Meeting His Excellency

The Brigade getting ready for greeting his excellency

Well, I should have expected today to be completely busy and insane. Laxmi (my co-worker who is becoming my good friend) and I ended up leaving early in preparation for the event at a medical college (Maulana Azad). We had created our outline and our agenda was good to go.
So having arrived at the event, we met our biggest annoyance. A woman who worked for the Ambulance society who really should have hosted the show in hindsight. She got in our way and at points was obnoxiously rude to both of us for no given reason. Well , it didn’t matter- the show must go on and it did.


It actually seemed like a quick blur with lots of media and children as well from the local schools. His Excellency is actually 6ft tall and his body guards were hilarious. They had this stern look on their faces but were internally laughing because the crazy woman wouldn’t shut up on stage as well.


In my usual dorky stance in front of the awards


Well, his Excellency is definitely a politician. He can speak very well and was able to highlight the work of the St. John’s Ambulance and also the need for continued vigilance with the recent terrorist attacks. Overall, I think the event was a complete success and I was happy at the end of it


Funny story of the day: This I am sure what you guys really read: No day would be complete without a weirdo chasing me across the roads. Well, this time it was a St- John’s Ambulance member who I was keen on getting my number. He kept telling me that I had pretty eyes and eyebrow shape. Laxmi only encouraged him some more by comparing me to shilpa shetty ( a somewhat famous Indian actress?) Well anyways, needless to say it was a funny experience trying to get rid of him. He insisted on accompanying us to the hail an auto and we tried to lose him! I mean we ran across the road and the guy didn’t get the point. He still managed to cut across and ensure we were safe. I felt bad telling the auto to leave ASAP. But, what was I to do! Creepy...is creepy! Only in India.

Dreaming of Thailand

I just found out that Sudhir wants me to apply for a scholarship to Thailand! Bangkok!!!! Well, it is a workshop on Sexual and Reproductive Awareness with the Youth coalition and they are looking for candidates from South Asia and South East Asia to participate at the end of November. Now, I might be disqualified because I am Canadian but, I’ve applied anyways in hopes that I will get it. It would make it one year since my last trip to Thailand. I am praying that it comes true! It would just add to an already amazing internship.

I also found out today that I would be hosting an event with a co worker of mine for the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade and the chief guest of the event is the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Tejender Khanna. Oh my gosh! Well, I almost had an internal heart attack when I found out that I would be introducing him. What an honour and what an experience! It’s my first big media/ publicity assignment. It’s to celebrate brigade day, an annual even recognizing the effort of the St. John’s ambulance brigade especially in response to the recent bomb blasts. Nervous completely...excited completely and I get to wear a sari to look all professional yay!

Forces of Nature

Maybe it’s a combination of becoming increasingly lazy or increasingly tired ( I choose to believe the latter) I haven’t been blogging all that much. My friend was kind enough to point out that it had been more than a week and wanted to hear the different levels of drama I have encountered in Delhi...well let’s start with the biggest news so far...

Well I hope this doesn’t freak out my big brother too much but my apartment was broken into in broad day light. Luckily nothing was stolen and I was notified immediately. You see I guess in hindsight it was a smart thing that I was carrying all my things with me out of habit or if not I leave it locked up safely. My room was in complete disarray. My mattress had been lifted up. I guess the thief must have believed that my important things would have been hidden underneath the mattress. Old Indian habit I guess. But nothing was taken and since then, my landlord has provided me with a double bolted door for added security. My boss was kind enough to drop by later on and check in on my situation. Seriously, I think I am sort of force of nature...everywhere I go something happens! It’s been hardly 17 days and seriously bomb blasts, apartment break ins etc...I should really name this blog “ Hurricane Harini”.

But on a plus note, It has made me question- what is my tolerance level? This event didn’t faze me one bit actually. I carry on my life as I normally do. I wonder what will really push me over the edge. Mind you, I am not willing to find out anytime soon. Trust me.

A walk through history

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect today. How does one really react in response to bomb blasts across the city. Obviously, I was not prepared to venture out towards Central Delhi. Instead, I decided a little bit of history and culture is what I needed the most.



At Qutab Minar

So, I went off to search history at Qutab Minar. Now for those of you who don’t know much about Indian history, here is a very small synopsis of why Qutab Minar is a world heritage site. Well Qutab Minar was actually build by Mohammud Ghauri in 1193 AD and marked the first Muslim Dynasty in India. What is really unique about this site is that you can actually see the previous panels and decorative pieces from both Hindu and Jain cultures fused into the area surrounding Qutab Minar. Venturing out actually turned out to be a very smart thing because I realized that my gut instinct about this city was on the ball- life moves on, people remember...they don’t forget but life does move on. Sitting in front of this absolutely breathtaking edifice, I couldn’t but feel the conquerors of past each trying to keep control of this city and each creating a name from themselves in hopes that history will remember them. From Ghauri to Akbar the great, for every emperor who has conquered Delhi, the city has grown around them and you can still feel their presence.
I actually also found the 7 ft tall iron pillar, that to this date does not have any sign of rust on it. It was actually raised in memory of Chandragupta II who ruled up to 413 AD. Legend has it, if you encircle the pillar with your arms, your wish will be granted. Too bad they gated the pillar now! There goes my wish! It’s just really neat to see the different civilizations that have made their mark on Delhi, each adding a different flavour to this city.



The Iron Pillar-Qutab Minar

Next up on the agenda was to visit the Baha’i Temple also known popularly as the “Lotus Temple”. I absolutely loved it there. The Baha’i believe the lotus to be a symbol of purity and the nine pools surrounding the temple actually act as natural cooling system for the prayer hall and trust me was it ever hot! What I really love about the Baha’i culture is that they believe in the unity of God and accept all faiths and religions. A big bonus is that in temple, you can talk at all. Trust me, after all the hustle and bustle in the city, it is great to just meditate and say a little prayer and spend some time in some absolute silence. It was also the perfect way to really end the weekend on a reflective note...it gave me the opportunity to just reflect.



The Lotus Temple

Randomness of the day: no day off would be complete without something silly happening. Well, this time it had to do with my auto driver who insisted on talking to me the entire way I went home. Of course, part of Indian culture is to make a stranger your friend by asking every single detail of your life- from what do your parents do to are you married yet! Well, he was a really sweet man who was really struggling to feed his five daughters (that’s right they kept trying to get that boy) in a small village in U.P. Of course, that meant he had to leave town to make the money and provide for his family. He does not get to see them very often and is constantly worried about making ends meet. Well, this is the sad reality here. The disparity between the rich and poor keeps increasing on a daily basis and honestly paying a little more for a ride back home didn’t really bother me at all.
What bothered me was the fact that this man...well this budda (old man) had the nerve to ask me for my phone number and kept flirting with my incessantly...what is wrong with people here! He had just finished telling me about his wife, giving me blessings and then asked for my phone number. Only in India.

There’s no easy way.....

I am not quite sure how to recount these events. After spending some amazing time with my new found friends, I received a call from Sudhir ji (my boss) explaining to me that 5 bombs had gone off in public market areas all over Delhi. It was approximately 6:40 pm at this point. Apparently, across Delhi, a series of organized bomb blast went off in the most populated market areas (from CP- the tourist hub to Karol Bagh). An Indian militant extremist group took responsibility for the bombings and I am glad it’s not a cross border issue for once. At that point, we had just finished off a bit of shopping and we were making our way home. Of course, I was in shock. I had been in Thailand when the military coup took place (and it was peaceful) but, I did not know what to expect in Delhi. Since earlier this year, there have been bomb blasts across India from Bangalore to Jaipur, with the sole purpose of in sighting fear in the minds of the public.


Well, again I can’t help but feel so blessed to have made some amazing friends who dropped me off to my designated point when clearly it could have been a very much a situation of panic. There was very little news coming out of the media outlets at this point. The news was reporting at this point that 4 people had been killed and close to 80 people injured. It was a real sense of eeriness travelling through Delhi. You could see that security had clearly been heightened and the city was completely deserted. Now, there were additional reports that more bombs (unexploded) had been found around India Gate and close to the parliament building.


Again, this is my own personal opinion but my gut instinct kept telling me that regardless of which extremist group did this, there is something to be said about human spirit. In the face of adversity, people don’t walk away. They continue with life and try to live their lives to the fullest and make the best of any given situation. This is what I have learned in the last 2 weeks living in Delhi. No matter which strand of society you come from or which region of India or the world you might be, the fact is, this civilization is more than 3000 years old. A couple bomb blasts wont incite fear and I am so proud and glad it hasn’t because the only way to give a voice to any form of extremism is fear.

This city has taught me that it chooses not to live in fear. Yes, an immense tragedy has occurred here and everyone here is in a state of shock. My prayers are with the families of those who have been injured or lost their loved ones. Even with the toll of 90 people wounded with these blasts, life goes on. A wise friend just emailed me telling me that “You will meet people from all walks of life here in Delhi. They all face disaster in different forms on a daily basis; the chaos is part of the daily routine itself”.


I can’t help but agree with these sentiments. I think the people of this city have a lot of soul and that not a force to be reckoned with.

A wise traveller never despises his own country

This week has been intensely busy. I think I have actually lost count of the number of projects that I am involved in and I love it. I had the opportunity to document a needs assessment report for a district in Uttar Pradesh living around a sugar mill, write my first abstract for a UNESCO conference, interact in Hindi with some amazing kids at a primary school level (in their remedial classes) and finally meet the team working on landmines in Punjab. They really have done an excellent job in documenting the activities they do surrounding the issue of landmines including role play, essay competitions and art work. I was really pumped to see what has been accomplished to date and I can’t wait to get started this coming week on some awareness projects.

Saturday! Yay! I didn’t mind having to work this Saturday either. It was actually nice to keep going at it because there really is so much to do and I can already see the fruits of everyone’s labour. Again, we all work hard and I absolutely love the fact that every day at lunch, we all sit together and share food and try each other’s curries out. Sadly, my contribution for lunch is bought from the restaurant downstairs but they do make the best shimla mirch I have tasted so far. Yummy food in my tummy.

I was able to sneak away at 2pm and make my way to CP to meet up with Vasu at Khan Market. She was going to introduce me to her best friends here in Delhi so that I would have some company while she is away in Assam. Again, i have no idea how I am blessed to meet such awesome people but i will call it divine intervention for now. So, let me describe khan market. I could sense it was a little bit more upscale and kind of reminded me of shopping at home really. I has this cool retro chick look to it with lots of wonderful little cafe’s and tons of upscale boutiques.



Big Chill's- Khan Market


So we went to Big Chill’s a really cool throwback of old Hollywood with posters all over the place of black and white movies to newer action films. It completely caters to the NRI and foreign crowd in India and it’s a little bit of comfort for those far away from home. Vasundra promised me that the desserts here were to die for and she was absolutely right. All I had been hearing was “Bonafee Pie” over face book and after tasting a bit of this heaven, i was in Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Okay maybe i can’t decide if i liked the pie better or my chocolate toblerone ice cream. Over some decadent dessert, I got to know Vasu’s friends from Delhi- Shefali ( an amazing lawyer who runs her own practice and hates when people say she looks like Maalika Sherwat – a very pretty actress who unfortunately gets slutty roles) and Suchi ( a person who is so full of life and love for FOOD! Suchi can switch between fluent Punjabi and Bengali in a matter of seconds and I am amazed!) So, needless to say, I am settling in quite well and maybe, just maybe, you can find a piece of home no matter where you go.



Vasundra enjoying her Capp :)

I have a visitor and it's name is Ratatouille

I woke up this morning to find a visitor in my home. I think I will name it Ratatouille. Since, arriving about a fortnight ago, I couldn't’t get over the sinking suspicion that I was not alone in my room. Today, I found my furry visitor. Correct me if I am wrong, if most of you saw a mouse running around sniffing everything in sight in your room, you would think “RABIES, VERMIN, DISEASE” or just plain scream. I on the hand actually like my furry friend. It (I really don’t want to get close enough to figure out its sex...does anyone know how to tell the sex of a mouse?), really does not bother me. I have decided to take the Jain approach (I will not hurt it or kill it) in this one particular manner. I think of it as my companion and I am happy to report, it hasn’t figured out where my secret stash of almonds and walnuts are (safely tucked away in my suitcase). Hopefully, Ratatouille won’t be inviting any more friends into my room and I think I can live with just him/her for now. I just need to take a picture of it and you will be able to see how cute it is. Again, yes I know I have issues and this would be one of them.