Exploring Delhi II & my mom's arrival

I've had another weekend of taking in the Delhi sights and sounds during the 26 January Republic Day celebrations. Last month I purchased a pack of postcards and while I recognized and had gone to some of the places (Red Fort, India Gate, Humayun's Tomb), I found that I didn't know many of the places. So, Birla Temple, the Delhi Jantar Mantar, and the Lotus Temple made their way onto my must-see list. I got rather lost in the beginning, and walked at least 10k each day.

Birla Temple, aka Laxminarayan Temple, was built in the 1930s and is far more modern than most of the temples I have been visiting. I couldn't take pictures inside, but I was happy to lose myself for over an hour wandering through its rooms and appreciating the philosophical scriptures. I took a few minutes to slow down from my typical go-go-go approach to sightseeing and collect my chakra, a breathing technique I had learned from yoga. My favorite painting and quotation was from the epic story of Mahabharata:

"He who desires to cross the painful ocean of worldly life, which is full of the crocodiles of lust, anger, greed and infatuation, should catch hold of the Bhagavad Gita which has the disciplines of action, devotion and wisdom as its oars. It will easily take him to the land of liberation (Nirvana)."

I think this postcard went to Elle and Zach because it reminded me of an upside-down heart. The Jantar Mantar in Delhi is similar to the observatory in Jaipur and they are two of the five built in the 1700s with a remarkable ability to track month and time to the second. Even though the buildings were the same, I took some time to relax and read in the palm tree-filled gardens as I was waiting to meet up with a protest marching towards Jantar Mantar.

 

I headed to a counter-protest that one of my HRLN colleagues had told me about. The main points of the protest, as translated to me, were that the massive military parade that I had watched on tv that morning was a overwhelming display of masculine strength and that India needed to take the recent gang rape as a wake up call and change how society treats women.

I headed to the other end of south Delhi to take in the Lotus Temple. To get there, I crossed a huge park filled with people picnicking and and playing cricket. It was a little run down, but was absolutely the sort of place I could see myself hanging out if I lived here.

Look who made it to India! My mom is here for an amazing 17 day tour that will take her to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, a tiger reserve, and more. After a long flight, we had dinner at her hotel. We shared some spicy dishes and experienced live entertainment.

Her tour guide was amazing and let me tag along the next day to the Qutub Minar. My mom's group is the left of the metal pole, and she is to the left of the woman in the white hat, wearing black.

Next we went to Gandhi Smriti, where Gandhi stayed when he lived in Delhi, with footsteps marking the path he walked on 30 January 1948 when he was assassinated. After that the tour was going places I had already been, so I hopped off the bus to go wander on my own.

I ended up going back to Khan Market for milkshakes and clean bathrooms both days for lunch, and I spent my Sunday afternoon in Lodi Garden reading. I neglected to photograph the largest temples in Lodi Garden last time, and on this repeat visit I discovered a rose garden as well. What a perfect way to cap off the weekend!

Elephant Ride in the Pink City

I went to Jaipur on a whirlwind weekend trip in mid-January with another HRLN intern who arrived a week earlier from Canada. We did as much as humanly possible in 54 hours, including two 5 hour bus rides, a fort, an observatory, a number of beautiful palaces and buildings, and a block printing museum. We also squeezed in a couple of good meals, sitting in a park and watching kites fly, and (unfortunately) a migraine that knocked me out for a couple hours. Here's another pictures-and-captions post and a map of where we went in Jaipur.

Hawa Mahal - the Palace of the Winds where the ladies could look out of the many windows and look down on the Pink City. I'm wearing my favorite kurta which has a block print pattern.

Beautiful stained glass windows

More pretty things at Hawa Mahal

 

Jantar Mantar observatory in Jaipur

This is our elephant.

Riding an elephant up to Amer Fort aka Amber Fort

Amazing detail on the ceilings

Inside Amer Fort is Amber Palace

And inside that is the Hall of Mirrors. So pretty!

  

This step well reminds me of an M.C. Escher drawing

We went to the Anokhi block printing museum and watched this artisan tap out a design in a metal block print. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but we talked to him for a few minutes and asked nicely and he said we could. If you look at the four blocks in the bottom right corner, you can see how they are all part of the same design and each block would carry a different color to the fabric.

Jal Mahal water palace

We had some free time after two days of running from one sight to another, so we took a break in a park in the center of Jaipur. I enjoyed some time with the kindle and watching kids and young men conduct kite battles.

My super awesome walk home today

I had the best adventures walking home today and I'm going to write this post just as it happened.

I left work and headed in the direction of the metro because I was thinking about checking out a Republic Day concert and wandering around Connaught Place.

I saw a giant wedding procession over a block long, with lots of people on white horses. But they all seemed older and I couldn't see the groom, so I went closer to watch.

Unless it's a quintuple wedding?

A few kids in front of me suddenly ran away...and a firework/sparkler caught me on the chin.

This is what a sparkler to the face looks like.
I'm okay.

I cleared out for a bit and went to the back of the procession where there was a band and listened for a bit. Then I walked up the side of the procession because I wanted a better picture of the white horses that were near the front.

They carried a generator to power the lamps

And in the middle there were camels! WHOA giant camels with little kids on the back. I couldn't get any pictures of camels in Jaipur last weekend so I was pretty excited.

The camel seemed less that thrilled to be pulled by the nose, but patiently carried the passengers.

And then in a park behind me I saw kids playing

WITH A GERMAN SHEPHERD

AND THEY HAD A RUGBY BALL

They tried to make the german shepherd stand still, unsuccessfully.

So I walked in and asked if they played rugby. I played catch with about 10 boys ages maybe 8-14 for the next half hour. They had a technique of chucking the ball to try to make the next person drop it, and I tried to teach them the torpedo scrumhalf pass. There was some mud and I got my freshly handwashed clothes dirty but it was totally worth it.

They ran towards me as I took the picture, and the lighting was really poor.

My new rugby buddies

And then one kid walked over CARRYING A 1 MONTH OLD PUPPY (looked like a jack russell mix).

I got to play with the puppy. It had been a perfect half hour and it was getting dark so I called it a night. On the way home a very lost looking (and not unattractive) guy from the Netherlands asked for help getting to the metro as it was his first day in Delhi, and I was able to help him out.

Did I mention there was a 1 month old puppy!!!

What an awesome walk home. I really needed that today.

Exploring Delhi I

I've done a little exploring around Delhi on my weekends, trying to see the big sights and also to find some green space and relax. I've gone to a number of places by now and hopefully will make it to a few more in my last month. Here's a picture-heavy post - enjoy!

Dilli Haat is a market that has a craft booth and food booth from each of India's 28 states. It's much more spread out than most Indian markets and less pressure to buy.

Pretty blue pottery from the Rajasthan stall

Lodi Gardens is a huge park downtown with temples from the 1400s. It was a great place to enjoy a chocolate-peanut butter milkshake from nearby Khan Market and read the Kindle. There is a jogging track around it, but I'm way too busy exploring and eating Indian food to go for a run :)

Lodi Gardens temple

Red Fort is...a big red fort from the 1600s. It's impressive from the front and inside consists of gardens, a museum on the fight for independence from Britain, and more temples. I had a less than stellar time because it was incredibly crowded, but I'm sure it's a nice place. *UNESCO World Heritage Site*

I know, it's the awful self-portait photo. Representing DC rugby from inside the Red Fort walls.

India Gate. Where a lot of the protests have been happening and January 6, it was already fenced off (for the Independence Day celebrations on January 26?). Unfortunately like many of my pictures here, the Delhi fog/smog makes it hard to get a great photo.

Deer Park! This guy had big fuzzy antlers.

His friends did not.

Hauz Khas means "royal water tank" and was built in the 1300s. It sits at the bottom of Deer Park and has a great two-story building that is surrounded by small rotundas used as classrooms.

Fellow intern friends! Emily, who just arrived the night before from Canada, and Katy,  from Scotland, who is my fellow Reproductive Rights intern. Enjoying Hoegaarden and paninis in a nice restaurant in Hauz Khas.

Probably my favorite thing in Delhi so far - Humayun's Tomb. It has a huge garden set out in a grid pattern with the tomb at the center and smaller buildings around the side. Lots of open green space and beautiful construction that is well-maintained from the 1500s.

My next update will be about traveling to Jaipur. I'm also planning to upload another all-photo post with peacocks and my street dogs I see every day walking to work.

I have less than a month, and I will probably spend 9 days on a fact finding in early February. I can't believe I'm already thinking ahead about Europe and spring quarter classes! Here's the map with many of the places above, and more places that I will be visiting.

"Rarest of the Rare"

I mentioned the death penalty a few posts ago, and I've gotten a few questions on it, mostly how India's dp compares to the United State's policies.

I recently found the Kractivist blog while researching my next fact-finding trip. The author is an activist who covers broad human rights issues such as violence against women and the death penalty.

I think this post: The Death Lottery: The Case Against Capital Punishment gives a great overview of major Indian dp cases, including:

• 1973 - Jagmohan Singh - dp is constitutionally permissible if imposed after a fair trial in accordance with a "procedure established by law."

• 1980 - Bachan Singh - created guiding principles on the death penalty: used only in "rarest of the rare cases" and that sufficient weight be given to:
• (1) mitigating circumstances (pertaining to the criminal)
  AND
• (2) aggravating circumstances (relating to the crime)

• 1996 - Ram Chander aka Ravji - the conviction was overturned in 2009 when the court said Ravji was convicted on the basis of the crime without consideration of mitigating circumstances. Seven cases (six based on the Ravji decision) were overturned and 13 people had their sentence changed from death to life in prison. However, Ravji and one defendant had already been executed.

If you want more details, please check out the full article linked above and originally published in Open Magazine. The article was originally published November 29, 2012, so it doesn't reference the December 16 gangrape.

10 things India does better

Fresh produce - there is a cart approximately every 50 feet. Lots of tomatoes, potatoes, red carrots, onions, garlic, peppers, and more!

Markets, small shops,  and pharmacies - I'm not a fan of grocery stores. I tend to get overwhelmed by all the choices. When I first got to Delhi, I was confused that there weren't one-stop-shopping options. But now I appreciate all the tiny little shops. There's a fancy market I go to for cereal and jelly and pay by credit card, another stall where I "top up" my cell phone, pharmacies that sell TP and western toiletries, and bottled water, soda, and biscuits (cookies) are available everywhere. It makes it so easy to stop and pick up one or two things on the way home without doing a huge trip.

Door stops - there are these awesome wood chunks in every door. You just flick it into place and it keeps the door open. It doesn't require reaching up to adjust a slider or throwing a deadbolt to avoid accidentally locking yourself out. This is so basic, but useful. Why haven't other countries picked this up?

Hospitality and tea-offering - when we were in Uttarakhand, as guests, we were offered tea approximately six times each day. At work, there is a chai guy who comes by 2-4 times daily and fills a tiny plastic cup. And, my lovely co-intern is always inviting me over for tea! Surprisingly, the tea selection here is a bit of a letdown - everyone drinks chai or plain black tea, and occasionally I can find ginger lemon - nothing like the caramel, vanilla, raspberry, and peach flavors I am used to back home.

Variety of transportation – walking*, bike rickshaws, autos, taxis, metro – Delhi has it all, at very affordable rates if you know how to haggle. *The prevalence of walking does not mean there are good sidewalks. It means everyone walks in the street and watches out for potholes, rickshaws, and stray dogs.

Office lunch for $1 - there is a lady at work who makes a pot of food every day and brings individual servings around to everyone who is signed up for the lunch plan. It costs Rs. 50, less than $1, and I get three pieces of chapati (pita/tortilla bread) and usually a dish of veggies in curry. I have eaten more vegetables in the last month than I usually do in six months! I am doing a good job eating peas and string beans, but am still picking out mushrooms.

Cheap scarves – beautiful, soft scarves, hats, and blankets in India and Nepal for $1-8 each. If you’re lucky (and you comment on this blog with a preferred color) I’ll bring one home for you!

Inexpensive train travel - you can go 5 hours by train for $8! That's crazy when you compare it to Europe (Justin and I are in the process of booking our tickets for February) or prices in the U.S.

Suo motu – The courts in India may decide that they want to hear and rule on an issue, even if no one has filed a case. This is totally different than the U.S. system. Both the Delhi High Court and the India Supreme Court (in Delhi) may act suo motu (on their own initiative). Recent cases include when a homeless woman gave birth and died on the streets of Delhi in 2009 and the current gangrape case. It’s definitely judicial activism, and I think I like it. Wouldn’t it have made life easier if the U.S. Supreme Court could have heard arguments on Obamacare without the cases having to go through several Federal District courts, getting split decisions, and then finally being accepted for review?

Weddings - obviously. Here's one I passed through walking home from work last week. Can't wait til a certain former roommate has an awesome Indian wedding!





Honorable Mention
Because it isn't really something India does better. People are very short here (males average 5'5", women 5'0"), so India makes me feel tall. That is pretty awesome, but it doesn't make the list because I don't think India is happy about the whole malnutrition and stunting thing.

Didn't make the list
Street dogs. I love dogs, and enjoy counting them every morning on my way to work. Even though they often bring a smile to my face, I can't count it as something India does better when so many of them are clearly starving and have mange.