newsstand

newsstand, originally uploaded by Least Wanted.

Part 10


Push carts, piled with everything from colorful fabrics to music CDs,
lined the street that took us into the Nizamuddin neighborhood. Waves
of beggars, nodding their heads, approached our car with outstretched
hands. Somehow they survive on the street, despite terrible physical
afflictions. I was stunned by a man whose bloody shoulder indicated a
recently removed arm, and was too weak to raise his remaining arm to
beg for help.

One persistent character decided to follow us during our entire stay
in the neighborhood. He appears in several of my photos.

From New Delhi

From New Delhi

Although I
carefully followed Rod's advise not to let my camera be seen, this
unique area provided over 100 photos and video clips. My camera's
size allowed me to hold it in my hand and take photos through my
fingers as
I walked.

A large majority of men in the neighborhood wore taquiyahs, small
crocheted hats worn for religious purposes.

From New Delhi

We had tied bandannas
onto our heads in an attempt to blend in with the crowd, but rather
than blending in, we were obviously out of place. Rod sent his
maintenance contractor off to find taqiyahs for us to wear. A few
minutes later we had a handful of delicately woven taqiyahs to select
from, and soon each of us had taken possession of one of these
twelve-cent hats. With our new taqiyahs securely positioned on our
heads, we continued along the street leading to our destination - The
Nizamuddin Dargah.

From New Delhi

The Nizamuddin Dargah is the shrine and final burial place of Hazrat
Auliya a revered Sufi saint. As we neared the shrine, the surrounding
buildings enveloped the street. It seemed as though we had entered a
cave. Lights from the merchant booths lit the path. Many of the
merchants near the shrine sold flower petals, brightly decorated silk
sheets and white candy. Pilgrims visiting the shrine buy these items
to lay on the shrine itself. Rod's maintenance contractor bought a bag
of the white candy. It tasted like a soft after dinner mint without
the strong mint flavor.

From New Delhi

Soon, the street descended several steps to
the entrance of the shrine complex. Before entering the shrine and
adjacent Jamat Khana Mosque, visitors are expected to remove their
shoes and sandals. We left our shoes in the care of attendants who
stashed them away in a sea of hundreds of shoes, boots and sandals. I
left the dingy dark street behind and stepped onto the smooth white stone
floor of Nizamuddin Dargah.


Continued in part 11

Tschüs video

Tschüs video
Originally uploaded by troy-lovegates

Deuce7

Deuce7, originally uploaded by The Savage Land.

Banksy flower

Banksy flower , originally uploaded by omowizzard.

wooster st.

wooster st., originally uploaded by Least Wanted.

by Ender

by Ender, originally uploaded by tofz4u.

Sticker

Sticker, originally uploaded by Dr. Dog.

City Guide New Delhi Part 9



Following the motorcycle tour, I joined my group again, ready to
return to the children's home on the other side of the city. Jay's
plans included providing a chicken dinner for the children. Shane, a
fellow traveler and carbonated beverage enthusiast, wanted to purchase
soda for the evening feast. We stopped at a market where the employees
were busy decorating for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations.
Shane and I selected a cart full of bottled soda - some familiar, and
some not. The children at the home were glad to see us. I found
myself surrounded by welcoming hugs and hearing, "Welcome, Uncle
Mark!" They really enjoyed posing for my camera, but the highlight of
their day seemed to come when we all admired their photos together.

From New Delhi

After the children finished their chicken dinner, we remained until
late in the evening, as they entertained us with their activities.


The next morning, I walked down the stairs to meet Rod and his
maintenance contractor. They would accompany us into Nizamuddin West,
one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Delhi. After we had all
gathered, Rod took a few moments to brief us on what to expect in this
inner city area. We would find ourselves in narrow streets teeming
with beggars and pickpockets. He suggested we cover our heads with
scarves and bandannas to show honor to the neighborhood Sufi shrines.
As he told us about this amazing part of the city, I found myself
filled with excitement, ready to enter the waiting taxi and see this
place with my own eyes!


The taxi ride took us past modern corporation headquarters and large
private boarding schools. At last we stopped next to a low lying wall
and stepped out of the taxi. Immediately, a man with a long white
beard approached me with his hand out expecting a rupee. Rod rolled
his eyes and said something to the man in Hindi. The man stepped back
as we
cautiously walked through a gate in the wall.
--

Continued in Part 10

City Guide New Delhi Part 8


The early morning drive to the school was quick; unlike the day
before. The school officials had recently purchased a two room house,
planning to convert it into classrooms. I indicated that I would be
willing to help prepare the house for this use. On arriving, I was
given a large paintbrush and a five gallon bucket of whitewash. With
the use of a sturdy bamboo ladder, the first layer of whitewash was
applied. The rooms were very hot. My comrades and I took breaks
outside the house to find refuge in the cool shade. Curious
neighbors gathered to admire the clean white walls. One man from the
neighborhood let me ride his bike to the end of the street and back.

From New Delhi

Later in the day, Uncle Jay arrived in the taxi. After he looked
through the freshly whitewashed rooms, our painting crew joined him
for a two hour journey to the children's home where we all played
soccer until it was time to leave for dinner. Jay's friends had
reserved seats for the evening at a very nice restaurant called Hi
Marchee. We stopped at Rod's house to quickly clean up and change into
our nicest clothes and then bundled into the taxi for the ride
downtown. I sat across the table from a young man named Bennett and
his friend. We talked about soccer and their experiences in school.
The drink we were served was new to me. We had a pitcher of club soda,
a vial of lime juice and a small jar of corn syrup which we mixed
together to make a lime drink.

The next day, a visit to the converted school house we had whitewashed
the day before was first on our agenda.

From New Delhi

Jay's friend was excited to
show us the finished product. We were amazed to find the two rooms
packed with students learning to add numbers and recite Hindi poems!

Leaving the school, we ventured a little further outside the permanent
neighborhood to a collection of structures held together by sticks and
discarded sheet metal. Many of the children in this slum were
obviously very malnourished. Jay's friends wanted to show us a
permanent community center they were building. Although the one-room
center was simply four cinder block walls with a tin roof, it stood
out boldly among the surrounding shacks. This center would be well
used in improving the lives of children and adults, and in giving them
a different outlook on life. One of the workers invited me to take a
tour of the neighborhood on the back of his motorcycle.

From New Delhi

Even though
it had begun to rain very hard, I couldn't refuse the offer. Our ride
took us past a large market where every stall was decorated with
colorful ribbons and advertising. Beyond the market was a large
secondary school. At one point, my motorcycle friend stopped and
chatted with some of his friends. By the time we returned to the
office, I was completely soaked, but glad for the opportunity to
experience this unique part of this city.
--

Continued in Part 9

City Guide New Delhi Part 7


The intense mid-afternoon sun was intermittently shielded by tall
apartment buildings as our taxi traveled through this urban canyon
land.

From New Delhi

Our destination was a children's home where more than seventy
children patiently awaited our arrival. The urban area ended abruptly
at a slow moving river, choked with discarded trash. Crossing the
bridge, we encountered a mostly rural landscape with open grain fields
and large
cattle operations. The open country road induced our driver to proceed
at top speed, and we soon arrived at the home. After a quick blast
from the horn, two boys walked up and opened the gate.

We all gathered in a large room with the children, as Vipin welcomed
us. He then signaled seven girls who entered the room wearing white
dresses, dancing and singing their welcome song. In clear English,
we heard the words: "Welcome, dancing,
dancing; We come to sing, sing of joy, and dancing, dance away." As
the song finished, the children presented us with garlands of
marigolds. Once we all had a garland around our necks, a boy began
playing drums. At this sound, six boys came to the
front and energetically danced to the beats. Then it was our turn to
present the children with what we had brought to them. They were
pleased with new soccer balls, basketballs and a badminton set.
But the one item that instigated the most excitement
was a colorful parachute.

On our return trip, I noticed the FIFA or "International
Federation of Association Football" headquarters. After this long day,
the cool air in Rod's guest rooms was most welcome, and we all were
soon sleeping soundly, resting up for the next full day with the
children.

Continued in Part 8

No Comment

No Comment, originally uploaded by Troy Holden.

Btoy @ Galerie Itinérrance

Btoy @ Galerie Itinérrance, originally uploaded by lepublicnme.

rolktunelgood

rolktunelgood, originally uploaded by Professuh X.

Paris

City Guide New Delhi Part 6


I woke up to the hum of the air conditioner above the window. It
artificially masked the swelling heat outside. Our schedule for the
day first included a visit to a school which is overseen by one of
Jay's friends. Once we veered out from the side streets onto the main
thoroughfare, the traffic immediately overtook us. At one
intersection, we waited nearly a half an hour to proceed. For some,
this situation could be highly annoying, but for me, it was a
welcome gift. Instead of speeding along the "skyways"
like the evening before, I was able to watch the city at a more
convenient pace. I watched as thousands of people went along their
business. Green Tata buses part of the city fleet of over two thousand
packed with commuters slowly made their way up and down the streets.
Travelers on bike rickshaws efficiently made their way through the
tangle of vehicles.

From New Delhi

We passed cinder block sheds filled with loose
garbage attracted cows and wild dogs. The driver decided to veer away
from the secondary roads and take a roundabout way on a main highway.
This road took us past shiny new office buildings and multi story
glass and steel shopping centers.

From New Delhi

I couldn't help but notice the
nearby Pitampura tower, a structure that reminded me of CN Tower in
Toronto.

From New Delhi

We arrived at the school several hours past our appointed time.
The staff didn't seem to care too much. One thing the staff did care
about, was having me give a lesson to a room full of students. This is
something I really wasn't prepared for, but I whipped out the chalk
and started talking about dinosaurs, flowers and pretty much anything
else I could think of. The three and four year old students were not
too impressed despite the teacher's dramatic interpretation of my
knowledge of Benjamin Franklin's proverbs. The teacher soon had to
leave, and a guy named Ajay took over interpretation duty. He also
helped the students with a coloring project.

After school let out for the day, we visited a nearby amusement and
shopping park. Park security frisked all male entrants and stood back
as females entered. Over lunch, I was able to visit with Ahjay. I
noticed he was wearing an MTV shirt. He told me he played in a band
called Wild fire and invited me to come to their next show. After
lunch we strolled around the park. I had the feeling I was at a car
dealership with several new models on display. It seemed like the
worker to visitor ratio was 15:1. Doormen waited to let customers into
the air conditioned shops. At the center of the complex, there was a
large pool with boats on a track circling the perimeter.

From New Delhi

Beyond the
pool, traditional amusement park rides gyrated in the distance. We
couldn't stay long. We were already late for our appointment with
Vipin at the children's home. We found our taxi in the
parking lot and sped away back through the center of the city.


Continued in Part 7

Huncoat - Crie & Pryme Endpiece 3 (TPN)

Huncoat - Crie & Pryme Endpiece 3 (TPN), originally uploaded by shell shock.

BNSF 721757 - Saigon whole car

BNSF 721757 - Saigon whole car, originally uploaded by Whiskey on Flickr.

City Guide New Delhi Part 5



The now familiar note of the taxi's horn no longer prompted a reaction
from me as we dashed through the streets to the center of the city.

Our destination was the heart of India's government known as King's
Way. King's Way, or "Rajpath" is an area of the city akin to
Washington D.C.'s Pennsylvania Avenue and the National Mall. New
Delhi's ramshackle neighborhoods soon gave way to nicely landscaped,
gated compounds and clean, wide boulevards. Roundabouts smoothly
distributed traffic. These roundabouts featured beautiful plants and
an occasional sculpture. One sculpture that impressed me re-enacted
Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March.

The taxi driver found a parking place, and we walked to the very impressive
India Gate. The sun was beginning to set, and bright lights lit up the
gate in all
its glory.

From New Delhi

India Gate is a memorial to the fallen soldiers of the
First World War and the Afghan War. India's Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier rests under the arch. Permanent honor guards stood at
attention next to the "Flame of the Immortal Soldier."

From New Delhi

The
Rashtrapati Bhavan ( The Prime Minister's residence) at the end of the
Rajpath stood silhouetted against the evening sky. Throngs of people taking
an evening walk surrounded the monument. Many entrepreneurs took
advantage of the captive crowd to hustle trinkets and henna body art.

From New Delhi

After the last rays of sun disappeared on the horizon, we found our taxi and
drove into the night. We were ready for a few hours of rest back at Rod's home.


Continued in Part 6

some foggy night

some foggy night, originally uploaded by troy-lovegates.

8.25.59

8.25.59, originally uploaded by Least Wanted.