Hi everyone,
Our final destination in India was New Delhi, which I expected to be like Mumbai on speed, but instead was surprised to find a green and sprawling city that moved along at a (relatively) leisurely pace.
The most interesting thing that we did there was a walk through a poor neighbourhood with some young adults who had lived on the same streets as children before being taken in by the Salaam Baalak Trust, a charitable organisation that provides schooling and shelter to any street child who wants it. The walk was fascinating – we were carefully guided through a myriad of alleyways and parking lots where Tekken arcade games are still all the rage and pictures of gods from many different religions are painted at waist height along the walls to stop men from urinating there. It made us laugh, it made us cry (well start sniffling a little), but most of all it made us empathise with the street children who had started to become a normal part of the background for us, as shocking as that may seem. It was very humbling and really put my personal concerns in perspective.
The tour finished up at one of the Trust’s centres where we met a group of forty boys aged between 6 and 13 who had taken refuge there. We felt a bit awkward at first being confronted with a room full of silent children who spoke a different language, but the ice was quickly broken when we found out that the boys loved hand clapping games and having their picture taken. They were completely charming, gentle and full of hopes and dreams. If anybody out there is in the mood to donate to a worthy cause I would highly recommend this one!
The India gate and surrounding park, with its boat rides and candy-floss... very leisurely.
Air-conditioning in a tuk-tuk, on our way to see the Bahá'í Lotus Temple...
Pretty spectacular from the outside, but we had to be silent inside which was a shame considering the acoustic potential of the place... thankfully some small children decided to let out some shrieks which boomed around the walls, satisfying my curiosity.
Wandering through Pahar Ganj, an old part of Delhi with our new companions from the Salaam Baalak Trust.
No alleyway is too small for a scooter, or two. The religious paintings with a special purpose (as mentioned by Soph)
One they learned I had a camera, the 40 or so quiet, subdued kids turned into a rampaging torrent...
Soph's clapping hand games also went down a treat, I tried but failed miserably... and was laughed at.
And that's it for India, it's been a pretty tumultuous ride! We're going to finish with some highs and lows:
Top 5:
1. Relaxing on the beach in Goa - half Indian, half Portuguese & totally awesome.
2. The food - palak paneer, sweet su (saunf) and chai tea deserve a special mention here.
3. The forts and palaces of Rajasthan - epic
4. House-boating in Kerala - pure luxury
5. Sipping on golden tip tea while the fog rolled by in Darjeeling
Bottom 5:
1. The poverty and the wealth divide - it is just so so sad to see so many skeletal people living on the streets. And then you see a BMW M3 drive past...
2. Leering men - not all western women are easy, how many have you picked up lately?
3. Tuk-tuk drivers - no we don't want a ride unless we're waving you down, and stop trying to rip us off!
4. Piles of rubbish on the street - ever heard of a bin?
5. The heat - don't go there in summer. Just don't.
Our final destination in India was New Delhi, which I expected to be like Mumbai on speed, but instead was surprised to find a green and sprawling city that moved along at a (relatively) leisurely pace.
The most interesting thing that we did there was a walk through a poor neighbourhood with some young adults who had lived on the same streets as children before being taken in by the Salaam Baalak Trust, a charitable organisation that provides schooling and shelter to any street child who wants it. The walk was fascinating – we were carefully guided through a myriad of alleyways and parking lots where Tekken arcade games are still all the rage and pictures of gods from many different religions are painted at waist height along the walls to stop men from urinating there. It made us laugh, it made us cry (well start sniffling a little), but most of all it made us empathise with the street children who had started to become a normal part of the background for us, as shocking as that may seem. It was very humbling and really put my personal concerns in perspective.
The tour finished up at one of the Trust’s centres where we met a group of forty boys aged between 6 and 13 who had taken refuge there. We felt a bit awkward at first being confronted with a room full of silent children who spoke a different language, but the ice was quickly broken when we found out that the boys loved hand clapping games and having their picture taken. They were completely charming, gentle and full of hopes and dreams. If anybody out there is in the mood to donate to a worthy cause I would highly recommend this one!
The India gate and surrounding park, with its boat rides and candy-floss... very leisurely.
Air-conditioning in a tuk-tuk, on our way to see the Bahá'í Lotus Temple...
Pretty spectacular from the outside, but we had to be silent inside which was a shame considering the acoustic potential of the place... thankfully some small children decided to let out some shrieks which boomed around the walls, satisfying my curiosity.
Wandering through Pahar Ganj, an old part of Delhi with our new companions from the Salaam Baalak Trust.
No alleyway is too small for a scooter, or two. The religious paintings with a special purpose (as mentioned by Soph)
One they learned I had a camera, the 40 or so quiet, subdued kids turned into a rampaging torrent...
Soph's clapping hand games also went down a treat, I tried but failed miserably... and was laughed at.
And that's it for India, it's been a pretty tumultuous ride! We're going to finish with some highs and lows:
Top 5:
1. Relaxing on the beach in Goa - half Indian, half Portuguese & totally awesome.
2. The food - palak paneer, sweet su (saunf) and chai tea deserve a special mention here.
3. The forts and palaces of Rajasthan - epic
4. House-boating in Kerala - pure luxury
5. Sipping on golden tip tea while the fog rolled by in Darjeeling
Bottom 5:
1. The poverty and the wealth divide - it is just so so sad to see so many skeletal people living on the streets. And then you see a BMW M3 drive past...
2. Leering men - not all western women are easy, how many have you picked up lately?
3. Tuk-tuk drivers - no we don't want a ride unless we're waving you down, and stop trying to rip us off!
4. Piles of rubbish on the street - ever heard of a bin?
5. The heat - don't go there in summer. Just don't.
No comments:
Post a Comment