India is remarkable, has lived up to expectations, and is a place I would like to explore more, although Delhi is now done, and I’d hope other parts might be less pushy. You can’t just walk anywhere without someone offering you advice or urging you to use their taxi/Tuk Tuk. Hotels were very good and oasis of calm with tremendous service from hordes of staff.
Despite gripe above travel was easy – from the efficient joys of the Delhi Metro to the mania of travelling by Tuk Tuk. The driving generally is insane with horns blaring and near misses galore. That said, we only saw one accident (Tuk Tuks crumple horribly) and I was terribly impressed by the responses of drivers to finding a calf walking down the fast lane of the three lane road between Agra and Delhi. It was alive when we swerved past.
Our regular driver – a man of insight. He said to Alison on our first drive, “You are very lucky to be married to a man who smiles so much”. Who knew?
We were unfortunate in that the air quality in Delhi was dreadful because of the unhelpful combination of farmers burning crops and Diwali – government efforts to ban firecrackers went only so far. However, it did not spoil the holiday save blue skies stopped after day two and you could feel it in your throat.
India Gate – on a cloudless day according to BBC weather
Rather than ramble about what we did, here is a selection of photos which hopefully give a sense of the fun we had. Suffice to say the tensions between what we enjoyed and some of the things we saw, made us think. We have far too much, and take it for granted. India’s history makes you think of where we all are currently, and I don’t just mean the Raj.
The Imperial – built in the 30s for Brits inevitablyAnd still very comfortableAnd peacefulNew Delhi: Lutyen’s epic scale on Kingsway, now Raj PathNow Indian government buildingsSt. James’s Church near Kashmere Gate north of Old Delhi. This was the area where the British first governed from and where, in Delhi terms, the mutiny occurred in 1857. Beautiful church built twenty years before by Colonel Skinner, half Scot, half Indian, and therefore rejected by British Army. His solution was to found his own regiment, Skinner’s Horse, which still exists in the Indian Army.Happily the newspapers reveal that funding is being made available to restore it as a national monumentThe Skinner graves. The red stone by the fence is for a lady born in Edinburgh in 1902 and whose ashes were interred in 1998.The headquarters of the North Indian Railway Board. It was the original governor’s residence.The road outside the Church is aptly named and was once very grand. Like many Indian streets its shops reflect a particular interest, in this case cars.It is less fine nowNearby is the cemetery started at the time and still being used for Christian burials. Empires come and goTragedy and stoicismCelebrations at Connaught Place included a laser show and heavy metal!Taj Mahal was simply wonderful. Our guide instead on many staged photos which won’t be shared. Much surpassed laughter. Her – so what are you going to build me? Him – Remember, it was for his third wifeAgra FortOld DelhiThe smells were varied Again, faded grandeur, but this time from Mughal era.Gandhi Smriti, New Delhi – built by an Indian, not a Brit, in the 30sGandhi’s roomThe final walkIndian National MuseumHarappan Clay animals from 2700 – 2000 BCHmmm.
