New Delhi IS better!! It's actually an amazing city. With 10 million people, it has both the lovely and the not-so-lovely. We haven't seen the real slums, and that's a good thing, but I know that they exist. Our first impression of Delhi, on the taxi ride from Indira Gandhi International Airport to our little guest house, was that there is much better infrastructure than Coimbature, there is MUCH more greenery (beautiful tree-lined avenues and lots of expansive parks), slightly more order on the roadways, and many more sights of historical importance! In fact, we've seen only a few of these sights, and we'll be departing this evening, leaving many more unseen. They say that it's good to leave with more left to do, so that you'll come back again. Don't think that will happen, at least not with my current husband.
The history here is ancient and modern, ranging from emperors and shahs who left incredible monuments and tombs, to the British raj lasting several hundred years, to the inspiring struggle for independence featuring the saintly Gandhi. We are soaking it all up like sponges with a feeling that we have barely a clue about India in all her complexity. But we know a lot more than we did a few weeks ago, and suddenly I can sense that we have crossed into a different part of the world, where the influence of Persia and the middle east is all around us, especially in the architecture and Muslin traditions.
On our first day in Delhi, we visited the Gandhi Memorial, very simple and dignified and reminiscent of the Viet Nam Memorial in DC. This is where he was cremated on the banks of the river (which couldn't be seen). I loved the inscriptions of his quotes embedded in stone, using the beautiful calligraphy of Hindi and Tamil and Telugu. Later, resting on the grass in the shade, we were again objects of photographic interest!
Gandhi's Memorial
We followed up with a visit to a nearby dusty, unsophisticated but powerful museum, housing many photographs and artifacts of Gandhi's life. We were reminded of what a humble and brilliant force for good he was. How could the Brit's have resisted for so long his lofty ideals for the freedom of his people? I began reading a borrowed copy of Gandhi's autobiography.
In addition, we figured out the metro system, tangled with a pushy tuk tuk driver, and had our first ride in a rickshaw! We were exhausted after a hot day and hunkered down in our fan-filled room for the evening, snacking on delicious cookies bought along the way.
Day two was cooler, due to the previous evening's thunderstorms. We set our sights on just two tourist venues: the tomb of a Mughal emperor, dating to the mid-1500's, and the Red Fort, an iconic symbol of India's freedom and history.
Humanyun's tomb was breathtakingly beautiful and consisted of a whole complex of massive buildings, set on many acres of land. The grounds were spacious and cared for, offering a cool and welcome oasis in the midst of the city. The tomb itself was a monument which set the standard for all later monuments, including the Taj Mahal. Since I was disappointed that we weren't gong to see the Taj, this made up for it! We wandered around at a leisurely pace, delighted to be in such a peaceful and lovely space, away from the heat, dirt, and pestering. Bruce says it was the highlight for him.
Humanyun's Tomb
The Red Fort is located in the heart of Old Delhi. It, too, is ancient and astonishingly huge, dating from the 1600's and built of red sandstone. Inside, we got sidetracked for an hour or so in a fascinating museum describing in more detail the fight for independence, putting Gandhi's role in perspective with the other patriots. The Red Fort is the location where the Indian flag was first flown on Independence Day: August 15, 1947. It, too, is a complex of buildings, including an old bazaar and a small mosque, all surrounded by tall, thick red sandstone walls and a wide moat.
The Red Fort
That was the end of adventures for day 2 for Bruce. I wasn't finished yet. On the strong recommendation of our hostess, I decided that I "must see" the sound and light show at the Red Fort, starting at 8:30pm. The last sound and light show that I saw was 43 years ago in Rome, when I set off alone, determined to see it. Guess I've got a thing about sound and light shows! Does that mean that I haven't changed a bit in all that time? Depressing thought. Anyway, this time I invited a bright young Italian PhD student, a housemate who is doing research here, to accompany me. With the two of us, I figured we'd be safe. And we were. In the end, after the show, we had a cluster of Indian police officers waiting around us until our taxi arrived - just to be sure!
I wish we had time and stamina to discover more of "incredible India". Today we may explore our own neighborhood surrounding Lifetree B & B, where we have been nurtured by Kanta and Ramish. But then we pack up and pay up - and then check out and hang out - until midnight, when our plane departs for Edinburgh. Arrival tomorrow on the "auld sod" will be a welcome shock to the senses, we expect.
The history here is ancient and modern, ranging from emperors and shahs who left incredible monuments and tombs, to the British raj lasting several hundred years, to the inspiring struggle for independence featuring the saintly Gandhi. We are soaking it all up like sponges with a feeling that we have barely a clue about India in all her complexity. But we know a lot more than we did a few weeks ago, and suddenly I can sense that we have crossed into a different part of the world, where the influence of Persia and the middle east is all around us, especially in the architecture and Muslin traditions.
On our first day in Delhi, we visited the Gandhi Memorial, very simple and dignified and reminiscent of the Viet Nam Memorial in DC. This is where he was cremated on the banks of the river (which couldn't be seen). I loved the inscriptions of his quotes embedded in stone, using the beautiful calligraphy of Hindi and Tamil and Telugu. Later, resting on the grass in the shade, we were again objects of photographic interest!
A quote from Ghandi, written in Hindi and enscribed in stone
We followed up with a visit to a nearby dusty, unsophisticated but powerful museum, housing many photographs and artifacts of Gandhi's life. We were reminded of what a humble and brilliant force for good he was. How could the Brit's have resisted for so long his lofty ideals for the freedom of his people? I began reading a borrowed copy of Gandhi's autobiography.
In addition, we figured out the metro system, tangled with a pushy tuk tuk driver, and had our first ride in a rickshaw! We were exhausted after a hot day and hunkered down in our fan-filled room for the evening, snacking on delicious cookies bought along the way.
Day two was cooler, due to the previous evening's thunderstorms. We set our sights on just two tourist venues: the tomb of a Mughal emperor, dating to the mid-1500's, and the Red Fort, an iconic symbol of India's freedom and history.
Humanyun's tomb was breathtakingly beautiful and consisted of a whole complex of massive buildings, set on many acres of land. The grounds were spacious and cared for, offering a cool and welcome oasis in the midst of the city. The tomb itself was a monument which set the standard for all later monuments, including the Taj Mahal. Since I was disappointed that we weren't gong to see the Taj, this made up for it! We wandered around at a leisurely pace, delighted to be in such a peaceful and lovely space, away from the heat, dirt, and pestering. Bruce says it was the highlight for him.
The Red Fort is located in the heart of Old Delhi. It, too, is ancient and astonishingly huge, dating from the 1600's and built of red sandstone. Inside, we got sidetracked for an hour or so in a fascinating museum describing in more detail the fight for independence, putting Gandhi's role in perspective with the other patriots. The Red Fort is the location where the Indian flag was first flown on Independence Day: August 15, 1947. It, too, is a complex of buildings, including an old bazaar and a small mosque, all surrounded by tall, thick red sandstone walls and a wide moat.
That was the end of adventures for day 2 for Bruce. I wasn't finished yet. On the strong recommendation of our hostess, I decided that I "must see" the sound and light show at the Red Fort, starting at 8:30pm. The last sound and light show that I saw was 43 years ago in Rome, when I set off alone, determined to see it. Guess I've got a thing about sound and light shows! Does that mean that I haven't changed a bit in all that time? Depressing thought. Anyway, this time I invited a bright young Italian PhD student, a housemate who is doing research here, to accompany me. With the two of us, I figured we'd be safe. And we were. In the end, after the show, we had a cluster of Indian police officers waiting around us until our taxi arrived - just to be sure!
I wish we had time and stamina to discover more of "incredible India". Today we may explore our own neighborhood surrounding Lifetree B & B, where we have been nurtured by Kanta and Ramish. But then we pack up and pay up - and then check out and hang out - until midnight, when our plane departs for Edinburgh. Arrival tomorrow on the "auld sod" will be a welcome shock to the senses, we expect.
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