Delhi - Old and New

 

 

Saturday, November 14th.

 

Delhi - Old and New

 

 

Delhi is a massive city comprised of actually 8 cities created over centuries by different dynasties, and as each grew it became another part of the one city of Delhi.

The newest is New Delhi formed under British rule in 1911.

 

There are 18 million people in Delhi and 1.2 Billion in all of India. Every year India grows by another 24 Million people, which is roughly the size of Australia. This growth is entirely from new births.  65% of the people in India live in the rural areas where there is no family planning (and in many cases no electricity and no entertainment!) But also because most are Muslems in the rural areas and they believe that children are gifts from God and have very large families.

 

There is a story about one village that had an unextraordinary large amount of children. This was noticed by a visiting official. When he asked at the school why this was so, the teacher - who was the only educated person in the town - said wait until after one night and you will know why.  He went to sleep only to be startled away at 3 am by a thundering locomotive that roared through the town waking everyone. Since there was no electricity and no TV there was only one thing to do when they couldn't get back to sleep!  Probably an urban myth but funny...

 

Anyway. Today I wake up after having a pretty good night's sleep. The smog is lifting and the sun. is trying to break through, as much as s it ever does. It has been particularly bad here of late because the 11th was the feast of Diwali, or Festival of the Lights which is a massive celebration including everyone lighting fireworks everywhere till the air is thick with smoke which lasts for days.

 

We begin our day with pour first travel writing class and set off to The Lodi Gardens, a large park in New Delhi. It is from the 15th century and is spread over 90 acres. It includes the Tomb of Mohammed Shah and the Tomb of Sikander Lodi, Bar Gumbad (Big Dome) and Sisha Gumbad (Glass Dome) which are part of a mosque.

Sikander Lodi's Tomb.



Bars Grumbad or Big Dome.



Part of the Three-domed Mosque.

 

 New Delhi is a modern city with wide multi-lane streets and thoroughfares and a tremendous amount of traffic, everyone blaring their horns constantly for no real reason. It certainly doesn't move traffic any faster. The average speed that people can actual move here is 10 mph and pretty much every car has some dents on the sides. There are lanes but, as our guide said, they are ceremonial lanes only, no one pays them any heed,. They just push in anywhere they can.

As you cross into old Delhi you enter the old city and the change is noticeable and immediate. The streets are very narrow, built for carts and occupied by everything from buses and cars to rickshaws, tuktuks and bicycles.

We continue into the Old Town where millions of people crowd the narrow lanes. Men carry goods on their heads and bicycles because the lanes are so narrow and congested it is the only way to get through.


We begin at the Red Fort, abandon our bus and begin to make our way, as the locals would, through the crowded lanes toward the oldest mosque in Delhi. We must make our way through the crowded Chandi Chowk Market. We are like a bunch of Kindergarten kids holding on to each other and forming a single file line as we push our way forward. Only difference is we are trying to take pictures at the same time. Our guide is clear, if we lose sight of each other we will be lost and there will be no way to find each other.




The Red Fort of Old Delhi, so named because it is made from red sandstone.

Making our way through the crowded lanes of Old Delhi.

 

Men move freight on their heads or bicycles, the only way to get through the congestion.

 

 

Finally we make it, miraculously, to the mosque, Jamal Masque, all together and intact.

There is no real danger other than getting lost or possibly pick-pocketed. In fact, we are a novelty, a curiosity, and the children follow us wanting to touch us and talk to us. The locals smile shyly at us. There is no violence and lots of security everywhere we go.

 

We must remove our shoes and socks and go barefoot and we must be covered from shoulders to ankles. We are given an ugly robe something like a hospital gown to put over our clothes. This makes us an even bigger target for every schoolchild in the area. They all approach us, wanting to touch us and have a picture taken with us. We are told that we must just ignore them or we will be inundated and not be able to move.

 

Worshippers must cleanse themselves before entering the mosque to pray. 

 

Rickshaw in Old Delhi.

We return to our bus and back to New Delhi. It has been crazy! And a rush and an experience.

We now make our way to Bangle Sahib, a marble Sikh Temple. Sikhism is an offshoot of Hinduism. Hindus form 75% of the population, Sikhs only about 2%. Sikhism sought to simplify some of the many Hindu rituals and they each were given 5 K's or strict rules or things they must have at all times.:

1. KESHA or long hair. They never cut their hair (hence the turban).
2. KANGHA - A comb, which they tuck inside their turban.
3. KARA- A steel Bracelet they always wear.
4. KACHHA- A pair of shorts or long white undergarment.
5. KIRPAN- small ceremonial dagger they wear under their shirt.






WE arrive at this modern day temple. It is beautiful and ornate. But first we must cover our head and remove our shoes.


We wash our feet and make our way into the temple.

 

 

The sun sets and the night becomes dark with only the sliver of a new moon overhead.

 THe Sikhs are a very hard working people and a very giving people. All people of any denomination or religion are welcome anytime.

THe temple includes a massive kitchen and eating hall. Everyday they prepare food for 20,000 people. Anyone from any walk of life can eat with no cost. All run but volunteers, not organized. No one is told what to do. Anyone can just step in and help. And it runs very smoothly nd efficiently.

People of every age, gender and walk of life eat together in large dining areas. They will feed thousands of people every day of the year.

Volunteers prepare full hot meals. This is not a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, anyone is welcome anytime and can eat as much as they want. And they can accept no payment. It is pure giving without expecting anything in return.


It is late when return to our hotel, exhausted. It has been a very good day. I learned so much about this culture and its ways and history. The colors of the fabric, so to speak.

Come With Me as we continue the journey.......