Drifting in Delhi
I had a delightful visit in Delhi 2 weeks (which has just flown by) ago.
I attended a workshop with my colleagues in Delhi and stayed on to do some wandering (or “ghoomna” as the locals would say) in Delhi. I’ve heard interesting and colourful stories about the narrow streets of Chandi Chowk in Old Delhi. It is a very old part of town, but with an overwhelming number of colours, sounds and odours intertwining to create a unique place.
Accompanied by Gerhard (my colleague from SA who is based in Delhi), Jolene (his wife) and their guests as well as the architect who is working on our Delhi office, I was ready explore what Chandi Chowk had to offer. Bad planning meant that my camera battery died just as I arrived there, but my bad luck soon turned into a golden opportunity as Gerhard handed me his Nikon D80. I fell in love both with Old Delhi and the camera soon after that.
I drifted through the narrow streets feeling like a hybrid between a paparazzi and a National Geopgrahic photographer as I aimed at the locals and sights.
And so the chronicles of the akhela aadmi in Chandi Chowk begins:
First we stopped at Jamma Masjid (next to Chandi Chowk) to meet up with our friends and colleagues.
It is a great place to visit, but given that I have been there before I now only go to dress up:
We were also accompanied by Mr Mahesh who grew up in Chandi Chowk. He now works for Gerhard’s architect. I assume his English was not perfect, because when he found out that I could understand (some) Hindi, I got a personalised tour in Hindi!
So into the narrow streets of Chandi Chowk we went, weaving our way through pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, cycle rickshaws, hand carts, dogs and occasionally a cow or two:
Some streets were a bit wider, but no less crowded though:
When you visit India, don’t be shocked, just tread carefully and avoid getting entangled in wires. As with most places in India, I normally stop for a while to admire the electrical wiring artwork that decorates the streets. Chandi Chowk is no exception - just admire the craftsmanship behind these wonders:
The highlight for me (as with a lot of places in India) were the people. Meet the locals:
There were many tempting options for a snack along the way, but we finally stopped at a friendly local cook making fresh batches of cookies on his mobile kitchen. By now I am very comfortable to eat “so-called” street food in India, especially when you can see how it is prepared. You will also notice that all food in India is very fresh, especially chicken - which is still “nice and warm” when they hand it over to you. Below are a few pictures of the various culinary temptations along the way. The photos of the vendor with the delicious cookies is at the bottom. (And no - I didn’t get sick, not even a little.)
So after meeting the people and snacking on delicious freshly baked cookies, I wondered what else Chandi Chowk had to offer. It was not long before some other locals entertained me.
Let me first introduce them:
Stray dogs are a common sight in India (probably only things that are more common are people, mosquitoes and vehicles!), but to find one on top of a motorcycle was a nice touch. And did you think I was kidding about the cows earlier? Nope, you find them everywhere! (Now I’ll see if I can find one on a motorcycle.) But the star of the show had to be the monkey.
I have seen lots of monkeys since coming to India, but this one was determined to make an impression. Soon after appearing from above and staring at the people passing below him, he decided to participate in another very common Indian activity …. public urination. Only he had less manners (and better aim) than from my earlier observations of this phenomenon in India - because he took aim and managed to hit/wet a number of people passing below him. I was quite entertained and amused, but they weren’t!
Chandri Chowk however is not only small alleys, crowds and stray dogs. There are beautiful architecture and lovely house scattered within the maze:
Another find for me was children on the way to school. They were transported (trapped?) in a school “cycle-bus” (prison wagon)?.
All very friendly and happy, and even happier after they realised there picture were being taken:
For our final stop we wandered over to the spice market near Chandri Chowk. The aromas were intoxicating and sometimes overwhelming, but it was nice to experience the spice trade that probably has gone on for perhaps a thousand years.
The experience
Walking through the “real India” is an enlightening and moving experience. People here are so friendly and even though the camera I was carrying was worth more than most people there would earn in a year, I never had to worry about my safety. India is a friendly country that will embrace you if you let it - but you have to be able to overlook the dirt and be comfortable with thousands of people surrounding you. Once your eyes adjust to the chaos you can start to see the character of India and of the people here. And my main conclusion is that though the people are very poor in monetary terms, they are rich in morality and spirit. (And you see more smiling faces here than in richer countries…)
Overall I really recommend a visit to India, a visit to Delhi and a nice long stroll in Chandi Chowk. I really enjoyed it, but you can’t please everyone.
He didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as I did:
Pir milenge.
Theo Scheffler
March 4th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Very interesting Theo! Sounds like an incredible place.
Tim
March 4th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I love that last pic.
Ek dink sy vrou sit vierkantig op sy kop, maar in Indië mag jy dit seker nie erken nie
March 17th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Lekker die naweek slumdog millionaire gekyk en aan jou gedink. ‘n lekker kyk movie wat nogal die armoede in perspektief sit. Gaan goed die kant net bietjie moeg na n week in Hongarye. Hoop dit gaan nog goed met Marga se swangerskap! Jy kom mos in die dae SA toe? Lekker