A day in Delhi with Raghav

Finally sleeping longer! We got up at eight, had breakfast (the toast was not good at all...) and got ready to leave.

Raghav was already waiting in the lobby when I came down. It has been more than a year since I last saw him at the Selection Camp in Switzerland and it was good to be with him again. We waited for Annetraud, who still packed some things and then left. If he hadn’t told me on the phone before, I would have been really surprised that Raghav had his own driver. The best way to travel in Delhi is by car. The public transport is crowded and you really don’t want to take the bike, believe me!

 First, we visited the India gate. Just when we got there, there was some military parade practicing and we watched the marching soldiers a bit. Then we walked down the street that led straight from the gate to the president’s house. On the way we saw boys playing football and cricket on the lawn left and right to the road. Delhi is really green, especially here. We also saw the parliament which is a big building too. It was interesting to see the mixture of British and Indian architecture in the minister’s houses.

Next stop was the Qutab-Minar. This is the name of a tower that was built in early Muslim architecture style. It is 73 meters tall and quite impressive. When we purchased the tickets, we were astonished to read the prices: Indians – 10 rupees (less than 50 ct), Foreigners – 250 rupees (4 Euros)! But nobody would have believed me and Annetraud to be Indian, so we queued for the expensive tickets. At least we got them fast and didn’t have to wait long. Inside there were hardly any Europeans. One Indian took a picture of me while passing by. That is weird to be so special that strangers want to take pictures of you. I mean I’m taking pictures of Indians too but either I ask first or I do it from the distance. I don’t walk up to them, hold the camera to their face, take a picture and leave...

It was getting hot and we decided to use the midday to go shopping and have lunch. Raghav brought us to a huge shopping mall. We bought some souvenirs (I won’t tell you what exactly :-P) and had lunch at McDonalds. Guaranteed not spicy if you take a veggie or chicken burger. But there are many spicy burgers too.

We did some more shopping and then left the cool mall to drive to the biggest Hindu temple in Delhi. I was interested in seeing a Hindu temple as well because most Indians follow this religion and if I am in their country, I want to see that part of the culture as well.

When I saw the parking lot, I knew this was gonna be really huge. The main building already looked impressive from the far. But getting in is not as easy as you think. First, there are loads of things you must not bring. Weapons, cameras, all kinds of bags, food, drinks, electronic devices,... To keep it short: you mustn’t bring anything but your wallet. If you have something with you that is not allowed, you have to queue for a locker to put it in. Luckily, we had the car where we left our cameras and Raghav’s cell phone. So we just had to wait for the security check. When we were divided by gender, I saw a poster with another detailed list of what you must not take with you. And found the words diary, note book and paper. I was afraid that they might take my notebook that I use to write down difficult names, numbers and timelines. So I hid it in the last pocket of my bumbag and hoped for the best. And it worked. The woman who checked me didn’t even see that pocket. But Annetraud had forgotten to put away the battery of her camera. They kept it and said that she could pick it up again after 6pm.

The temple complex is completely new. It was finished four years ago. There were lots of buildings with beautiful carvings, all leading to the main temple, which includes many statues. Everything is made with an eye for the detail and it is a pity that I couldn’t take any pictures of it.

We bought tickets for two shows. One was a boat trip through Indian history. I thought this was meant literally, but we really sat in a boat that drove on wheels through water. Left and right we saw puppets that represented important events in Indian history. It was interesting but I couldn’t take so much information at once. But I do know that many things were invented in India before Europe even thought about it.

The second show lasted for forty minutes and really surprised me because of the amazing technique that was used. It was about Swaminarayan, whom this temple is dedicated to. The tour started with a film and then we had to change places quite often. We came into rooms where there were puppets like in at the boat trip. Only these puppets moved! The robots did realistic movements while the sound came via speakers. Extremely well done! And the story was told in a very interesting way too. As a young boy, Swaminarayan already became a Yogi master after doing a long journey through the Himalayas. Then he became a spiritual teacher and enlightened person at a still very young age. Then we were told about his teaching which is based on love and compassion. It is quite similar to Buddhism, I think.

that's what the temple looks like - picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshardham_%28Delhi%29

I was really happy that Raghav could explain to us what all the statues in the main temple meant. There was also a big golden statue of Swaminarayan.

I was getting late, so we searched for the exit. Before leaving, Annetraud got her battery back. Funny thing that after getting it back, we weren’t forced to leave right away. We could have gone back in and do whatever dangerous thing you can do with a camera battery. If it were a bomb, we could have blown it up right in the temple. They should check their security checks...

Outside, Raghav phoned his parents to ask about dinner. Annetraud and I were very happy to be invited to eat with them because we were curious to meet them. So Raghav was told that they were already in his dad’s club, waiting for us. We could have gone there straight away, but I wanted to wash myself (I sweat so much in this climate!) and we needed to get the souvenirs we brought from Austria. Luckily, our hotel was on the way and we did a short stopover.

When we arrived at the club, Raghav first had troubles to get in because men are supposed to were shirts with collar. Finally, he borrowed a shirt and we were allowed in. Meeting his parents was very nice. I enjoyed the dinner and I am happy to have met them.

Unfortunately, time flew past and we had to leave. Saying goodbye was hard, this day was much too short. But I think that we used it quite well. I now know a lot more about Hinduism as well as about Delhi.

Thank you for this nice day, Raghav! :)