India Called

For as long as I can remember India has fascinated me. In college I thought seriously about transferring to the University of New Delhi and even took courses in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. However love struck and I married. India was put on hold, until now. It's amazing being here after all these years. India declared its' independence from the British on Aug 15, 1947, but touring Delhi shows that the British presence is still felt. All the roundabouts, driving on the other side of the road, and all of the major government buildings and monuments in Delhi were built by the British. My guide Johann and driver Bishan spent most of a day showing me the standard tour of British buildings, when I asked to see the real India, not the tourist India. Johann seemed pleased at this request and we were off to Jama Masdid/ Chandi Chowk, the huge wholesale market place in old Delhi. It was a ride! The only way that you can really see it is by bicycle driven rickshaw. As you ride along watching everything on earth being sold, the traffic continues to get increasingly conjested. This is because at every turn, the lanes get narrower until there is barely room for one rickshaw to pass. It was a blur of colors, smells of incense, crushing traffic, spider webs of old electrical lines overhead (which do fall at times). The poor rickshaw driver must have weighed 90 pounds and he was vigorously pulling me and the guide. Since I've been eating my way around the world we tipped him an outrageous amount. (I was trying to pay by the pound!) Before leaving Delhi, I was fortunate to see the tomb that was actually the model for the Taj Mahal; Humeyun's Tomb. Instead of white marble, it is made out of red sandstone, but the basic architecture is the same. The ruler of the time was married to a Persian woman, and when he died, she had the Tomb built to house his remains and pay tribute to him. The tomb was the first Persian architecture in India. From each side of the tomb everything is exactly the same; the formal gardens, the entryways, the building layout, as well as the towers. It was interesting to visit this temple first before seeing the beautiful Taj Mahal....
In signing off for Delhi, I say "Namaste" a greeting that my friend Pam taught me many years ago. It has remained my all time favorite greeting. You can use it to say hello, goodbye, or a variety of other things. Basically it means,"May the God that is within me, greet the God that is within you." Namaste, and on to Agra and the Taj Mahal. Marion