Two friends trying to find their purpose in life by traversing the streets of Delhi.
The first Afghans who travelled to India came in the 10th and 11th century AD, as invading parties accompanying the infamous Ghaznavid and Ghorid armies of Afghanistan. Invaders soon turned into settlers, and when the Sultanate was founded, Afghan immigration proliferated as India was gradually transforming into a land of new opportunities. By the late … Continue reading Little Kabul
The twentieth century flooded Indian history with major transformations. In the initial decades of the twentieth century, one of the major changes was the shifting of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. While the city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi enjoyed an important position from the late 17th century onwards, the shifting of the British capital … Continue reading Rooh-Afza: A Spirit for the Soul
Tucked away in a park in Vasant Vihar stands a rugged medieval monument that looks older than its destined. The park itself is situated behind one of the most posh and important commercial districts of South Delhi, commonly known as Priya Cinemas, a eulogy to the single screen theater that adorned this area in the … Continue reading Bara Lao ka Gumbad
“Please come, come in,'' says Tahir, a short guy clad in a shabby teal kurta-pyjama whose eyes gleam as he looks at us. His shop is right across the street from the Jama Masjid, a street which is never silent; the sound of all sorts of vehicles and numerous people emerge from the street on … Continue reading An Artist lost in time
Plate 3 from the first set of Thomas Daniell's 'Oriental Scenery' depicts Qudsiya Bagh’s north-east view facing the river Jamuna. The bagh was laid out along the west bank of the river Jamuna, north of Shah Jahan's palace and fort in Delhi. Huge gateways paneled it and the Bagh was embellished with murmuring waterfalls. The … Continue reading Qudsiya Bagh
In the heart of West Delhi, amid the cacophony of kids playing on the streets and men and women flocking to vegetable markets; in a small dingy corner lay the only leftist bookstore in Delhi. Surrounded by houses and small grocery shops, the bookstore stood out with its yellow doors with a clear message imprinted … Continue reading May Day Bookstore
The customary winter drafts blew through the crowded streets of this part of Old Delhi, bringing with it the aroma of spiced meat being cooked and the smoky smell of coal being burnt in the tandoors. Behind us the minarets at the centuries' old mosque blared the Azaan, the name of God reverberating around us, … Continue reading Shahjahanabad
Dastaan-E-Dilli 