Un dimanche hors du commun...

Après notre cours du dimanche, nous avons décidé de nous rendre au Rajghat, c’est-à-dire l’endroit de la crémation de Mahatma Gandhi. Particulièrement aujourd’hui, sa mémoire fut soulignée car le 30^e jour du mois de janvier est le jour de l’anniversaire de son assassinat. De toute évidence, l’endroit avait été décoré pour l’évènement, mais avec notre sens du timing, vous pouvez y lire que l’on est arrivé une fois la cérémonie terminée…

Thinking that it would be a peaceful experience, we were approached by the principal of a school in Ghaziabad – an area close to where we live – and were asked to take pictures with the children. We were about to live our biggest paparazzi moment of this trip…well, so far.. we felt like celebrities while a dozen of children were offering their hands for us to greet them individually !  Once the chaos subsided, we were able to take the peace of the moment and pay our respect to the Father of this Nation, noting the inscription on his memorial of his last words: Oh God! – Hai Ram

Seven Social Sins

Politics without Principles
Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Knowledge without Character
Commerce without Morality
Science without Humanity
Worship without Sacrifice

L’aventure se poursuit, cette fois à la recherché d’un restaurant établi en 1956: Chor Bizarre – Hotel Broadway. En entrant dans l’établissement, on a cru un instant que notre sens du timing nous faisait encore défaut, car le restaurant était fermé. Pour passer le temps, on s’est installé au bar Thugs.
“ 2 Kingsfisher, please” – confiantes de paraître 25 ans (legal drinking age in Delhi)  Et bien, ca l’a fonctionné! Toutefois, on se sentait plus ou moins comfortable dans l’endroit…plutot du genre somber et “gentleman’s club”, pas étonnant d’y trouver qu’une salle de bain reservée aux hommes, mais nous avons tout de même grandement apprécier cette première consommation du voyage – après le vin servi dans l’avion…

Beers consumed, feeling slightly happier, we are taking seats in the restaurant that has kept its original décor, completed with an antique car serving as central attraction and a vintage bed as one of the main table. Feeling slightly carnivorous after the first full week completed with our vegetarian family (no meat, no chicken, no fish, no egg, no garlic, no onion – not even in the house), we opted for a few of the above, the best being the garlic prawns!
Des fois, c’est bien fait la vie en Inde! ;) 

Old Delhi

A few weeks ago we had the idea to visit Old Delhi, an idea which was rapidly turned down when the morning of, we learned that the district has been shut down due to a manifestation of 10 000 Muslims, protesting the demolition of a Mosque in South Delhi.  Today, despite Dr. Nandy's apprehensions of us going alone and even offering for our supervisor to accommodate us, we finally felt that we were accustomed enough to daily Delhi life to make a visit to this walled city.

Upon exiting the metro at Chandni Chowk (chowk = town square) we were greeted with the chaos that inhabits what was once the greatest markets in all of India.  Red Fort, or Lal Qila, which served as the capital of the Mughal empire stands majestically at one end of this thoroughfare.  

After visiting the premises of the Red Fort complex, which had the capacity to house 3, 000 people in its heyday (now, more like 3, 000 tourists!).. we decided to have some lunch at Karim's - a generation-run restaurant which opened in 1913 and boasts that its founders, would feed the Mughal emperors of the day-where we tasted the best naans of our lives.

Next up - Jama Masjid, India's largest 

mosque - where we were asked to leave just after we got in for the afternoon prayers.  We spent the next half hour on the steps outside, taking in the sights and smells of the nearby markets, just so we could have a chance to hike up to the top of one of the towers for one of the best views of Delhi afterwards. En attendant patiemment assises sur les marches de l'entrée, on a vécu une expérience culturelle bien locale, étant sollicité pour prendre des photos avec des étrangers et communiquant en langage des signes avec d'autres.

Afin de bien boucler la boucle, et question de rester fidèles a nos habitudes de marche, nous nous sommes rendues a pied au métro le plus près, traversant les marchés les plus inusités que l'on a vu jusqu'alors. Des marchands de pièces d'autos,  aux marchands de papier et cartes de toutes sortes, aux articles de plomberie - essayer d'y comprendre la suite logique... 

Attending a Bengali wedding in Kolkata - a lifetime opportunity!

In a meeting with our supervisor: 

"Sir, we have been invited to an Indian wedding with Auntie's family in Kolkata and we would very much like to have your permission to take off time to go.

- Do you know where is Kolkata?!

- Yes sir, we looked up flight details and it is a 2-hour journey.

- Ok, you can go."

So, here we are, ready-made saris in hand, in the warm and relaxing Kolkata - well it's all relative - let's say relaxing compared to Delhi. It almost felt like coming home, as we were greeted by Auntie at the airport and whisked away in her family car to meet all the relatives.

We arrived in time to have our hands decorated with mehndi, a process which took nearly 3-4 hours to complete, but the results were worth the wait. Being the Westerners we were, we required a little help with our ready-made saris- thank god for safety pins!

On the drive to the ceremony, we were immediately enchanted by the winding roads, architecture, and markets of the city. The celebration was held in a 3-story building, each of which with their particular significance. 

On the first floor, the wedding was made legal by signing the papers...

Only on the second floor was the marriage made official with ceremonies and rituals abound. Each received their blessings from the Gods, surrounded by their respective families, after which the bride was brought to the groom, carried by her family members.  She was to circle her future husband several times, shielding her face with leaves, so that once removed, the first person she would see would be her husband.

The bride and groom collectively adding kindling and butter to a fire - which we were told was the most powerful witness to a marriage, greater than any relative or priest.

The most official gesture of the ceremony occurs when the husband, who is then followed by all the women in his family, places red powder along her hairline.

Great planning....again!

On the schedule today, we had planned to visit India Gate, Rajpath and Central Secretariat. Us people (as they call us), being little geniuses, attempted to visit those places 4 days before Republic Day, which is a national holiday with a heavy emphasis on the military forces. Read - the security was reinforced throughout the city, especially where we had planned to go. So here is India Gate, or as closer as we could get to with our camera zoom.

Also for your viewing pleasure is an illegal photograph of the military, spot the officer, telling us off!

Always a good alternative, we satisfied our bellies at Embassy - a favourite amongst former politicians and journalists - we were under the impression of walking in a men's club!!  Then turned to retail therapy in Janpath Market, where we heavily polished our bargaining skills (reducing prices from 7500 to 2500 Indian Rupees).

A little taste of home, a long way from home...

Ce matin, malgré les premiers malaises occasionnées par le Delhi-Belly, nous nous mettons en route pour notre expédition hebdomadaire à Delhi. Au programme pour notre journée, le sud de la ville.

Premier arrêt: Qut'b Minar.
Pour les fervents d'histoire, la ville de Delhi a traversé 8 cycles, c'est-à-dire que le coeur de la cité s'est déplacé 8 fois à travers le territoire. Qut'b Minar fut le premier endroit et a marqué le début de l'Inde islamique.

Sur le site, nous retrouvons la plus haute tour en pierres au monde. Elle s'élève à 73 mètres au dessus de nos têtes. It has lived through lightining strikes and earthquakes with only minor alterations. There was also the biggest puzzle to metal fanatics: an unrusted metal pillar from the 12th century stands on site - mystery is yet to be solved.

Deuxième arrêt: la deuxième ville de Delhi - Hauz Kaus.
Ce quartier est aujourd'hui fréquenté principalement par l'élite de Delhi. Malgré les vitrines coûteuses, nous avons apprécié la promenade dans les petites rues charmantes de cet endroit. Pour ajouter une touche montréalaise à notre escapade, on a déniché le ''Bagel Shop'' où on a reçu une invitation par des gens de la table voisine à participer à un ''circle time'', something not unlike the TamTams of Mont Royal. Une fois arrivée dans le fameux parc, on a pu apprécier la musique d'une certaine distance, tout en appréciant la présence des chevreuils et des pans. 

Lorhi Festival

Lorhi Festival a eu lieu aujourd'hui. Tout d'abord à l'école avec les enfants, puis de retour chez nous, avec les habitants du coin. C'est un festival de la région de Punjab qui souligne le début des récoltes. Le rituel consiste à tourner autour d'un feu de camp en récitant des prières et d'y lancer des grains de popcorn, des arachides et des grains de sésame afin d'apporter abondance et prospérité. 

Deuxieme escapade a Delhi

Baha'i Temple, aussi connu sous le nom du Lotus Temple. Nous avons choisi d'aller visiter ce temple de marble blanc par une journée bien brumeuse...super idée!
        27 spectacular giant white petals of marble in the shape of an unfolding lotus spring from nine pools and walkways, to symbolize the nine unifying spiritual paths of the Baha'i faith. 
         L’intérieur est principalement un vaste auditoire permettant des assemblées de plus de 1300 personnes. C'est une grande salle de prière où aucun rituel religieux ne peut y être accompli. Tout y porte sinon à la méditation silencieuse personnelle.

Humayun's Tomb fut notre deuxième arrêt de la journée 

Puis, un arrêt dans Khan Market où l'on a pu apprécier les délices du Café Turtle - un bon gâteau aux carottes et un café latte! :) Et où l'on a aussi pu acheter un petit chauffage portatif question d'être mieux équipée pour affronter les nuits froides de Delhi.  

Afin de terminer notre escapade en beauté, nous sommes allées chercher un peu de quiétude dans les jardins du Lodi Gardens. Un jardin bien paisible, avec, au détour, d'impressionnants monuments datant 15e siècle...

Having been locked in by Auntie after she left for a doctor’s appointment with our keys, we decided to make the most of the day – washing and organizing our clothes and cleaning our bathroom – much to Muni, our maidservent’s chagrin!  To our greatest surprise and halfway through the job, no need to do our laundry by hand, there is a washing machine!!

It turned out to be a fruitful day, as we were able to call our loved ones for New Year’s and received our first cooking lesson from Auntie “Egg curry”.

Looking forward to starting our first day at the clinic tomorrow.