Blast One Month Back: Delhi!!

Fact 1: I am terrible at this blogging bit. I have about 7 drafts OF blog entries in the works. Apologies. And I am officially a month behind (shy of one day, I think).
Fact 2: People who can keep their blogs updated have a gift. I swear, they have some chromosome that allows them to maintain their blogs. I lack that...for sure.
Fact 3: Emma Herzog, one of the most amazing people to exist, has a BEAUTIFUL blog. And reading hers indeed has inspired me to get myself back in blogging shape. SO—tonight will be a marathon of entries, so long as the world wide web decides to run at a decent speed.

We’re going to go ALL the way back to June 21, when I took a train from Chandigarh to Delhi, and was met at the station by my friend Anshul’s mom, brother, aunt and cousin. From the moment they picked me up, we begun the Delhi Experience, family-style, which was a whirlwind 5 days of amazing people, sights, food, family, sari shopping, DOSAS (lentil-based deliciousness that is indescribable) and “Om Shanti Om”—the Bollywood hit of the decade. (note: I got a free copy of it when I got minutes for my cell phone. Ithaca people: prepare, I’ve decided we will indeed watch it and order in, or make, massive amounts of Indian food come August…) I definitely had a different Delhi experience than most, cause mine included none of the hairy hotels, getting lost/cheated by the auto rickshaw drivers, being overwhelmed by the city. Mine included the best tour guides imaginable, so much hospitality and (this is no exaggeration) blatant love and attention, fantastic conversations, constant laughs, and literally being welcomed into a family half way across the world from my home, no questions asked.

It occurred to me there that Anshul and I have been friends for over 14 years or something (that. is. sweet.), and his mom Nilima has watched me grow up all these years through OM (2nd grade, we were such adorable bats) and Junior Great Books and Saturdays hanging out at their house and moving into Cornell 2 years ago...I have known Anshul's brother Anurag before he was even three years old...and NOW HE IS 5'11"!! (I still can’t get over this). He is a great guy, with a fantastic sense of humor—I loved hanging out with him and Anshul’s cousins. Nilima and I also got loads of time to catch up and talk and talk and talk some more…one time we managed to chat while devouring a huge bunch of lychee together in record time. By the end of the trip, I just felt so lucky to know this family, and blessed is a good word in this case, to have all of this come from the fact that Anshul and I met as tiny little kids at Bear Creek Elementary.

I loved being in a family setting again, all generations tossed together, people in and out, visiting each other all the time. Anshul's grandpa and I talked about domestic violence and Indian and American cultures and family norms, philosophy and physics (I KNOW) and Shakespeare and Harry Potter. Anshul's grandma was constantly offering chai and making sure I was fed; she is so, so sweet, and we've already put together some business plans to export her mango chutney to the US and Israel. :)

Delhi reminded me how much I love cities. Chandigarh is a fantastic place to live for a few months, especially as foreign female in India, but Delhi had so much to see and do and experience, so much culture and art and history. I loved the architecture, both the British and Mughal influence so visible in the landmarks, the traffic-filled streets and huge crowds. It’s a shame to me that so many of the other interns have negative perceptions on Delhi as being dirty, chaotic, and a complete mess—but then again, I know that I was really given the star treatment for those 5 days.

Oh, man. A month later, and as I’m writing this I’m getting “homesick” for those aloo paranthas (potato filled pancakes at breakfast) and mint chutney and family dinners and listening to Britney Spears and Madonna in the backseat with the cousins…it was the BEST way to experience Delhi, to see old friends and make some new ones...and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. So to the Lals and Kumars--until next time!

Not even an hour after I arrived in Delhi, we headed over to the Red Fort, constructed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639. The fortress palace was the focal point of the medieval city Shahjahanabad (thanks, Wikipedia...). Really beautiful, I was the perfect tourist and Nilima was definitely amused by how many photos I was snapping...

I mainly like this for the shadow it created. Check it. (And just wait for the entry about the palaces and forts in Jaipur...)

Again with the colors! I can never, ever get enough of it. I think I may actually get some psychological problems when I return to the US, where people love their white, black, and neutral colors. And let's not even talk about Ithaca come winter...

Taken by Payal, Anshul's cousin, because I really liked the outfits these guys had. If you have a second, click on the photo and ZOOM in to see the HILARIOUS smile this guy has on. And we thought we were being subtle in catching a photo of them...(@Cornell, Largest Club in the World indeed. I got so many compliments on this shirt from the @ers here!)

This was probably my favorite touristy stop we made, at the Bahá'í House of Worship, Lotus Temple. Its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The coolest part: it has a natural AC system inside due to the architecture and the pools of water that surround it. How environmentally friendly. :) I don't know much about the faith, but I like the concept a lot. If anyone knows anymore, please let me know--I'd love to learn more about it. It's rather intriguing...

Delhi Art Gallery--YESSS!! And entrance was like 2 rupees!! (that even beats the Met, Annamarie...) I loved this so much, and I'll definitely spend more time there next time. You know me and art museums to begin with, plus we got a sneak peek at the art of Amrita Sher-Gil, which was beautiful, so full on contrast and emphasis and emotion (do look it up). I managed a few sketches in my journal, and it felt so good. I am always amazed at how much I love to do it, and how rarely I do these days...but I was inspired, so I came back that night and made a sketch for Anshul's family of some flowers and a sculpture of a boy. My hand was cramped afterwards, but the feeling of creating something on a single white sheet of paper is irreplaceable (this is where I insert a massive pitch of BLMS pride).

At a family dinner! What lovely people, each and every one of them.

This is definitely one of my favorites, and I'm glad that I remembered to ask for a photo with Anshul's grandparents in them...I think it's a great picture of them, and Anurag as well, because it does (as much as possible in a photo) capture how warm and friendly and fantastic they were to me. :) (thanks again...)