City Life at Last!

Marigold fields on the way to Wazirabad
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Our first day in Delhi happened to be India’s day of Independence, January 26^th. Because we had arrived the night before, we were unable to get tickets to the parade. However, we tried our luck anyways. We somehow managed to “talk” our way in after going through almost 10 different guards. Again, if you’re persistent in India, anything is possible. The floats were beautifully decorated according to each region in India. There were also many marching bands. My favorite was the marching band on camels!! Apparently, Vladimir Putin was in attendance…

Pilgrims at the Yamuna River
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Well, Delhi so far is a pleasant change to Varanasi. The streets are a little bit cleaner and not as polluted. We had our first lecture on Monday at Jawarhal Nehru University (JNU). The staff and students gave us a warm welcome. The Dean of the School of Arts gave us a lecture on Indian Art and Aesthetics from a historical perspective, it was very interesting. Afterwards, we wandered around Lodi Gardens to have lunch and explore the park. There was an ancient mosque right in the middle of the gardens surrounded by different species of birds flying about on the trees. It was very peaceful.

Art installation at Yamuna River
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We had another Indian classical music concert that will perhaps be the most memorable because it was with Shubhendra Rao and his wife Saskia. Shubhendra is a well-known sitar player in Delhi who studied under the famous guru Ravi Shankar who influenced the Beatles in the 70’s. It was an amazing experience to be in their home listening to the most enchanting Indian ragas.

On the weekend, we attended an art installation exhibit sponsored by Khoj Studios, a contemporary art studio here in Delhi. We took a bus to the Yamuna River in Wazirabad, where ceramic toilet seats lay in formation on the riverbank. The artist explained that the Yamuna River used to be a source of life for the Indian people, but because of urbanization and industrialization, the river has become extremely polluted with sewage. The toilets symbolize how the river has basically turned into a place where sewage is disposed. It makes you really think about the effects that urbanization has on India.

Qutb Manar
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The next day involved a little sightseeing around Delhi. Our first stop were the ruins at the Qutb Minar Complex, which boasts the tallest stone tower in India. Beside the Qutb Minar is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid, one of India’s oldest mosques that was constructed entirely from the remains of 21 Hindu and Jain temples destroyed by the Turkish leader, Qutb. Next, we went to the largest mosque in India, the Jama Masjid set on top of a small hill.

That night, we visited a political science professor from Delhi University, Shamsul Islam. He is also an avid street performer who uses theatre as a form of protest about certain political issues. He has written many books on Hindu nationalism and the RSS. He took us out for dinner that night to Karim’s restaurant in the Muslim community near Jama Masjid. I would have to say that our meal at Karim’s was the best I have had so far in India, Highly recommended if you’re ever in the area!