When I first came to India in 2006 it was a choking, suffocating, energy-zapping 116 degrees when I landed. So much has changed here since then. And yet so much is still the same.
A frigid, and drizzly 45 degrees welcomed me this time as I exited the airport. So too did the familiar but oh so exotic scent of burning wood mixed with cardamon, cumin and cinnamon, a scent, I think, that is unique to India, and which entered every pore of my body as the memories of a friendly, open land came rushing back. I am so happy to return.
The traffic is so much saner now than it was then: there are traffic lights everywhere and the cows who wandered freely amid the Delhi traffic chaos are gone. So too are the families living on the streets - banished, I suppose, to the slums around the city so as not to disturb the tourists and rising middle class. The mass of human flesh is everywhere now as then, So too are the homeless street dogs.
The Delhi highlight? The subway of all things. The third largest metro system in the world (and, I'm guessing, at only $.30 for a short ride, probably the cheapest as well). It's far cleaner than the streets, modern, fast and efficient. But the crown jewel of the underground system? EVERY TRAIN HAS ONE CAR RESERVED EXCLUSIVELY FOR WOMEN!! Imagine the fun we would have if such a car existed in the NY subway! We could fix our stockings, change from work to party clothes and sit like guys with our legs spread, among other things not printable here. Because of the bad rape rap here, there are also women-only queues now at banks, movie theatres and other public places where lines tend to form. Freedom from harassment and the immaturity of unknown men - for even a few brief moments- is a glimpse into heaven.
Second highlight? The Sikh Temple, where millionaires volunteer to cook for, and then eat together with thousands of the poor, regardless of religion, who are fed here EVERY DAY. Prince and pauper alike take the food offerings with both hands open as a sign of respect and gratitude. Live chanting, melodius and strong and joyful, supplies the backdrop to the devout who come to pay their respects.
Trivia Timeout: Did you know that the Sikh religion has 5 main rules that apply to men and women alike?: (1) never cut the hair (2) carry a comb to keep the hair shiny and obeisant (3) always carry your knife or sword wherever you go (4) wear big, loose fitting pantaloon-type underwear and (5) wear a bracelet. The reason for the rules is fascinating, but I'll let you google that.
Infrastructure is vastly improved. The trip from Delhi to Agra (home to the Taj Mahal) took only 3.5 hours over a 6-lane sparkling, new highway, rather than the 5- hour trip through small villages on 1-lane backroads, as it did on my last visit here. While the progress is surely an improvement for transporting goods, the small business owners along the old route are absolutely the worse for it.
But the Taj Mahal, built as a mauseleom for the Moghul Emperor's beloved wife who died after giving birth to her 14th child, has not changed since 1648 when the building was completed. It truly lives up to its billing as the most beautiful building in the world.
It was a particularly foggy afternoon when we arrived and the white marvel appeared as a ghost in the milky grey/white distance. Elegant, majestic, and timeless, it glimmers like the Emerald City in the Land of Oz, and is situated high on a platform beside the Yamunna River. No image that I have ever seen of the Taj conveys its ethereal beauty.
As you walk through a massive red limestone arch the Taj, quite a distance away, at the end of a long reflecting pond, appears to float in mid air. The noisy, unruly crowd that enters is suddenly silenced and stunned by the white wonder and its perfect symmetry, purposely positioned so that the backdrop is only sky. The movements of a mass of people come to a sudden halt upon first sight.
On either side of the massive structure stand twin red limestone mosques, exact mirror images of each other. The mosque on the left was used by the royal family. The one on the right was never intended to be used for prayers, but was built as a "fake" mosque for the sole purpose of maintaining the symmetry of the entire complex. These two mosques are rarely seen in photos of the Taj. Four minarets at each corner of the Taj platform were built to lean outward so that in the event of an earthquake they would fall away from, rather than toward the tomb of the Emperor's favorite wife.
It took 22 years and 20,000 people to build the Taj, which is entirely built of white, translucent marble inlaid with precious and semi precious stones - rubies, emeralds, onyx, and diamonds, to name just a few. Descendants of the original marble artisans still work their craft in Agra. The formula for the special glue that's held the jewels in place for centuries is secret and known only to these descendants. Not long after the building was completed, the Emperor was imprisoned by his son in a fort some 40 km away. His room faced the Taj which towered in the distance. He would never again visit either his wife's tomb or the monument he so lovingly created in her memory.
A word about the monkeys which hang out in the parking area: Our guide told us that the monkeys enter the open windows and doors of local homes and head straight to the kitchen looking for food. If no food is found they steal the laundry hanging outside and race to the rooftops. There wthey remain with their bounty, guarding it ferociously, until the owner pays a ransom with food. Smart monkeys.
I have a very short video of the Sikh Temple but I can't figure out how to post it here. Will post it to good ole' Facebook in a separate status update.
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