The Delhi Walla saw this man at an alley in Bulbuli Khana, a congested neighborhood in the Walled City, the historic district established by the Mughals. Read more

An abstraction, Daulat ki Chaat is more an idea than a dessert. A white froth, pop a spoonful into the mouth and it disappears. The lingering sweetness is as fleeting as an early-morning dream. Read more

Meet the Julia Child of Farash Khana, a dilapidated neighborhood in Old Delhi. A ‘legal journalist’, Child, 56, has done Master of Arts in English Literature and Sociology. Read more

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It was the first time in the living memory of middle-aged Delhiites that rain fell on Eid-ul-Fitr, the Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramzan, the month of praying, fasting and cleansing the soul. The Delhi Walla attended the morning namaaz at Shahi Idgah, the 17th century mosque built specifically to perform Eid prayers. Read more

One afternoon The Delhi Walla went knocking around houses in Old Delhi’s Matia Mahal asking the residents, “May I please climb to your rooftop?” I was refused. People thought I was crazy. But I only wanted to see how Jama Masjid looks from the roof of a Walled City house. Read more

“The eyes shed tears and the heart is grieved, but we will not say anything except which pleases our Lord.”
Prophet Mohammad on the passing away of his son Ibrahim Read more

Shahjahanabad was a city of emperors and courtesans, kaftans and the Kohinoor, beef and ghee. This morning I am searching for its past splendor. The ancient alleys of Matia Mahal bazaar, under the watchful eyes of Jama Masjid, are redolent of morning meals. Kesar-flavored milk. Sewai. Jalebis. Soon a rich, meaty aroma tempts me. Paya-nihari. But it is burra – Buffalo meat. (I don’t like burra meat.) A true nihari carries the upper thigh of a cow. In its absence, I will perhaps have to resort to goat instead. I continue walking. Read more

Time: 7.18pm; Place: Kutub Khana Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu bookshop, Urdu Bazaar, Matia Mahal, Old Delhi

Here is the bookseller lounging down on the carpet. There the calligrapher talking on the mobile phone. Hey look, this smoke coming from the next-door kebab stall is burning my eyes. But it is the books, stacked all over – in the shelves, on the floor – that are filling me with awe. Read more

Apart from its dusty lanes, urine stench, potholed roads, blaring horns, there’s another reason for not going to Paharganj’s Main Bazaar, popular as the backpackers’ district. According to Delhi Pollution Committee, it is the most polluted area in the city. Read more