Starvation is a Creation of the Devil
Trip Start
Dec 04, 2005
1
39
45
Trip End
Jun 16, 2006
Delhi,
India
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Anyway, we arrived in Delhi and were relieved to find it pleasantly cool outside. We had pretty much been dreading our arrival into what had reportedly been 46 degree C (about 114 F) heat the week before. So, okay it was only 6:30 AM when our train got in, but still it was exciting that we weren't yet sweating. Lucky for us the heat wave broke the night we were on the train with a huge storm.
Jessie at Humayun's Tomb
Serious good fortune, I tell you. Now, I need to take a quick moment to back up. About a week after we arrived in India I had sent an e-mail to a friend/co-worker of mine in DC asking if she had any suggestions for northern India from any of the time she had spent there. She e-mailed back right away and put me in touch with a friend of hers who had lived and worked in Delhi for a while and married a guy from there (THANK YOU, Rani!). Although they are now living in DC the couple quickly offered up his family in Delhi to host us and help us around Delhi (M: She also give us a list of places to go, things to buy, what to avoid and, most importantly, locations with AC. Her e-mail was our bible for the whole time we were in Delhi!). We are still floored by how kind and trusting and generous this offer was -- taking in two complete strangers, opening up their lives and their home to us. Back to the story at hand...we hopped in an autorickshaw (aka tuk tuk) and motored off to meet our hosts. We arrived to tea and snacks and a wonderfully warm and welcoming family. Although I will try throughout this entry, words will never adequately describe how amazing this family was to us.
Our first day in Delhi we ate delicious food at home (basically it was like being with our Gram, constantly fed and unable to say no to all the incredible food) and then went out shopping with our adopted Indian mom. She was unbelievably patient with us as we looked through kurtas (long Indian shirts) and fabric to have a salwar kameez made for our mom back home.
Jessie at Qutb Matar
We also spent some QT playing with the small friends (M: The 2 year old is an absolutely gorgeous little girl who spoke to us entirely in Hindi. The 6 year old is a hysterical little boy whose English is absolutely incredible. They're wonderful kids!) at home. One of the greatest things about staying with this family was experiencing the common tradition of Indian family living in many ways. But the one in particular that stood out for me was how three generations commonly live together. It is common for a son's family to live with his parents, as was the case with this family. Therefore we got to spend time with all three generations -- so much fun. (M: It also gave this unique family the opportunity for the grandparents to spend extra time with the kids as both of their parents work. This is beneficial for everyone involved.)On our second day in Delhi we decided to see as much as we could. So we hired a taxi (with help from our Indian dad) and scooted all over the city (thank you, Jenika, for all of your fantastic suggestions) stopping to see Bahai Temple, Humayan's Tomb, the Old Fort, Jama Masjid mosque, Janpath Market, lunch in Connaught Place, and shopping at Dilli Haat market. Hey, we have had a lot of practice at fitting a whole lot into a short amount of time. I think my favorite sight was Humayan's Tomb (M: Mine too). It is a beautiful building with gorgeous grounds around it. The area is incredibly peaceful and on that particular day it was breezy and delightful. Apparently the Taj Mahal (which, yes, we skipped on this trip to India) was based on the design of Humayan's Tomb.
Looks a Bit Like a Certain Opera House
The Bahai Temple was really beautiful as well, but personally it seemed just slightly to reminiscent of a certain opera house in a certain Aussie city (M: Totally! Although the "lotus blossom" design is fairly obvious). But the space inside the temple is gorgeous and serene just as was intended. Overall the day was great - sightseeing, a bit of shopping, topped at the end with a wonderful dinner at home with the family. Before I move on to our third and final day in Delhi I want to just comment a bit on some of the Delhi challenges. Besides the heat which plagues this city and the people during this time of year (forcing those who can afford it and have access to it, inside), there are countless impoverished Indians on the streets of Delhi. We were warned about the begging in Kolkata and some in Delhi as well, but from the time we spent in both cities, I felt the poverty in Delhi more than Kolkata. Along the streets there are small tent cities (ripped tarps held up by sticks and rope) and countless small children and adults sitting along the streets or wandering around. Sometimes they are just watching and other times they are amidst the traffic approaching cars and rickshaws and passersby with their hands outstretched looking for anything you will give them. There are crippled, handicapped, and maimed individuals pulling themselves along the filthy, hot ground or dragging themselves by a make-shift crutch. There are small children holding even smaller children gesturing and miming their hunger and desperate need for nourishment.
Missy at Humayun's Tomb
And rarely, children approach, selling flowers and newspapers. I found it utterly impossible to feel desensitized by all of this. It never got old or just routine to me. Each day's beggars and clear signs of poverty were constant reminders of our privilege and the fact that seeing all of this was just temporary, that we were able to escape from that reality -- not our reality, their reality. It was an overwhelming feeling of not only privilege, but otherness and all that seems unjust in the world. How is it that we are able to hop on a plane and leave all this behind like a bad dream when this filth and poverty is what some people are not only born into, but will die in as well? Experiencing this quickly puts life into perspective -- the things we take for granted, the things that seem like life crisis, the fights that seem worth fighting, the concerns that really are quite nominal. And the idea of giving thanks or reflecting on what I have and what I can really do without in this life has come much more clearly into focus. (M: J, that was perfectly written - exactly. The notions of what we spend money on and what we can afford were really thrown into sharp relief when riding through Delhi. I don't think I can add anything to what Jess said, that was it exactly.)Our last day in Delhi was a bit of an errand day, running around buying last minute gifts and spices and seeing one more Delhi sight -- Qatab Minar, a gorgeous tower of red sandstone and marble. Saying good-bye to our adopted family was really hard. How really do you thank people who have given you a home, not knowing you at all, and asking for nothing at all in return? I cannot think of a time in my life when I have personally experienced such selfless generosity. And for this I think we will both be forever grateful. (M: I certainly think that the kindness we have been shown by strangers has changed me. Not only in their generosity of spirit, but in their hospitality. I think we've both seen how giving people can be and we've vowed that we want to be able to give back, not just to the people who've helped us, but to others who've crossed their paths. It feels like such an important life lesson to have learned and I can't wait for the opportunity to employ it.) Leaving Delhi and India is bittersweet, but knowing that Erica and Glasgow are what we are leaving for makes it quite a bit sweeter as we gleckel on.
