India, April 13 -- Lodhi Garden has turned 90. The Delhi park is made of monuments, trees, grass, flowers, and birds. But its soul lies in its humans. Here are nine lives fleetingly encountered in the park over a span of nine years.

Seated on a bench, law student Parthivi is writing by hand. She often posts handwritten letters to friends, even if replies are rare. The act, she says, gives her words a tangible weight, "a piece of me within."

Tarot card reader Nora Swenson is often drawn to the same spot in the park, behind a floss silk tree, across the walking track that passes Sheesh Gumbad. The New York native recently cut off "a lot of friends" after experiencing "betrayals." One evening, she was seen silently petting one of the park'...