Friday, April 2, 2010
Green Park in Delhi
No, this isn't some nice public space, it's just a neighborhood. It is however, named, Green Park. Yvonne and I were running around trying to find some place with a reliable internet connection. So we walked out of our guest house in Delhi, turned left and walked for a while. We stopped to ask people if we could find a travel agent, or a booking agent, or anything else we could think of. It turned out to be a big hassle.
Let me set the record straight: VERY FEW PEOPLE IN INDIA SPEAK ENGLISH. I don't know what the tour books and tour guides tell you, but they are lying if they tell you it's possible to get around only speaking english. It simply is not possible. I work at an upper echelon institute full of PhDs in the sciences. I still have a hard time understanding some of them and they are educated in English. My ears are pretty good now, but a few months ago... forget about it.
So, what does one do when one wants to book plane and train and automobile tickets? Ask for a travel agent naturally. Well, we got led around to a car rental place. I stated immediately, "I'm not driving a car in Delhi. I'm not likely to drive a car in India." Turns out, it didn't matter. The car rental place only rents to companies. Useless. So we asked the guy at the counter who "CLAIMED" to speak english where a travel agent was. He pointed us in some direction, we walked that way. Just to be sure, we asked another half dozen people on the street en route to the "travel agency." My Indian friend (from Delhi) had warned me about this early on in my stay, but he warned me against the Tamils. "They will tell you to go somewhere, because they don't want it to seem like they don't know." Well, he was completely and utterly correct in that statement. My belief now, however, is that this phenomenon is not unique to just southerners. We walked around and every person seemed to give us different directions. So we decided, it was internet cafe time. Eventually we wound up at a Reliance store and Yvonne bought some 500 minutes of internet usage. So we sat in there for almost 2 1/2 hours booking trains to Agra, Jaipur, mumbai, goa, and a couple plane tickets too. Luckily, we got most of our travel arrangements for the first half of the trip finished at that point.
In the meantime, walking around Green Park we found a charming little neighborhood in south Delhi. Furthermore, there are a few random mausoleums and tombs identical to those in Lodhi Gardens, which are no doubt from the same sultancy, just removed a few kilometers.
Let me set the record straight: VERY FEW PEOPLE IN INDIA SPEAK ENGLISH. I don't know what the tour books and tour guides tell you, but they are lying if they tell you it's possible to get around only speaking english. It simply is not possible. I work at an upper echelon institute full of PhDs in the sciences. I still have a hard time understanding some of them and they are educated in English. My ears are pretty good now, but a few months ago... forget about it.
So, what does one do when one wants to book plane and train and automobile tickets? Ask for a travel agent naturally. Well, we got led around to a car rental place. I stated immediately, "I'm not driving a car in Delhi. I'm not likely to drive a car in India." Turns out, it didn't matter. The car rental place only rents to companies. Useless. So we asked the guy at the counter who "CLAIMED" to speak english where a travel agent was. He pointed us in some direction, we walked that way. Just to be sure, we asked another half dozen people on the street en route to the "travel agency." My Indian friend (from Delhi) had warned me about this early on in my stay, but he warned me against the Tamils. "They will tell you to go somewhere, because they don't want it to seem like they don't know." Well, he was completely and utterly correct in that statement. My belief now, however, is that this phenomenon is not unique to just southerners. We walked around and every person seemed to give us different directions. So we decided, it was internet cafe time. Eventually we wound up at a Reliance store and Yvonne bought some 500 minutes of internet usage. So we sat in there for almost 2 1/2 hours booking trains to Agra, Jaipur, mumbai, goa, and a couple plane tickets too. Luckily, we got most of our travel arrangements for the first half of the trip finished at that point.
In the meantime, walking around Green Park we found a charming little neighborhood in south Delhi. Furthermore, there are a few random mausoleums and tombs identical to those in Lodhi Gardens, which are no doubt from the same sultancy, just removed a few kilometers.
Back to the Lotus Temple
Last time I went to the Lotus Temple is cauhgt me by surprise. I went with my friend and our driver dropped us off on the backside of the temple's grounds and so when the temple was in sight it appeared to be really huge. The fog had given it an eery presence. This time around, it looked like it does in all the promotional literature. I gotta say, the Lotus Temple is my favorite building in India. After I went and sat in it again and got a few moments of quiet (even in India) I went down to the information center where they were showing a video on the construction of the Temple. It is quite impressive to say the very least.
Being Baha'i means that they build 9 sided temples. In case you're wondering that calls for 9 40-degree angles to be built. It's not the easiest job to undertake. Moreover, the design process of the temple was incredible. Check the pictures below to see how intricate the structure is. The construction involved all sorts of new engineering techniques and the marble which sits on the outside was specially crafted in Italy over a period of more than 2 years. All told, Lotus Temple is my favorite building in India. In fact, it might be my favorite building in the world. It's worth the visit if you ever get the chance.
Being Baha'i means that they build 9 sided temples. In case you're wondering that calls for 9 40-degree angles to be built. It's not the easiest job to undertake. Moreover, the design process of the temple was incredible. Check the pictures below to see how intricate the structure is. The construction involved all sorts of new engineering techniques and the marble which sits on the outside was specially crafted in Italy over a period of more than 2 years. All told, Lotus Temple is my favorite building in India. In fact, it might be my favorite building in the world. It's worth the visit if you ever get the chance.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Pakistan's (Field) Hockey
After the World Cup of Field Hockey in which Pakistan's team finished last, they unanimously and uniformly resigned from the team. This had come on the heals of big talk and bigger expectations for the nation that had won the 1994 competition.
I was shocked to read in the paper that Pakistan's ENTIRE team had resigned from the national team. They had said that their performance was unacceptable and had brought shame to their country. I don't know about you, but when I think of things that are shameful about Pakistan... Well, let's just say, not being good at MEN'S FIELD HOCKEY, ain't one of 'em... Call me an asshole, but give me a freaking break.
Anyway, back from my miniature rant.
In some sense, I understand that these men were trying to do the honorable thing, but perhaps the only resignation that is required it the coach's. Perhaps also the team captain if he really takes his leadership so personally, but the whole team. Basically, there are some young and really talented players who are also young and impressionable. There is no need for them to resign. I guess they wanted to their commitment to their country as a team and in some way that's a nice gesture, but on the other hand, to leave your country without a national team at all... Well, that's just silly. It takes a few years to prepare a team for an international competition and recruiting is a much longer process. Leaving your home country without a team at all is just backwards.
Well, in the end, Pakistan's hockey organization couldn't possibly accept the resignation of the WHOLE team, so they made the team withdraw their resignations. Maybe the team knew that would happen. Perhaps, they expected it and knew that Pakistan's governing body of hockey couldn't just throw out one resignation, it was all or nothing. Maybe Pakistan's hockey team did this to SAVE all their jobs. It's hard to say, but either way, it was a bizarre piece of news to hear in India.
I was shocked to read in the paper that Pakistan's ENTIRE team had resigned from the national team. They had said that their performance was unacceptable and had brought shame to their country. I don't know about you, but when I think of things that are shameful about Pakistan... Well, let's just say, not being good at MEN'S FIELD HOCKEY, ain't one of 'em... Call me an asshole, but give me a freaking break.
Anyway, back from my miniature rant.
In some sense, I understand that these men were trying to do the honorable thing, but perhaps the only resignation that is required it the coach's. Perhaps also the team captain if he really takes his leadership so personally, but the whole team. Basically, there are some young and really talented players who are also young and impressionable. There is no need for them to resign. I guess they wanted to their commitment to their country as a team and in some way that's a nice gesture, but on the other hand, to leave your country without a national team at all... Well, that's just silly. It takes a few years to prepare a team for an international competition and recruiting is a much longer process. Leaving your home country without a team at all is just backwards.
Well, in the end, Pakistan's hockey organization couldn't possibly accept the resignation of the WHOLE team, so they made the team withdraw their resignations. Maybe the team knew that would happen. Perhaps, they expected it and knew that Pakistan's governing body of hockey couldn't just throw out one resignation, it was all or nothing. Maybe Pakistan's hockey team did this to SAVE all their jobs. It's hard to say, but either way, it was a bizarre piece of news to hear in India.
World Cup of Hockey
I mentioned that while we were in Delhi, the World Cup of FIELD HOCKEY was taking place. It is entirely fair to mention that India isn't quite a world contender in ICE HOCKEY. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of all Indians have never left India, and therefore have never seen snow, and never been ice skating. Well, field hockey it is then. I was shocked to find that men play this game. In the United States this is only a women's game, at least at the collegiate level. So while the world cup was on, and especially while India was playing, you couldn't get anything in any store or restaurant. Indians are definitely crazy for their team. So, I got to watch several of the games. I gotta say, I learned the rules of field hockey while in graduate school. I used to go watch Northwestern's team play and just realized that field hockey is sort of a silly game. I mean no offense to anyone who really lives the game, but it's weird.
Quick disclaimer: It would also be fair to say that most, if not all, sports are completely ridiculous and absurd, but in my mind field hockey is much higher on the list than most!
So here we are, in India, world cup of hockey taking place, Indians completely crazy for their team, watching every minute of every India match intently. I noticed some other strange things. The teams playing included Australia (champion), Germany, Netherlands, England, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Spain, and a couple others I can't remember now. For the most part, the teams look identical, clean cut white guys running around with sticks. The peculiar thing was that the Pakistani team (largely full of muslims) looked like this as well. In cricket for example, Pakistan's team looks like a group of muslim athletes, long beards, religious wear when appropriate, and a general appearance of a religious group of people, playing a sport. In hockey, Pakistan's team doesn't give this appearance. The strangest thing to me, was the appearance of India's team.
India's team really looks like a bunch of rag tags. There are all manner of religious hairdos, and unkempt looking individuals running around together. I have to say, while the appearance of EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE TOURNAMENT was clean cut and mildly appealing, the appearance of India's team was quite slovenly. It's funny to me because in cricket it's different. India's cricket team generally looks well kept and appears on the pitch well. As it turns out, India placed 8th of 12 (I think) and so their appearance didn't matter much, but I had a hard time watching them play as a team, because they didn't appear to be one. As it is Pakistan finished at the bottom of the tournament, so their appearance didn't matter much either.
Quick disclaimer: It would also be fair to say that most, if not all, sports are completely ridiculous and absurd, but in my mind field hockey is much higher on the list than most!
So here we are, in India, world cup of hockey taking place, Indians completely crazy for their team, watching every minute of every India match intently. I noticed some other strange things. The teams playing included Australia (champion), Germany, Netherlands, England, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Spain, and a couple others I can't remember now. For the most part, the teams look identical, clean cut white guys running around with sticks. The peculiar thing was that the Pakistani team (largely full of muslims) looked like this as well. In cricket for example, Pakistan's team looks like a group of muslim athletes, long beards, religious wear when appropriate, and a general appearance of a religious group of people, playing a sport. In hockey, Pakistan's team doesn't give this appearance. The strangest thing to me, was the appearance of India's team.
India's team really looks like a bunch of rag tags. There are all manner of religious hairdos, and unkempt looking individuals running around together. I have to say, while the appearance of EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE TOURNAMENT was clean cut and mildly appealing, the appearance of India's team was quite slovenly. It's funny to me because in cricket it's different. India's cricket team generally looks well kept and appears on the pitch well. As it turns out, India placed 8th of 12 (I think) and so their appearance didn't matter much, but I had a hard time watching them play as a team, because they didn't appear to be one. As it is Pakistan finished at the bottom of the tournament, so their appearance didn't matter much either.
Connaught Place and New Delhi
Delhi is a weird city. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, but it is really strange. On the one hand you have the really old city that is Old Delhi. I've not yet in my life seen a more crowded place than the area around Jama Masjid (India's largest mosque). It does well to be compared with a beehive. There are children there who can do nothing less than break your heart. They are beggars, persistent beggars and they can be no more than 6 years old. They sit around the steps of the mosque, a clever move if you ask me since Muslims are required to give alms to the poor (one of the 5 pillars of Islam). Moreoever, Old Delhi is filthy, really filthy, the kind of filth you can't imagine unless you see it. But even with all that, Old Delhi is alive. It's buzzing from 4 AM and buzzes until long after midnight. I think it's a 21 or 22 hour city. There are shops selling any manner of things you can imagine, fast talkers, food sellers (delicious food!), rickshaws (actual rickshaws, not autorickshaws), drug dealers, pickpockets, fixers, you name it, it's probably in Old Delhi.
Contrast that with NEW Delhi. New Delhi, is clean, relatively speaking. It was a planned city, and designed by a French architect. There are large sweeping motorways, broad sidewalks, organized neighborhoods, beautiful parks, museums, and fabulous structures. The most striking example of this runs right through an area of town called Connaught Place. There is an enormous structure which to the untrained eye looks identical to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Parliament, the President's Palace, and the National Stadium. The most surprising thing however, may be the fact that these four structures are in a straight line. Being the mathematician I am, I can't help but wonder exactly how straight that line is... Perhaps it just follows a geodesic on the surface of the Earth, or maybe it's a straight line within the universe. Either way, when you're there, it really looks impressive. Take a look for yourself:
It is worth noting that this last structure was made for the English Queen. It is next to the Arc de Triomphe (de Delhi) and when standing at Parliament looking toward the Arc de Triomphe de Delhi you can see this structure through the arc. The pictures of the other structures are missing for a couple reasons. Yvonne and I were walking that night with my friend, his brother, and his cousin. During our stroll all the people were moved out of the street (perhaps we shouldn't all be in the street anyway) and were kept there for some time by the police. Soon, a bus full of athletes rolled by. The reason for this was that the World Cup of hockey (field hockey) was taking place in Delhi while we were there. There was no way we could get to the national stadium that night. In addition, after dark, people are not allowed to go up to Parliament or the President's Palace.
Near the Arc de Triomphe de Delhi is a large mall, very similar to the national mall in Washington, D.C. So New Delhi is something like Washington, DC + Paris + London. Old Delhi is like no other city I know (but that's simply because I haven't traveled enough to make an accurate comparison).
Contrast that with NEW Delhi. New Delhi, is clean, relatively speaking. It was a planned city, and designed by a French architect. There are large sweeping motorways, broad sidewalks, organized neighborhoods, beautiful parks, museums, and fabulous structures. The most striking example of this runs right through an area of town called Connaught Place. There is an enormous structure which to the untrained eye looks identical to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Parliament, the President's Palace, and the National Stadium. The most surprising thing however, may be the fact that these four structures are in a straight line. Being the mathematician I am, I can't help but wonder exactly how straight that line is... Perhaps it just follows a geodesic on the surface of the Earth, or maybe it's a straight line within the universe. Either way, when you're there, it really looks impressive. Take a look for yourself:
It is worth noting that this last structure was made for the English Queen. It is next to the Arc de Triomphe (de Delhi) and when standing at Parliament looking toward the Arc de Triomphe de Delhi you can see this structure through the arc. The pictures of the other structures are missing for a couple reasons. Yvonne and I were walking that night with my friend, his brother, and his cousin. During our stroll all the people were moved out of the street (perhaps we shouldn't all be in the street anyway) and were kept there for some time by the police. Soon, a bus full of athletes rolled by. The reason for this was that the World Cup of hockey (field hockey) was taking place in Delhi while we were there. There was no way we could get to the national stadium that night. In addition, after dark, people are not allowed to go up to Parliament or the President's Palace.
Near the Arc de Triomphe de Delhi is a large mall, very similar to the national mall in Washington, D.C. So New Delhi is something like Washington, DC + Paris + London. Old Delhi is like no other city I know (but that's simply because I haven't traveled enough to make an accurate comparison).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
