awestruck by this blogsite

January 1st, 2008 - Letter from The Delhi Walla
Coming home to Dilli; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Merry Christmas - Organ Music, Cathedral Church of Redemption
Listing to pipe organ in the Sunday service; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark - Sapru House, Barakhamba Road
Chronicling the decline of a great institution; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Sightseeing - On a High in Jama Masjid
Watching 21st century Delhi from a 17th century minaret; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi for Children - Teddy Bears in Shining India
Build-a-Bear Workshop for rich people's children; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Page 3 Delhi – Pssss of the Town
All the news that's not fit to print; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Trends - Tea Rooms in Delhi
From New Delhi's Chai-bars to Old Delhi's Chai-khanas; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – The New Jumbo Point
A new watering hole for plane watchers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

"Delhi's Muslim Culture is Dying" - Interview with Sadia Dehlvi
The irrepressible Delhi walli talks on her Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Culture – Anita Desai in Town
The venerable novelist visits her old city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Weekend Getaway - Pragpur, Himachal Pradesh
Taking a break in the Himalayan foothills; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Eating - Winter Breakfast in Old Delhi
Paya-Nihari under the shadow of Jama Masjid; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Diary - Living in Jangpura Extension
House hunting in Delhi's middle-class neighbourhood; by Lesley E

Living - My Life in G. B. Road
A sex worker on living in Delhi's red light district; as told to Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Turkish Delight in Delhi
When Konya’s whirling dervishes came to town; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Report - New Stars in Delhi Theater
The emerging heroes of Mandi House; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - The Body Re-Builder of Mahipalpur
The desi way to mend broken bodies; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Diary - A Karachi Walla in Delhi
Curses are same but Bhai becomes Bhaiyya; by Shandana Minhas

Table for One - Nehru Memorial Canteen, Teen Murti Bhawan
Food lovers’ guide to Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Anjali Book World, Lajpat Nagar
Here you get classic first editions for cheap; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi for Children – National Rail Museum
A special Delhi guide for readers with children; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Diary - Star Gazing in Khan Market
Spotting filmstar Dimple Kapadia in Bahrisons bookshop; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmark – Akshardham Temple, Near NOIDA Mor
Hindu kitsch in times of unprecedented prosperity; by Gaurav Sood

Sex Life in IIT Delhi – Never Been Plucked
Just why India’s brainiest kids don’t make love; by Zubin Saini

City Secret - Mountain Melodies in Smoggy Delhi
A place where mountain people get their song and dance; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Profile - Mayank Austen Soofi
A Delhi Walla having a passion for Pakistan; by G V Krishnan

Outlook Magazine on The Delhi Walla - “...picturesque site having reviews of art exhibitions and restaurants, interviews, musings on the city’s history, and imaginative photos.”

Kutub Quizzers – Their Times Starts Now
Investigating Delhi's quizzing scene; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Ajmer Diary – Terrorist Attack in the Sufi Shrine
Eyewitness account of the terror attack in the courtyard of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz; by Sufi Salman Chishty

"It is a reflection of our own insanity if Delhi feels chaotic and mad" - Deepak Chopra
Exclusive interview with the New Age Guru; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Eminent Citizen - The Pied Piper of Connaught Place
Meet the capital's distinguished musician; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint - Bemoaning Delhi
Ugly, poor, and greedy is the city; by Gaurav Sood

Table for One – Appetite Restaurant, Paharganj
Food lovers' guide to Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Religion - Seeking Buddha in Delhi
A German student discovers a Tibetan Buddhist Center in the city; by Thomas Kappler

Photo Essay - 1:24am; Jama Masjid
Celebrating Ramadan night in the old city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Table for One – Embassy Restaurant, Connaught Place
Food lovers' guide to Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Report - Delhi University's Lively Theater Scene
An investigation into the inner world of campus theater; by Mayank Austen Soofi

New in Town - Table for One
The Delhi Walla sets off to a pleasure trip; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Shopping - Collectibles in Delhi
A quick guide to buying antiques and reproductions in the capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi (6 pictures inside)

Amusement Park - Fun & Fury in Adventure Island
North Delhi gets its hangout zone; by Mayank Austen Soofi (8 pictures inside)

Nasbandi Colony - The Homeland of the Impotent People
A journey into the dark secrets of Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

"Shah Rukh Khan has a Lot of Affection for Delhi" - Exclusive Interview with Anupama Chopra
Bollywood's most respected journalist talks on Delhi boy Shah Rukh Khan; interview by Mayank Austen Soofi

How I Got Drunk And Lost My Virginity at Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah
Trance music in Delhi’s most famous sufi shrine; by Mayank Austen Soofi (10 pictures inside)

Photo Essay – The Gutter Man of Delhi
A peek into the city’s gutter life; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Mayur Vihar Phase II – Exploring East Delhi's Deep Underbelly
Your guide to Trans-Yamuna’s elite address; by Julia Dutta

Sightseeing - Footloose in Delhi
Organized city walks that enrich the flavor of the capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Holy Booze at Bhairon Mandir
A temple addicted to whiskey; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Obituary – Searching for Qurratulain Hyder in a City Graveyard
How to mourn the death of an author you never read; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Gay Delhi - Scene & Sensibility
An expose on gay life in the city; by a fashion designer

Delhi Belly – Creating Seoul in the Soul
An authentic Korean eatery in a stinky bazaar alley; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel - From India Gate to Gateway of India
The Delhi walli visits the rival city Mumbai and is impressed; by Manika Dhama

Photo Essay – Marching with the Holy Water
A peek into the world of Kaanwariyas; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Essentials - Street Walk with Street Children
Discovering the inner world of Delhi’s pavement kids; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – Islamic Volleyball at Hazrat Nizamuddin
Playing the game with a halaal touch; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Landmarks - A. Godin & Co.
Chronicling the city’s legendary piano shop; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Blind Man Playing Sitar in a Piano Shop
Snapshot moments captured in one of Delhi's more charming landmarks; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Belly - In Search of Shrikhand
Discovering a Maharashtrian delicacy in New Delhi railway station; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Citizen Profile - The House Maid's Story
Living a tough life but on her terms; by Manika Dhama

Photo Essay – When Harry Potter Invaded Delhi
Exclusive pictures on Potter mania in the capital city; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Interview: “Never Read Any Harry Potter”
The Bookworm manager makes a sensational confession; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Travel – My Pregnant Wife Comes to Delhi
A resident American scholar sees India afresh through his wife’s eyes; by James Mutti

Eyewitness – Abandoned and Abused
A hungry and injured child has nowhere to go; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay – Getting Lost in the Christian Cemetery
Reflective getaway from the city’s chaos and confusion; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint – Mrs. Sheila Dikshit’s Blueline Blues
Here's why Delhi Chief Minister would rather walk than board a city bus; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Chronicle - The Mall-Made Mess
The leafy Nelson Mandela Marg is being sacrificed to Shining India; by Pearl Toppo

Photo Essay – Tonga Ride in the Old City
Pleasure trip bound to disappear; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Bestselling List - Delhi in Love with Khaled Hosseini
Dalrymple falls, Hillary Clinton rises and Khaled Hosseini rules

Culture - Kisses, Photos, Wines & Art Galleries
Is Delhi faking its bustling art scene; by Mayank Austen Soofi (7 exclusive pictures inside!)

City Landmarks - Pepsi, Popcorns & Stairs at Satyam
Checking out a new multiplex in town; by Meenakshi Chauhan

City Landmarks - Cooke & Kelvey Silverware Shop
A legendary showroom patronised by Maharajas and Prime Ministers; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint – Safety Pins, Pepper Spray and Other Survival Tips for Delhi Girls
How not to let the city's perverts snatch away your freedom to explore and have fun; by Pearl Toppo

Delhi Belly – Parikrama, Delhi’s First Revolving Restaurant
Dining in the thin air; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret - Jama Masjid Melodies
Long Play Records and old album covers entice collectors to Old Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi (12 pictures inside!)

Interview – "I Can't Promise to be Gentle or Generous or Vicious"
Conversations with a Delhi writer on her first personal blog; by Mayank Austen Soofi

City Secret – The Stock Market Sufi of Fatima Mai’s Dargah
Business propositions made in a unique shrine dedicated to a woman; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Living - Loving and Leaving Sujan Singh Park
Musings of a woman born and brought up in Delhi's most elegant address; by Meenakshi Chauhan (Exclusive pictures inside!)

Picture Essay - Poverty Pornography in Sarojini Nagar
Mother India looking sexy in poverty pornography; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special – Rock Bands in Delhi Hit the Phoren Jackpot
City bands go global with foreign tours and firangi fans; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Review - Pecha Kucha Nights in Delhi
The Japanese art of conversation reaches the capital; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Last Night Rotis and Other Complications
A German woman experiences Delhi through chapattis etc.; by Daniela Schwarz

Photo Essay - Time Out Jama Masjid
Visiting the society of Muslims in the world's greatest and grandest Mosque; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Viewpoint - New Delhi to New York...and Back...
An Indian living in NYC, anxious about returning back to his first home - Delhi; by Mohit Syall

Viewpoint - Just What Can Mrs. Sheila Dikshit Do!
Delhi Chief Minister laments the influx of poor Bihari migrants; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Travelogue - Discovering Colours, Culture and Home in Delhi
A Canadian woman, with son in tow, takes the capital to heart; by Madelyn Mulvaney

Theatre Review – City of Djinns
Can Delhi’s essence be captured in a three-hour long play; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Belly - Eating Kimchi in Paharganj
A moody, inaccessible shack serving authentic Korean cuisine; by Mayank Austen Soofi

NOIDA Postcard – Dilli is Never Far
A city outside Delhi but having a Delhiwalla heart; by Manika Dhama

Photo Essay: Central Park - Low Life No More
The capital's renovated public garden is cleaned of its 'social filth'; by Mayank Austen Soofi

How I Lived, Feasted, and Loved Life in IIT Delhi
PVR movies, Rajinder chickens and Barista babes; by Atish Dipankar

Interviews - Zohra Segal and Tom Alter
Reflections and musings on Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Arty Glimpses – Public History; Personal Stories
An American painter visits an art exhibition; by Nitin Mukul

The McDonaldification of Delhi
The Red Fort is under attack; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Djinn Spotting in Delhi!
William Dalrymple's classic portrait of Delhi has been adapted for the theatre; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Profile - Street Child Vicky Roy's Street Images
A runaway artist who made it big in the streets of Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Exhibition - Street Dreams in Delhi
Intelligent and incisive portraits of the city's street children; by Vicky Roy

Exposed – Haute Couture Delhi
A Delhi-based designer, not fond of the city, reveals the murky secrets of the fashion industry.

Photo Essay: Celebrating Easter in Delhi
Even Easter Sunday could not bridge the city's social divide; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Confessions of an American - My Life in a New Delhi Gym
Cultural confusions of a desi gym having non-desi aspirations; by James Baer

Jantar Mantar Report - Booming India’s Suicidal Farmers
Gathered in Delhi, the wretched of the countryside are full of complaints, accusations, and hope; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay - Time Out Lajpat Nagar
Non-stop shoppping in one of Delhi's busiest bazaars; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Girls’ Night Out in a Delhi Pub
Heartbreaking account of how India’s cricket stars disappointed the "red-eyed" Delhi girls; reporting by Manika Dhama and pictures by Supriya Anand

Olivia Fraser's Painting Exhibition - Delhi Through Firangi Eyes
A Scottish artist portrays Delhi in Lonely Planet-style exotica; review by Mayank Austen Soofi

Photo Essay: Sunder Nursery Secret - Scent of a Bargain
Delhi's most beautiful and inexpensive flower nursery that nobody knows; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Part 3: Pradip Krishen Interview - On the Biggest Threat to Delhi's Tree Flora
His book Trees of Delhi has become an instant classic. The final of the 3-part exclusive interview series with the Tree Man of Delhi.

Part 2: Pradip Krishen Interview – "Metro will go down as a major cause of the destruction"
His book Trees of Delhi has become an instant classic. The second of the 3-part exclusive interview series with the Tree Man of Delhi.

Part 1: Exclusive Interview with Pradip Krishen
Delhi's Tree Walla on the making of the bestseller Trees of Delhi.

Photo Essay - A Queer Dance
Something went wrong at a wedding in Mahipalpur; by Mayank Austen Soofi

St. Valentine's Special - Love and Trial in New Delhi
A couple struggles to carry on amidst parental disapproval and caste differences; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Highway Weddings in New Delhi
Rush hour commuters cope with street weddings - along with everything else; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Miranda House Memories - 3 Years, 1 Degree, and 0 Men
A girl's life in Delhi's premier college for women; by Manika Dhama

Photo Essay: Embassy Party In Chanakyapuri
While India was celebrating Republic Day, Delhi's small Aussie community did something different; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Delhi Belly - Eating Butter Chicken in Kake Da Hotel
Greasy food, rude service and unclean setting, the pains and Pleasures of Street Cooking in Delhi; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Interview: Do Delhi Women Have Horns Coming Out of Their Heads?
A Delhi Walli muses on how harrowing, outrageous, and funny it is for a girl to work, walk, and drive in this city.

Photo Essay – Carrying a Coffin in Old Delhi
The Sunday calm gets shattered by the grief of a Muslim funeral procession; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Special Photo Essay – New Year Do's in the New Central Park
Within a month of its re-opening, the revamped Central Park has become the social sea beach that Delhi never had; by Mayank Austen Soofi

Acknowledgement: This blogsite is the ongoing consequence of constant inspiration, thoughtful guidance, and gentle prodding of my friend Gaurav Sood.

Campus Notepad - Reading Chomsky in Gulistan-e-Gandhi

2010-05-23T17:11:00.005+05:30

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks
GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIES
Contact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.

Jamia Millia University is home to eclectic figures.

[Text and picture by Mayank Austen Soofi]

What has American leftist Noam Chomsky to do with the burger eating, Levi-wearing, Gucci-buying, mall going, America-dreaming generation? Can the palestinain icon Yasser Arafat be a pop icon?

The Delhi Walla urges you to take a walk in the Jamia Millia University. It is the Capital's only campus where these much-ignored idols seem to be in. Institutions, centers, halls, gardens, gates and even lanes are named after personalities as eclectic and diverse as novelist Qurratulain Hyder, playwright Habib Tanvir and Gandhian Mridula Sarabhai.

There is Noam Chomsky Complex, the big Edward Said Hall, the smaller Yasser Arafat Hall, and the smallest K M Ashraf Hall named after the Marxist historian. Not to forget the coolest spot to hang out – the (Fidel) Castro Café with its award-winning white and black design.

There are the slew of buildings named after freedom fighters: Gulistan-i-Gandhi, Jauhar Bagh, Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Enclave, S R Kidwai Hostel, Zakir Husain Library, the Ansari Auditorium and a residential complex named after Hakim Ajmal Khan.

Literary-types can jog down the Saadat Hasan Manto Lane. If you like cricket, there's Virendra Sehwag Viewer's Gallery in the university cricket grounds, named after its famous alumni. The most interesting incident of naming, by far, is the Hall of Girls' Residence named after Halide Edibe, a Turkish novelist, historian and feminist political leader who stayed at the Jamia in 1935.

What's in a name? You might say. Plenty...as far as the Jamia authorities are concerned. A name may reflect an entire worldview.

For students, names of institutions, buildings, parks and gates can have lasting memories. Perhaps when all else has dimmed, the memory of sitting in the Bagh-e-Nanak - with a good book, or a lover, or both – will outlive all else.

Tanumoy Misra, M Sc(Final) student in Bio Informatics, derives a simple pleasure from looking up at the immense Ghalib statue every day. He says, "When I pass by the Dabistan-i-Ghalib, I am reminded of the golden age of poetry."

For some names resonate with deeper meanings. As Jamia's former Vice-Chancellor Professor Mushirul Hasan says, "These names reflect Jamia's cosmopolitan and secular character reflecting a continuity in its history and a link with future."

City Food - Fenn, Matia Mahal

2010-05-21T05:36:00.007+05:30

City Landmark - Gurdwara Seesganj, Chandni Chowk

2010-05-19T09:01:00.008+05:30

Mission Delhi – Salim Javeri, Nizamuddin Basti

2010-05-17T08:30:00.025+05:30

Capital Notice – An American Reader Partially Funds The Delhi Walla

2010-05-15T08:26:00.003+05:30

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks
GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIES
Contact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.

Peter Saal gifts a Flickr subscription.

[Text by Mayank Austen Soofi; picture by Virendra Singh Gosain]

The pictures in the blogsite The Delhi Walla are uploaded through Flickr.com, the online photo management and sharing application. Last year an American called Peter Saal gifted a one-year subscription of unlimited Flickr services to The Delhi Walla. It meant that I could store and show any number of pictures to you.

I have never met Mr Saal. Why then was he spending his money for this blogsite? Mr Saal wrote:

Mayank's photography and prose are always illuminating. I have learned more about Delhi - socially, historically, and culturally - by viewing and reading Mayank's photographs and writings. His 'street photography' has a freshness that I have only encountered in the work of Raghubir Singh.

It was very flattering. As the subscription was coming to an end in May, 2010, I wondered if Mr Saal still feel the same about my work. When I contacted him asking if he would be interested in gifting me a subscription for yet another year, he e-mailed saying, “I'd be willing... how much is it?”

Why was he doing it? He said, “I admire your work.”

A history buff, Mr Saal visited India in June, 2006. Besides Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore and Hyderabad, he also came to Delhi. In our latest correspondence, he noted, “The Delhi Walla makes it evident that there were plenty of things that I didn't see (and many Delhi-ites probably don't know about). If the economy ever recovers, I would love to go back for an extended visit.”

Mr Saal, I’ll be your guide.

City Food – Ram Laddoo, Around Town

2010-05-13T05:29:00.012+05:30

City Season – Amaltas Tree, Hauz Khas Village

2010-05-11T10:18:00.012+05:30

Mission Delhi – Sunita Pandit, Palika Bazaar Park

2010-05-09T08:55:00.008+05:30

City Food - Samosa, Delite Cinema & Scindia Lane

2010-05-07T06:15:00.009+05:30

City Monument - Mughal Masjid, Mehrauli

2010-05-05T05:37:00.008+05:30

City Life - Love, Friendship, Sex

2010-05-03T07:04:00.007+05:30

Mission Delhi - Kareem Khan, Nehru Place

2010-04-30T09:54:00.011+05:30

City Food – Lassi, Chandni Chowk

2010-04-28T06:14:00.014+05:30

City Kitchen - Julia Child in GB Road

2010-04-26T07:22:00.019+05:30

City Locality – Middle Lane, Connaught Place

2010-04-23T11:43:00.009+05:30

Mission Delhi – Ram Swaroop Sharma, India Gate Maidan

2010-04-20T17:13:00.007+05:30

City Food – Number Walli Kulfi, Old Delhi

2010-04-19T06:26:00.007+05:30

Photo Essay - Faces of Delhi

2010-04-17T10:35:00.013+05:30

City Landmark – Rajiv Gandhi Setu, Ring Road

2010-04-15T12:15:00.028+05:30

Mission Delhi – Surinder, Pataudi House

2010-04-13T06:04:00.023+05:30

City Environment – Yamuna River, Jamuna Bazaar

2010-04-11T18:08:00.016+05:30

City Landmark - Tughlakabad Fort, Near Badarpur

2010-04-10T02:32:00.011+05:30

City Neighbourhood – Kashmere Gate, North Delhi

2010-04-08T06:20:00.010+05:30

City Interview – Fatima Bhutto, Pakistani Author

2010-04-05T22:41:00.034+05:30

The Delhi walla's pretension in writing makes me want to lodge a bullet in his balls - Blogger Nimpipi, the woodchuck chucks
GO STRAIGHT TO MORE STORIES
Contact mayankaustensoofi@gmail.com for ad enquiries.

The new Daughter of the East.

[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]

Fatima Bhutto came to Delhi in April, 2010, for the launch of her memoirs, Songs of Blood and Sword. Granddaughter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and daughter of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, Ms Bhutto was born in Kabul in 1982. Her father was killed by the police in 1996 in Karachi during the premiership of his sister, Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007. Ms Bhutto maintains that her aunt Benazir was responsible for her father’s killing. She lives with her mother and two brothers in Karachi.

In her interview with The Delhi Walla, Ms Bhutto was sporting blood-red nail polish, as well as a designer handbag and a copy of The International Herald Tribune.

Hello, Ms Bhutto. While we talk, I’ll take your photographs but please don’t look conscious.

Ok. I’ll do my best.

Your third book, Song of Blood and Sword, was launched yesterday evening at Hotel Taj Mahal. How was it?

The audience was very interesting.

'Interesting' is an interesting word.

No, I thought I was going to be in front of strangers. And then I saw some of my former classmates from the University of London. I didn’t know they were coming. So that was great. It was also nice to come across Indians who were curious about Pakistan and wanted to know more about it.

I was also there in the crowd. And I saw people exclaiming when you appeared wearing a saree. A gentleman standing behind me said that you were looking so Indian. It seems many Indians are unaware that Pakistani women also wear sarees. Does such ignorance irritate you?

But the same thing is on other side too, you know. We are so curious about each other but we don’t have access to each other’s countries. Traveling is so hard. It is a lot harder to get information. And so when people said that what a nice Indian dress I was wearing… I said, well, you know my grandmother wore sarees all her life. My mother, too, wear sarees. You see, in Pakistan, women wear shalwar kameezes during the day and sarees in the evening…

…or on special occasions…

Yes, it’s the same thing on both sides of the border. Like here I’m checking my e-mails and my friends in Pakistan are writing to me, saying, “How is India? Is everybody treating you ok? Is everybody being nice to you?” And Delhiites are asking, “How is Pakistan? Are they treating you ok? Are you safe there? ”

Why are Indians worried about how you are being treated in Pakistan?

You know, I think it’s really interesting. People here have reacted really wonderfully to Blood and Sword… they have been really supportive… and protective. I was really touched when a woman (among the audience in the launch) stood up and said, “I hope you are being well-protected in your country.” It was such a kind gesture. I think because we don’t know a lot about each other… we imagine that there is lot of hostile environment on the other side… but when you go to Pakistan or I come to India, people are the same, the language is the same, the culture is the same, so you don’t feel like a stranger. You feel familiar.

Karachi is said to be a dangerous place. I was there in March, 2010, and friends asked me not to go out unaccompanied. One said that the city was under siege. You are a Bhutto. So many members of your family have died in unnatural circumstances. And you live in 70, Clifton, an address that is so famous in Pakistan. Do you feel unsafe? Do you feel you are being constantly watched?

I think there are times… like when you came to Karachi and the city was being sort of edgy. There is a period I write in the book when I was... it was in the 90s when my father was killed. Things then were very scary. You did feel very afraid and gunfire was a normal sound. But I think, unfortunately, it is the condition of all these south Asian big cities that they are sometimes stuck by very paralyzing fear and violence, and then sometimes things are fine. Karachi for me is just one of those cities… at times it’s no big deal for my friends to come over and pick me up and we go off, roam around and it’s fine. But sometimes I can’t do that.

What do you love about Karachi?

Well, I love Sunday bazaar. It’s near Sea View (beach), in Defence (a posh neighbourhood). Every Sunday Itvaar Bazaar pops up at a place where there is nothing all through the week. There the booksellers would come and sell old books…

It’s like Delhi’s Daryaganj Sunday book bazaar?

Maybe… yeah… and not just books. They have toys for kids, T-shirts… you know, it is one of Karachi’s best-kept secrets. Every local knows about it. But if you are visiting the city, there is a chance you may miss it.

You go with friends or family to the Sunday bazaar? You don’t go with security guards? When you are there, is it like, “Hey I’m a Bhutto and I’m in Itwaar Bazaar”?

No, no, no. I think when things are dangerous, one have to be careful. I can’t go every Sunday. I can’t go for long maybe. But you don’t want yourself to be made a prisoner. My mother and my two brothers… we all love Sunday bazaar but we all love it for different things. So my brother Zulfikar, who is a mere 6-years-old, head straight for the toys where he finds all these broken plastic dinosaurs. My other brother is an artist and so looks for all these old art catalogues and art books. My mother looks for handicrafts and I… I go straight for the books and magazines. You get old New Yorkers and Vanity Fairs and National Geographics. And you also get Rs 100 books. I recently got… those great penguin classics with that old orange-striped covers… I also grabbed a first edition Graham Greene. You don’t find such novels any more. Now if you go to firsthand bookshops, you only get Kite Runners and the seven editions of airport books, you know.

Any other place you go to in Karachi?

Then I go to Khadda market for its chaat and dosas. It’s a lovely place and it’s a pity not many people go there.

Why?

I mean it’s like in Delhi. People come here and go to big fancy Italian restaurants or swoon over French cuisine but they miss these small places that have the real food, the good food. So I go there. Then everybody in Karachi have their own DVD walla from whom you pick up the latest films and documentaries...

What about the parties?

(Laughs) I’m pretty boring that way. Because Karachi is such a closed city… because it’s a bit of schizophrenic city… you know, it’s a very large city but you are limited to certain neighbourhoods… so if you go to a party, you see the same 200 people, and after about three of such parties, it gets dull. I much prefer having friends over dinner or having get-togethers or going to friends’ places.

Where do your friends live? Only in posh areas such as Clifton? Is that the only Karachi you navigate in?

I suppose I have many different Karachis. You are limited to certain neighbourhood obviously. But because of my mother’s political work, because of my writing… for example, I have been spending a lot of time recently in a neighbourhood called Sohrab Goth…

Is it is near Lyari?

No, it’s far from there.

My Karachi friends had strictly warned me not to step into Lyari. It’s considered very dangerous.

You know that’s the problem. Karachiites are afraid of their city. But Lyari is wonderful. I have spent a lot of time there. Lehari is the real Karachi. People know each other. They have a real sense of community. There they share and exchange each other’s experiences. It’s unlike Defence or Clifton where you live in your own bubble and you don’t know what’s happening around.

Yeah, you were talking of Sohrab Goth.

So I’m writing a magazine piece on Afghan refugees in Karachi and that’s why I have been spending a lot of time in Sohrab Goth, which is where some big refugee camps are. So on the other hand I live in Clifton and I’m so very privileged and very comfortable but I never feel that I don’t have access to other parts. If you want to understand your city better and want to discover its other parts, nobody will stop you.

I have heard that your grandfather’s library used to be the best in Asia. It’s at 70, Clifton. Right?

Yes, the library is phenomenal. It is on the ground floor and is my favorite room in the house. We are currently cataloging the books. We have already done 15,000 of them. My mother is amazing… she sorted out all the shelves and numbered each of them.

Tell me about the books there?

What’s amazing about his library is that he loved books. He himself was a writer. Each section of the library is devoted to a certain study or history… so there are tremendous amount of books on south Asia and Raj. You go further ahead, and then you have books on Soviet Union, America, Latin America, China, and the Islamic world. There are books on religion, art and philosophy. Then there are all his law books. He was very fascinated about modern art so we have lots of books on it from the region.

Ms Bhutto, in your website you say that you hate Facebook. Why?

(Laughs) I hate Facebook for several reasons. The idea that, first of all, this company owns everything you put on it is ridiculous. I don’t know why it doesn’t scare more people. And then this whole thing about voyeurism… is kind of what’s wrong with lots of things today… Imagine, on Facebook, for people to spend hours looking at other people’s pictures, reading other people’s messages and looking at other people’s friends... so scary. There is so much lack of privacy.

Point taken. Let’s talk about the book. Why you wanted to write it?

I always knew I was going to do this book. It was one of the last things that I promised to my father just days before he was killed. I remember I was 14 then. We were talking at home late in the night. I said to papa that your life is so fascinating and that you must write your life story, and he laughed and said, “No, no, no, it’s too dangerous what I know and I can’t write it but you write it.” I was excited but then papa said, “No, no, no, after I die,” and I said, “Ok, after you die.”

Ms Bhutto, this talk of death… so casually… wasn’t it abnormal? Was it that being Bhuttos, you all knew that something horrible might happen anytime to any of you?

At that time we were in such a dangerous environment… and I think that each of us knew in our own way that something was wrong… you had this feeling, you felt unsafe. But it was never that we were ever morbid. It wasn’t like that we spoke about the death all the time. But those few days were really quite different.

And then your father was killed and you thought about the book again?

I always knew I was going to do that book. But I was never ready to do it. I was too young. I needed to find so much information. I needed to do so much research. In my college, I was busy finding myself. But when I was doing my Masters in London, I started to think about it. I would remember my father talking about his time in the college…

So when you started writing?

By 2005, I started e-mailing my father’s friends and doing my own detective work of looking people up. It was easier for me because I was in the university. I knew the first names of his friends but I didn’t know anything else. So I started cold-calling his classmates. Papa had studied in Harvard. I went online and found the alumni association and I wrote all of them a letter saying, “Hi, I am uncovering my father’s past. Could you help me?” The response was amazing. It was a surprise. Strangers opened so many doors to me.

Political memoirs are usually ghostwritten, especially when they are by people belonging to some great dynasty. What about your book?

(Laughs) Well, I used to write a weekly column for The News. I wrote a book on the earthquake. I published poetry. So obviously there was no question of someone else writing my words. It would have been like someone pretending to be me on the Facebook. Yes, to answer your question, I wrote the book all by myself.

What was your writing schedule?

I was writing for two years. It helped that I’m an awful insomniac. I would write till very late in the night… till 2 or 3 am. There were times, towards the end of writing the book, when I would wake up at 8 am, write till noon, take a break, go back to it at five or six in the evening and write till eight in the night. And then there were other times when I just had to be alone in front of the computer the whole day. But you have to write everyday. You can’t be temperamental. You can’t write only when the mood strikes. You have to sit there. You need to have the discipline.

You say that you did extensive research for the book. Did you also travel?

Yes, I went to Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi… I went to Houston, Arizona, Phoenix, Washington, Boston, New York. I went to Greece, Lebanon, London, Paris, Damascus…

When you move around in Pakistan, do you fear that you would be killed. After all, the impression of Pakistan is that the country is unstable and volatile. And you are a Bhutto. So many of them have been killed.

The problem with the media is that they give you a picture of a city or country in 30 seconds. And when you look at south Asia, it’s always about blood, poverty…

…and dynasty…

Yes, that seems to be the three big things in our part of the world.

I imagine if a Bhutto is driving around Karachi or Lahore, he or she must be escorted by gun-toting security guards?

Not us (laughs). You see we were never inside the power. We never grew up with this idea that we somehow deserved the attention or that we were celebrities. In 2006, for instance, I went to Chitral (in northern Pakistan) for a story... While interviewing people, I introduced myself as Fatima, not Fatima Bhutoo. And then I went back and the story was published following which I got emails from people asking me, “Oh, why didn’t you tell us you were a Bhutto. We would have hosted a reception for you.” But that’s not how I travel. That’s so limiting. Our parents were so normal. And they were really open and free with us. We never grew up with this chip on our shoulders that we needed to be escorted with sirens everywhere.

Did you read your aunt Benazir’s book, Daughter of the East? What do you think of it?

I read it a long time ago. I must have been ten. A lot of it was very sad. A lot of it was very difficult to read. Mmm, my aunt spelled my name wrong in it (laughs). This was greatly annoying to me. She spelled Fati as Fathi, which was funny.

(a pause)

But you know when I was writing this book, when I was having to go back in my own life and remember things, I remembered when my father was in jail, and how difficult it was to see him, how strict it was… you know… we could only see him for a certain amount of time… if we got late because the jail was very far away, too bad... it was very awful… and I remember that at that time I picked out Daughter of the East again and reading how my own aunt was... how it was so painful for her to leave her father in jail, how she was pulled from her father in jail… and how then she was doing the same thing to us. My memory of this really stands out.

In some ways, yours and Benazir’s memoirs are similar. You both were of the same family. You both wrote about your fathers, both of whom were killed.

But I wanted to write a book that was more journalistic. Benazir’s book was different. Even the title was big in scope. Also, hers was a very personal book. For my book, I did countless interviews. I pulled in countless sources from newspaper archives and academic books. I spoke to so many people. You know, when I read a book, I want to be able to trust what I’m reading. Part of that trust is knowing that the book is well researched and that there are footnotes. If that is absent, I want it to be honest. Malcom X’s autobiography, for instance, is one of my favorite books. Unlike other memoirs you read, he doesn’t start by saying that hey, I’m wonderful and that my family is so great. He was honest. He said I was a hustler, I was a crook, I was self-hating, I had all these problems… his autobiography was a journey. You could see how his life changed. But you read other politician’s memoirs. Those people were always great; they never had to change.

When the world think of the Bhuttos, they largely think of your grandfather, of Benazir and her struggles. The rest of the family has faded into the background. Does it bother you?

Everyone has a right to tell their own story. If we talk about Bhuttos, we know there is a history of violence in the family. I think it is important to understand why the violence happened as opposed to just that it happened. I think in Daughter of the East, Benazir was telling her story. I don’t think she was telling the story of her family.

You have often accused Benazir for being morally responsible for your father’s killing. Do you really believe your late aunt to be capable of such a crime?

The way she impeded the cover up, the way she denied us the right to file a police case, the way she praised the cops who were involved in her brother’s killing… certainly it doesn’t look like that she was innocent.

Ms Bhutto, I think you are the most beautiful Bhutto of our times.

You are the only one to say so. Thanks.

During the launch of Songs of Blood and Sword

Facing the Indians

Reading an excerpt from her book

Her big evening

The thing is...

You know...

If you think about it...

I promised my father...

So that was it

The beautiful Bhutto

City Festival - Urs, Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah

2010-04-04T07:10:00.010+05:30

Mission Delhi - Muhammad Waseem, Near Barakhamba

2010-04-01T23:41:00.011+05:30

City Landmark – Red Fort, Old Delhi

2010-03-31T05:58:00.011+05:30

Pakistan Diary – Travels in My Country

2010-03-29T08:33:00.006+05:30

Pakistan Diary - T2F, Karachi's Coolest Café

2010-03-28T08:05:00.019+05:30

Pakistan Diary – Reading Chick Lit in Karachi

2010-03-27T10:53:00.020+05:30

Pakistan Diary – At Home in Lahore

2010-03-26T10:52:00.018+05:30

Pakistan Diary – The Dancing Girl of Lahore

2010-03-25T06:34:00.027+05:30

Pakistan Diary – The Karachi Kartography

2010-03-23T10:17:00.016+05:30

Pakistan Diary – Jinnah’s Mausoleum, Karachi

2010-03-21T08:53:00.018+05:30

Pakistan Diary – Is Karachi Unsafe?

2010-03-19T13:15:00.017+05:30

Pakistan Diary – The First Karachi Literature Festival

2010-03-18T13:19:00.016+05:30

Pakistan Diary – The First Evening in Karachi

2010-03-16T20:35:00.018+05:30