New Delhi was our home base during the two months we were in India. As the country’s capital and a city that has played an important role in Indian history, Delhi had plenty of sights to see and goings on to keep us busy between visits to other cities. Ted and I did our share of tourism, visiting ruins, forts, tombs and mosques.

Beautifully restored Humayun's Tomb

Anne at Safdarjang's Tomb

On cell phone near Jama Masjid

Qutb Minar

Nut vendor in Old Delhi, with California almonds

Hauz Khas ruins

Inlay flower at the Red Fort in Old Delhi

Man outside of Jama Masjid

Taking a break on Chandni Chowk

Waiting for the call to prayer at Jama Masjid

Selling car parts in Old Delhi

Paying for scooter ride in Nizamuddin

Warrior Sikh in Nizamuddin
For us, shopping in Connaught Place thirty years ago meant the latest in imported goods, British style. The buildings still look the same, but many of the shops have changed, and it is now possible to get a taste of home cooking!

Connaught Place

I'm lovin' it

A popular place for lunch
We went to the masjid and shrine of the Muslim Sufi saint Nizam-ud-din on a Friday evening to hear the qawwali (devotional singing). While the singing was pleasant, a more interesting counterpoint was the weirdly disturbing noise coming from a marble latticed room just behind us in the open courtyard. There were about twenty women and children in the room. Several of the women were wailing, screaming, howling and moaning at the top of their lungs. Peeping in through the lattice, we could see that they were wild-eyed and totally focused on their anguish. We were told that they were ridding themselves of the demons that were troubling them: exorcism at the masjid.

Consulting the Book

Gathering for prayers

Listening to the qawwali

Masjid mullah chats with Anne - she has no idea what he said.
Eunuchs -- India's Third Gender
by Nabanita Dutt from www.thingsasian.com

“Their face is their fortune. Caked in cheap rouge, kajal, powder and lipstick, they dress in ill-fitting blouses and colourful saris in a grotesque parody of womanhood as they roam the busy marketplaces in groups, terrorizing pedestrians, hustling for ten or a hundred rupees. These are not your average beggars on the street. With male voices shouting expletives, palms meeting crossways in a trademark clap, they prey on susceptible passersby, who will part with their cash sooner than be treated to the sight of the group collectively lifting up their saris and flashing castrated genital areas right in their faces. ...

India is the only country where the tradition of eunuchs is prevalent today. There are about 1 million of them, though their role in life has changed drastically from that of royal servants, confidantes and friends. ...Eunuchs, or hijras as they are called here, have become something to be feared. Nobody wants to be accosted by one of them - be nudged with their elbows, stroked on the cheek, taunted, cursed and flashed.

It's by taking advantage of this discomfort and embarrassment at their existence, that hijras in 21st Century India are making their living. Begging isn't their only source of income. It's an age-old custom in the country to have hijras bless childbirths, weddings, housewarmings and other auspicious occasions. The eunuchs are believed to possess occult powers, and their blessings - and curses - are both considered potent. ...”
We kept bumping into hijras during our time in Delhi - standing on street corners, working the parks or begging at busy intersections. They do not hassle foreign tourists. One even gave our taxi driver good directions. They did not want their photos taken, although that did not stop Ted and his long zoom lens.

Hijras at Purana Qila
Because the Indian government had taken no appropriate action to combat air pollution, in 1998 the Supreme Court of India took over the responsibility and mandated CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) to be the fuel for all public transportation - busses, taxis, and three-wheel auto-rickshaws (scooters) by 2002. These vehicles are no longer spewing forth clouds of diesel fumes and pollutants. Also, the caravans of diesel trucks transiting Delhi have been banned and those with goods to be delivered in Delhi can only enter the city limits at night. Pollution levels in Delhi have improved due to these measures, and the air seems clearer and the breathing easier than in other major cities in India. Unfortunately, the number of personal vehicles has increased, causing pollution to be on the rise once again.

Happy CNG taxi driver

Sign on a Delhi bus

CNG auto-rickshaws (scooters)
Our friends who live in Texas, Doug and Becky, joined us in Delhi for a few days. Since all four of us attended High School there in the 60's, a visit to the American School campus was a must. There is only one building left dating from our school days, one of the unique structures designed by architect Joseph Stein.

Anne, Doug, Becky and Ted in front of the old High School building
The school is now protected by a formidable eight-foot-high stone wall, quite a change from the waist-high wall in our day. We had to make an appointment to enter the school and after a brief interview were set free to inspect the campus. The school is a completely self-contained enclave, with facilities for all the sports and activities on site: pool, basketball courts on the roof, snack bar, etc. Even the faculty has an apartment building on the grounds. In the ‘60's, we walked several blocks to get to the pool and snack bar. Being in India was part of the school experience, the walls were low enough to look out over. One of Ted’s favorite stories is how at lunch he would phone his bearer and have him bicycle over with a beer from his nearby house and pass it over the wall when no one was looking.

New swimming pool

Doug, Becky and Ted with friend

New building with basketball courts on top

New catwalk connecting buildings

Doug looking for trouble, just like in the good old days
The four of us went to the Birla temple, dedicated to Vishnu and Lakshmi, because Doug used to hang out there. It is a Hindu temple built by the Birla industrial family in the late 1930's and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi with the stipulation that it should be open to all castes and all faiths. On the grounds is a playground with large animal statues.

Birla temple

Large lion guards tunnel entrance

Doug rides tiger with his new entourage

Birla temple finials
One evening, we attended a free concert in Nehru Park featuring the musicians Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma on the santoor, a xylophone-like instrument, and Ustad Zakir Hussain on tabla. The crowd was very appreciative and knowledgeable about the music. It was a beautiful and balmy Delhi night that perfectly complemented the music.

Ustad Zakir Hussain on tabla

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma on santoor
Ted and Rekha wanted to perform a havan puja (a purifying fire ritual) to honor their parents. Both sets of parents were great friends and now have passed away. Rekha asked her family Hindu priest to perform the ceremony in her home. The priest lit a sacred fire in the living room and began the prayers. When the fire was going strong, Ted and Rekha stoked it with spices, rose petals, wood chips and ghee to send the flames leaping and shooting even higher. Purifying smoke filled the room.

Priest, Ted and Rekha perform havan puja
They ended the puja with a brother-sister ceremony where Rekha made Ted her honorary brother, strengthening the bond between them. Both ceremonies were very moving.

Ted now has a new 'sister'