Wednesday 4th June 2014
Where to begin with Delhi? Like Mumbai, India’s capital and
second-largest city, Delhi is vast, and sprawling. It can be roughly divided
into three parts: Old Delhi, New Delhi, and South Delhi. Old Delhi is exactly
as the name suggests, old. It was built by the Mughals in the seventeenth
century, and today remains a predominantly Muslim part of the city, with many
narrow lanes and bazaars, teeming with life. Personally, I really disliked Old
Delhi, and did not enjoy even one single moment its chaotic mess of people and
traffic. For me, it was all of India’s worst aspects thrown into one place.
I’ll come back to Old Delhi later.
New
Delhi, the capital built by the British is certainly unique, and undeniably
impressive. Its wide, tree-lined avenues flanked by impressive buildings with
colonnaded façades, wherein shops, museums and important government buildings
can be found. The heart of New Delhi is Connaught Place, an enormous circle,
where you can find everything from saris to Starbucks.
Finally,
South Delhi is home to much of the city’s new developments of businesses and
seemingly endless suburbs of modern housing and shopping malls, catering to
India’s growing middle and upper classes. I spent many lovely hours in the
malls of South Delhi with Lena, getting back into my ice-cream habit,
appreciating the air conditioning, and of course observing the fascinating
stratum of Indian society that frequents such places. I also bought a new pair
of glasses.
Having
spent an entire week in Delhi, I’m struggling to remember what exactly I did on
a day-to-day basis, seeing as it was mostly just exploring random places that I
came across in between stopping for a drink to escape the heat. Being me, one
of the first things I sought after were museums. On this front (unlike
Calcutta) Delhi did not disappoint. My first visit was to the National Museum,
which I eventually reached after a lengthy argument with my rickshaw driver who
initially had sworn blind that the National Archives were without any doubt the
National Museum. They are in fact, not that far apart, but I was not prepared
to walk the 500 metres in the blazing heat, especially when I’d paid to be
taken to the museum. Rickshaw drivers in Delhi are probably one of its
downsides, they did not seem friendly at all (unlike most of those in
Ahmedabad) and always appeared to go out of their way to cheat a foreigner.
The
National Museum is quite large, and apart from its awfully stuffy corridors,
actually holds quite an impressive collection of artefacts that give an
excellent overview of Indian culture and history. As with most museums in
India, the galleries were mostly devoid of other visitors, the guards a little
power-mad, and the contents a tad dusty. Luckily, this did not detract from the
beautiful collection of miniature paintings and other works of art on display.
The galleries of eighteenth century paintings were probably the best I’ve seen,
with some truly stunning pieces. I love Pahari miniature painting from this
period: the simplicity, the lines, and the bold colours, but also the
unbelievable level of detail and magical storytelling. Being an Indian museum,
about half of the galleries were closed for no stated reason, which was a
shame, but after three hours of carvings of Hindu gods, statues of Buddha, and
forlorn costumes on creepy mannequins, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
The temporary exhibition was rather good though, Rūpa-Pratirūpa: The Body in Indian Art. It encompassed work from
the ancient to contemporary, including some excellent graphic novel-inspired
pieces telling stories of Hindu mythology, one quote from which particularly
tickled me:
“Vibeeshana, during the past eighteen days I have cut off
Ravana’s head a number of times, but he continues to live.” to which the other
character responds:
“He does so because the nectar of life stored in his navel!”
Anyway. The exhibition was very well laid out and presented,
and gave me a great insight into how the body, life and death, are understood
and represented in Indian art and culture.
The next
museum was the National Gallery of Modern Art. Sadly, I was not allowed to take
photographs, but I cannot recommend a visit to this museum highly enough. Its
huge collection is showcased across several floors of well-lit, airy galleries,
containing some of the best modern art I’ve seen in a while. I learned a great
deal about movements that I had no idea even existed, and came away with a
newfound appreciation for the Indian art scene. As we left the museum, the
humidity outside was painfully intense, and the sky was growing grey. Lena and
I hopped in a rickshaw bound for Connaught Place, but around halfway into the
journey (just after passing the rather unimpressive India Gate), the storm
began. A good 10-15 minutes of high winds and dust storms, followed by a huge
downpour. Not a good time to be in a rickshaw. It even made the news, having
blown away a part of Humayun’s Tomb (words about my visit there to follow
shortly), and delaying many flights into the airport.
National Gallery of Modern Art. |
Stormy evening in Connaught Place. |
Thanks
to the metro, I was able to travel to the south of the city and visit the Qutab
Minar complex. Here stands the first monument of Muslim India, and one of
Delhi’s most famous landmarks. Built in the early thirteenth century the tower
stands over 72 metres high, and is (I think) the world’s tallest brick minaret.
Because you know, there are so many other famous tall brick minarets… Either
way, it’s very impressive, and certainly huge. The tower tapers up above the
ruins of a complex of palaces, gardens, mosques and various other buildings,
all covered with beautiful carvings and inscriptions of Koranic verses. It was
like a historical wonderland to explore, and I could have easily spent hours
there, but after about two, I was almost drowning in my own sweat. Lovely
image, I know.
Qutab Minar. |
Carvings at the Qutab Minar complex. |
The next
morning, I made my way through Old Delhi, past the Jama Masjid (saving a visit
to that for next time when I can appreciate it in better weather), to the Red
Fort (or Lal Qila). Along the way my rickshaw driver pointing out where I could
find prostitutes. Apparently, in Delhi, they are far more expensive and nowhere
near as good as those in his home city (Kolkata), where you can get almost
anything you want for Rs. 250. Another image of Old Delhi that I’ll be in no
hurry to remember. My driver dropped me at the wrong gate of the fort, which
meant a rather long walk to the entrance. I wasn’t too happy about this, but it
did allow me to appreciate the fort’s magnificent red bastions, which meander
for a great distance around the complex. Interestingly, one stretch of the moat
contained a large swathe of fragrant bushes, which, on closer inspection turned
out to be cannabis. I’m no expert on the botany of marijuana, or its legality
in India, but there was something a little suspicious about this enormous, but
seemingly well-tended patch of plants hiding in plain sight in this quiet
corner of the city.
Guarding his nation's heritage, Red Fort. |
Lena, Vogue, Tea: Cha Bar. |
Being a
bit of a Disney addict, and needing a break from tourism, I decided to go to
the cinema to see Maleficent. Indian
cinemas smell indescribably strange. I won’t talk about the film, but will
describe the cinematic experience a little. The ticket was only Rs. 200 (£2),
which isn’t bad at all for a 3D film in the centre of a capital city. The 3D
glasses are made of paper though, and they make your vision darker, something
which unfortunately the projectors do not account for, meaning that the entire
film was a tad dim. The 3D also came and went at random. Oh, and there’s an
interval, wherein the film suddenly stops for about 10 minutes, right in the
middle of a scene. What is it with India and prolonging everything?
Lena and
I spent a few hours that Sunday afternoon in a bar/restaurant on Connaught
Place. Reached by its own elevator from street level, it was simply hilarious.
The interior was huge, filled with leather armchairs, and quite dark. Loud,
thumping, lyric-less music pounded, competing with the chatter of half of the
city’s upper middle class youth, apparently trying to find the most obnoxious
way possible to spend their time. I don’t think so many selfies have ever been
taken in a room in such a short space of time. The experience was interesting,
but also a little worrying. There were the usual awkward public displays of
affection, and a general air of superiority among the customers. Not only could
one forget about the time of day and weather outside, but that a world beyond
the exposed-brick walls existed at all.
Moving
on… the last item on my agenda for Delhi was Humayun’s Tomb. Think Taj Mahal,
but more red, smaller, not quite as pretty, and with about a thousand fewer
visitors. Delhi’s first mausoleum, it was built to house the remains of the
second Mughal emperor, Humayun. The tomb is extremely elegant, constructed in
the Persian style, in red sandstone, inlaid with black and white marble, and
stands on a podium overlooking extensive gardens and the Yamuna River. The
octagonal structure is crowned by a dome, part of which was damaged by the aforementioned
storm. This garden tomb is often considered to be a prototype for the Taj. It
is without a doubt, spectacular, and apart from the noise of the trains from
nearby Hazrat Nizamuuddin station, a veritable oasis in this vast metropolis.
Humayun's Tomb. |
Humayun's Tomb. |
Delhi, like
any megacity, is full of delights, disappointments, and – in true Indian style
– contradictions. I defy anyone not to be mesmerised by its vivacity and the
incredible way in which it reflects, forms, and dominates India. It’s an
exhausting but truly fascinating place. A harsh environment, but one which
inspires.
During
my time in Delhi, I had an interview for an internship with KfW, a German
government-owned development bank. If all goes to plan, I’ll be spending five
months working in their New Delhi office, as of mid-January 2015. Exciting! There’s
so much more of Delhi to see, and thankfully it looks like I’ll have the
opportunity to explore it all sooner than expected. I do think I need the next
few months in Europe to recover first though.