Intersections

Intersections have their own little subculture here in New Delhi. There's one on the outer ring road flyover near the IIT campus with the guy who's always selling small, brown or black, velvety bobble-head dogs with sleestak eyes and the hand-lettered sign on the wall advertising "Kader Key Meka" with his little shop (a box under a tree at the intersection).

The lights stay red for ages at the massive intersections on the ring roads. Enough time to support entire colonies of beggars who clamber out from under the overpasses to work the lanes whenever the cars are stopped. I cut an article out of the paper last year that describes how certain intersections are transmitted as part of a bride's dowry - "I give you my darling Jenny along with the rights to beg at the corner of 1st Ave and 34th St and two goats".

Anything can become interesting when you're sitting at an intersection for what seems like forever - like this sign posted at the entrance to Siri Fort park. I especially like #9, no "stickin of biles"!

Nizamuddin basti - the best little neighborhood in Delhi!

One really great thing, among all the things that can make you seriously crazy, about Delhi is the amazing variety of events going on every day - and they're almost all free!   

One such event was the recent Jashn e Kushrau festival in honor of the kalaam (poetry) of Amir Khusrau a 13th Century Sufi. This 2-week long festival featured live qawwals, lectures, readings, and heritage walks through Nizamuddin.

I followed one of the walks led by young men from the neighborhood who have volunteered to guide people through the place they've grown up in. There is a lot of work going on to revitalize the neighborhood, restore ancient sites while creating opportunities for those who live there and instauring a sense of pride in their home. It's really great to see, especially in Delhi where one can easily get the impression that nobody cares about anything!

I've been through Nizamuddin a couple of times, but it was great to discover more hidden lanes and alleys. It's amazing what's tucked in this place, Medieval tombs are scattered all over the place, shrines and even a surprisingly huge, old baoli or step well!

The crowded lanes are filled with shops where craftsmen sell everything from attar (perfume oils) to mosquito net tents and tooth cleaning sticks. The smells of jasmine perfume, grilling kebabs, garbage and incense mingle to create an undescribable, often overpowering, aroma.  

Fair 'n Lovely

The other night we were having dinner with a professional acquaintance of Rajiv's, a lawyer, and another friend. I don't remember how we got on the subject of fairness creams but out of the blue the lawyer asked me if I could give him some tips on a good one and how to use it (as if I would know anything about that).

He said he'd been considering it to help his career since he's got darker Indian skin and he would feel more confident when he appears in front of the judges if he were lighter toned. I couldn't believe it, here's a fully qualified professional, middle-aged man worried about his skin tone!

He in turn was astonished when I told him that in the US people pay for lotions that make your skin look tan just like people here pay for lotions to make them whiter. Either way Loreal, Ponds, Garnier, Olay, Clinique & Estee Lauder and all the others are making a lot of money off peoples' insecurities.

Everyone else at the table jumped all over the poor guy and said that confidence doesn't come from your skin color it comes from inside, from being smart and competent.

That said, there is discrimination, and its counterpart favoritism, based on skin tone in India. Take one look at the matrimonial section and you'll inevitably see ads proudly proclaiming "wheatish" or "fair" (sometimes homely - which doesn't have the same connotations as in the US, here it means good homemaker - and always beautiful) sons or daughters. Nobody's ever looking for a son- or daughter-in-law with gorgeous, dark Indian skin.

Qawwal and Karachi halwa

My street food encounters have been few and far between lately. Not that I haven't been eating, au contraire, it's just been at home or in a restaurant. Been so busy working on the apartment or stuck in traffic and now with the expat group I've joined I just haven't had time to wander.

Rajiv and I did make it out to Nizamuddin this past Sunday evening for a Qawwal concert but to be honest, after seeing the meat hanging in the butcher shops I rather lost my appetite and there's no way he could try that stuff with his delicate stomach. The grilled meat sure smelled good though. I'm going there again tomorrow so maybe I'll grab a kebab for lunch!

I have been curious about Karachi Halwa for a while (mainly because of the name) so I stopped at a sweets shop after my yoga class this morning to pick some up. It was OK, nothing special. Tasted rather neutral with the chewy texture of the inside of a gumdrop. I've seen some recipes that include more almonds or cashews which would be an improvement on the one I tasted today.

So, what's the connection between Qawwals and halwa? None really...

Public service announcements

Driving around Delhi can get you down for any number of reasons (insane traffic, beggars at the intersections, filth everywhere, incessant honking, metro construction) but one thing that always makes me smile when I see it is a public service announcement.

They're usually hand-painted on a wall or on the side of a building; they're usually in Hindi and the meaning is sometimes puzzling to me but they always catch my eye. Here are a couple I got fairly good shots of the other day. I'd like to know exactly what the one with the bugeyed guy and the pill is for!