I wonder what it is that causes this phenomenon? Two of the most striking and extraordinary buildings that I’ve seen since I’ve been in India, the Taj Mahal and the Golden Temple are both located in the middle of what appears to be two of India’s dirtiest and least attractive cities. It’s as if the beauty of the two buildings has sapped the surrounding city of any of it’s own beauty so they can stand out to be even prettier and more breathtaking than they otherwise would. Would the Taj Mahal rate as highly if it were set in the middle of Paris, for example? Equally, would the Sydney Opera House stir the heart if it were set in the middle of some non-descript American or European city?
As if either building or complex needs any help to dazzle or amaze. My first sight of Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple, yesterday was one of those stop and pause moments. Not quite the impact of the Taj Mahal but within a second it was understandable how Mrs Gandhi found herself at the receiving end of a few Sikh bullets after she sent the troops back in 1984. How dare she. The white marble, the golden temple in the middle of the pond, the colours of the men’s turbans as they knelt to pray and the women’s saris all combined to give pause and think just how brilliant and alive this country is.
Jillianwallah Bagh, scene of one of the worst massacres by the British back in 1919 and a turning point in their struggle for independence. Bullet holes protected and marked for extra emphasis.
20 things I’ve learned since I’ve been in Delhi.
1. It’s quite socially acceptable to not only hoik and cough your lungs up in the morning but to sniff, long and deeply, whenever you wish. Having a Westerner’s ear approx. 1m from your face at that time is the Westerner’s problem, not yours.
2. It’s important to always brush your teeth once a day but ensure it’s before your breakfast. How the kids still have such shiny white teeth remains a mystery.
3. When boarding a Metro, push. And dash for one of the few seats if boarding at the first station. Two men to a seat is fine; togetherness is a feature of Indian life the modern Metro won’t kill.
4. When de-boarding a train, push even harder. And a hearty shove at the guys boarding while you’re getting off has a slightly satisfying edge to it.
5. “That’s how it is in India” is the biggest cop out this country suffers from. Whether it’s discussing how kids are punished (severely), people’s behavior in public, the traffic or any one of a hundred things, “that’s how it is in India” is used to excuse any action. Or lack of.
6. Education is the most important thing impacting India today. Coupled with carbon dioxide, fixing corruption, over-population, doing your homework and the need to provide clean water for every person which are also the most important things. Clarity of purpose is paramount.
7. The sight of a small child smiling and reaching for your hand when they’ve not seen you for 4 days fixes any headache/bad mood/frustration or concern you have. No further discussion.
8. The metal detectors at the Metro and airports are used simply to try and force men to go through one at a time rather than the usual three or four of a typical Indian queue. The perfunctory scan by the hand held detectors is equally useless. Unless carrying a replica sword when the guard helpfully points out “Sir, you have a sword! and can’t enter.
9. Freedom of thought is not able to be accommodated in the Indian educational system. Any sentence starting with “why” or “what” leaves even the strongest student quivering and just answering, “yes”. Or “Sir, Sir! India Gate, Sir!”
10. Cheating, whether in a school exam or at the highest level of Government is not punished or shown to be bad. In fact it’s rewarded and until the above mentioned “that’s how it is in India” is no longer acceptable, will always hold this country back.
11. When eating, ensure you make as many smacking, slurping and snorting noises as possible to let everyone within 10m know what you’re doing. Often coupled with deep sniffing, it’s a feature of every meal in India.
12. A kali chai made with lemon, ginger and honey beats a western cup of tea with milk hands down. Every time!!! Pinky, your ticket to Australia is almost assured if you keep making me the best cups of tea I’ve ever tasted.
13. A child needs nothing more than a stick and a small rock or stone to make a game, entertain themselves for hours and laugh themselves silly.
14. The bulk of the books used to teach English are useless for children who’ve never ridden in a car, been on a train, been to a shop to buy something or known a world outside of their slum. Jack and Jill went up the hill. “What’s a hill, Sir?”
15. It is not possible to enter a shop to look at anything without receiving close and personalised attention from which an Indian version of the tango ensues. You step forward, they step back. Repeat. Reverse and dip to get away. And there they are, in front of you again. “As my first customer today, Sir…….”.
16. The head shake is contagious. Small kick to the right = yes. Small kick to the left = no. A wag = really/wow, that’s interesting. Or maybe not.
17. There really are cows and stray dogs. Everywhere. Even in the middle of the Inner Ring Road in New Delhi. The cow was looking a little lost and trapped but it successfully blocked an entire lane.
18. Even after 2.5 months, sometimes there are smells that you pass which make your eyes water and leave you staggering and quietly muttering, “dear god, what the he*l is that??”
19. When you think your auto-rickshaw is full with 14 people, think again. There is always room for a 15th person, sometimes standing on the edge and sometimes sitting on top of someone else but there is always room.
20. Music played at anything less than 150 decibels with appropriate distortion and heavy bass is just background murmur. Additional kudos if the music comes from a moving vehicle such as auto-rickshaws where the drivers manage to fill their back shelves with speakers for full on, ear shattering impact.
Election time in India. What’s a bit of a traffic jam when your man comes to town?
peninindia 