Dusty New Delhi!

Day 283 - Tuesday 21 October 2008

(Photographs to follow when the USB port isn't covered in New Delhi dust - only a thin layer of Agra dust today so it's sorted!)

Of all the countries, in all the world, you don't want to have to unduly organise stuff in, I'd put India right at the top of the list! It's manic. Here's the main drag in backpacker-y Paharganj (New Dehi) showing Bangkok's Khao San Road how to do edgy ...



















For 'Incredible India' (as all the government backed advertising calls it) is just that, only they're talking about it's wondrous sights and colourful people, while I'm talking about it's endlessly long queues and heavy bureaucracy. Because I almost got caught out and have learned my lesson about Indian visas. They don't have a 'valid from' period but a start date and an end date. An end date that ran out for me last Saturday and necessitated a dash to both the Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreign Division) and the Foreign Regional Representatives Office. Well spotted the elderly Sikh gentleman who refused my train ticket application (yes there's a form for that as well) because of the rapidly approaching expiry date. And bless the beautifully spoken young government official who could see that it was a genuine error, I'd only been in the country two days and someone who wasn't going to force me out of the country before I'd got a picture of me in front of the Taj Mahal. Anyway, it's all behind me now and it was a very interesting way to see daily life in New Delhi. Right in amongst the crowds and the paperwork across most of the southern side of the city.

I labour this point a little because I'm fascinated by India. And not necessarily in a 'fascinating' way but in a 'surprising way'. In the traveller's world you're surrounded by international media like Time Magazine and BBC World News. Who've been repeatedly telling us all for a few months that China and India are the world's new superpowers. Well, in my opinion, India still has a long way to go. For I've seen a lot of it now and I believe the world's way more developed than having a superpower whose government officers add up the day's visa fees using a calculator, make corrections to their calculations using Tippex and blow the dust off the only computer in the room when one of their other colleagues isn't sharing it. Maybe it's The Economist I should be reading ...

So it's been a frenetic start to my Indian odyssey that's already a week down, has just two to go and is proving to be the world leader in hassles for travellers! For it's incessant. Everyone told me this would be the case. But I kind of brushed it off because I've been in the developing world since Hanoi almost 3 months ago to the day and thought it would be more of the same. But it feels very different here. Maybe it's because I'm 10 months in now and the end of my adventure's in sight. But there's a unique feel to India. You kind of live on your nerves a little bit. For example, in swanky coffee shops you're often approached by smart young guys who say they're training or working in IT (all those BT Broadband Call Centres - that are superb! - are based south in Bangalore) and are programmers (when actually they'll switch to offering to take you to a relative's store from where they'll earn commission). I loved the response I got from one yesterday as his cover melted and I decided to politely thank him and leave. I asked him 'In what programming language are you trained?' expecting the answer to be C++ or similar. His response was 'English'!). This is the Major League of travel and I'd thoroughly recommend travelling in other developing countries before you take this on!

But for all of that it's cool to have a fresh impetus after a long time in Nepal. Is New Delhi one of the world's great cities? I'd have to say no. It's got some interesting stuff that I'll go on to explain but there's not a multitude of it and it's snarly. Snarly like nowhere else I've been. Lonely Planet beautifully described India as a 'crush of humanity' and that's perfect. There's an enormous number of people, who all happen to be in the same place as you, at the same time. Everything takes an age here and you have to allow for that in your daily life. You want to catch a pre-paid auto-rickshaw (read 'tuk-tuk')? Well, barge your way through that line and you'll get one about 20 minutes later! You want to buy a train ticket? Well, fill out that application form and join the end of that queue of 20 people! But that's enough about the troubles of just 'getting by' each day. For when you've got used to that (just hang around long enough and it'll happen) there's treasures here amongst the surprisingly leafy, green, but dusty city (the monsoon has ended and it seems like the dust gets thicker each day).

I spent the first day in India in the quieter places of New Delhi so that I didn't suffer meltdown. They have a very long, very impressive central esplanade in New Delhi (Rajpath) that rises up a small hill and ends in the official residence of the President of India (the Rashtrapati Bhavan). The whole area reminded me of Washington DC. But British. For the entire area was designed by the Raj-appointed English architect Edwin Lutyens. The governmental officers even have old British cars lining up to run them around administrating India from New Delhi's offices. See (and that's the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the background).




















Then it was onto the National Museum was fascinating, huge and, like most places, very security conscious. You get checked all the time here (which adds to the delays). A consequence of the ongoing disputes with nearby Pakistan which, if you know your history, you'll remember is Muslim while India is predominantly Hindu. These two countries came about in 1953 with India's independence from Great Britain. A divide Mahatma Gandhi vehemently opposed and ultimately led to his death (assassinated by a Hindu zealot).

The National Museum had some amazing Indian miniature painting (they're famous for that here and have fab scenes of Maharajah's parading on elephants/fighting tigers), some cool stuff about the start of civilisation up in the Indus valley around current Pakistan (look up Mohenjadaro woman), ornately curving Rajasthani armoury (the best daggers I've seen, anywhere, ever) and large, silicon sized and shaped boobs on the ancient sculptures of goddesses!

To calm down (I've been away too long!) I headed to Gandhi Smriti which is actually a beautiful old, white washed building called Birla House. Gandhi Smriti is a National Memorial to Mahatma Gandhi and is where he spent the final 144 days of his life (in the corner of a simple room surrounded by his worldly possessions that were pretty much a mattress, writing desk, glasses and cane). On the early evening of 30 January 1948 he left his room to walk down to a prayer meeting in the beautiful grounds of Birla House and was shot 3 times at point blank range. he pretty much died where he fell and Gandhi Smriti has preserved his final steps in stone. Where he fell there's a typically, but un-suitably small stone monument.
















Read all about the 'Great Soul' here (what would I do without Wiki!) and watch Sir Dickie Attenborough's Gandhi again (Ben Kingsley at his brilliant best).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi











And for those of the University boys who would wake up in the bowels of San Antonio, Ibiza, totally dehydrated after a night on the flagons and declare 'I've got a mouth on me like Gandhi's flip flops' ...














How dis-respectful! But a good lesson in living and learning. I hugely admire Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and what he achieved by it (despite my hockey tackles I'm really a 'lover not a fighter'!).

Now that my visa issues are sorted I'm off tomorrow into Rajasthan (via Uttar Pradesh and the Taj Mahal) to see some Mughal forts and palaces. But I got my first taste here at the Red Fort in the capital. They're certainly HUGE, indicative of India's size/power and the red sandstone is a hue I've not seen before on my journey (although the temple of Banteay Srei in Cambodia was close). Sadly, the white marble palaces that lurk inside the forts and played host to Emperors and their entourages have been pillaged many times (this part of northern India has swayed between invading Muslim forces and the British!) and now they're just shells. Albeit, intricately carved shells that are open on all sides to keep the inhabitants cool. But you're not even allowed to get inside them sadly ('come on India, the precious stones went long ago, what am I going to do, nick a two ton slab of marble!').




















After the Red Fort I slunk around the back streets of Old Delhi amid the masses (Saturday wasn't the quietest choice) and ate piping hot jalebis. Now, jalebis are worth the visa hassles alone. Take sugar, cover it in batter and deep fry it. I kid you not! For a sweet tooth like me they're heaven/nirvana. And a quintessential Indian experience. See!




















And then I realised how far around the world I've come (eastern Asia's Buddhism has been slowly disappearing as I've headed west through Hinduism) when I visited my first mosque of this adventure (and maybe ever but surely not?!). An interesting experience and immediately a reminder that, taken in the worng context, CNN could warp your world view. I was warmly welcomed by the Islamic community (as I expected) and strolled amongst the worshippers on a lazy, sunny afternoon. There were many, many men sleeping in the shade of the incredible feat of architecture by Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan not only built this Jama Masjid but his opus was the Taj Mahal!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Jahan



















I immediately noticed that Islam joined the world of Buddhism and Christianity in needing a 'donation' to enjoy it's treasures. A concept that I dislike and creates a few conflicting thoughts for me. But that's for another time. At Jama Masjid it's openly free to enter (which is cool) BUT it was 200 Indian rupees just to take my camera in (even though I wanted to stick it in it's case and take no pictures!), then 50 Indian rupees to climb the famous minaret in the corner (that, to be fair, gave me the only high views of New Delhi and was well worth it), then 20 Indian rupees tip to the tower guide/student and 10 Indian rupees to get my sandals back! So it was an expensive form of worship if I just wanted to pray don't you think? I jest really. I do understand that I was there as a visitor to admire the architecture and for that I'm happy to pay a fee. But I wonder what the situation would be if I'd converted to Islam and genuinely wanted to worship at the Jama Masjid? Anyway, there's much to admire in this shot from the top of the minaret. Me hanging on (there's a huge drop down a tight stairwell in front of me and it's busy up there), hence the guy staring weirdly on my right!, it's 14:27, that light won't be seen from way down in New Delhi's streets and I'm sporting the previously hinted at d'Artagnan/Mughal Emperor tasche and beard!
















The last bit of ND'ing I've done is checking out the Jantar Mantar. A celestial observatory built in 1725 by Maharajah Jai Singh II. It sits weirdly and stylishly alongside New Delhi's Connaught Place (the circular downtown area) and was full of cavorting teenagers cheekily saying hello to me at every opportunity when they weren't trying to catch each other's attention!











And so New Delhi I've done apart from leaving 'go to a Bollywood movie' on my list for my return here in a couple of weeks prior to flying to Cairo. In a twist to the usual protocol I want to share with you my New Delhi/Indian observations (I start those lists the day I enter a new country when your senses are at their most alert and stuff hits you like a truck. Especially in India!).

They've clearly inherited British bureaucracy
They've got lovely Limca (fizzy, lemon drink)
They've got McDelivery (how lazy can fast food get!)
The hustlers walk alongside you and are experts at falling into step and conversation (it's kind of fun sometimes!)
The Indian food (of the north) is AMAZING (simpler, not as spicy hot or as sweetened as in England's Indian restaurants)
You get aniseed as a breath freshener post-Indian meals
In pop-culture TV (Indian Idol!) there's a mixture of Hindu and English language in sentences
The kids here have 'mamas' and 'papas'
There's a v strong Nepali link
Homosexuality is illegal
The holy cows that walk the city streets are MASSIVE (as tall as me!)
The Indian's are cracking authors (latest Booker Prize winner)
Women just had their own festival where they all got mehndi'd (intricate, ace henna on their hands and arms!)
They're cricket crazy and there's a ton of cricket dedicated TV channels
The men dye their hair regularly - ORANGE!
There's a profusion of hippy travellers (so this is where they all are!)
They've got stripey squirrels and all-gold wasps!
You're a constant source of fascination to Indians and get stared at - A LOT!
They love loud firecrackers especially when Sachin Tendulkar becomes the world's highest ever runs scorer!
The customer service is regularly the worst in the whole world (I accept this is possibly inaccurate 'cos I should really speak Hindu to judge it properly)
They speak English everywhere but often with a very thick Indian accent that makes it often very difficult to understand (see above - it's my fault for not speaking Hindu)




















So there you go, India! Hang on a minute, not quite! You've immediately got a flavour of what New Delhi's all about but this country is vast and there's lots I won't see. So I'll head off tomorrow (on the famed Indian rail system) around some of the Golden Triangle (nothing to do with the Kama Sutra) and show you more. India here I come. It's time to test my legendary patience!

(And here's a bonus shot from the most amazing sight I've ever had from an aeroplane window. The Annapurna range of the Himalaya from their southern side on a Jet Lite flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi. I love the curvature of the earth and now I know where SKY blue comes from! Enlarge it, go back to the post about Pokhara and see what you can spot in a horizontal line half way up the shot!). Man, I miss Nepal.