I am off to New Delhi: capital of India. It is a relatively new “first” city. The great trading port of Kolkata, which we have already visited, was the capital of the British Raj until 1911. Old Delhi, however, did have a ruling pedigree having been the capital of the great Mughal Empire (1649-1857). The British were renowned for ruling their empire with great efficiency. The bureaucracy, in turn, was constantly “fine tuning” the workings of government. To this end, during the early 1900s, a proposal to shift the capital back to the environs of this region was accepted. The rationale being that this administrative district was geographically central to the subcontinent as a whole and yet could be more easily defended from military assault, as it was more isolated. The land for building the new center of Delhi was thus acquired. The city was finally inaugurated in 1931. Its main designer and planner, Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944), can be credited with leaving the modern metropolis some of its most iconic edifices – many in the so-called Indo-Saracenic style. (1) As an aside, in the building of this new capital, the pure wealth of India was put on display. It was a fact not missed by future luminaries such as Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948). The construction was undertaken in the haunting shadow of the Great Indian Famine of 1899-1900. The government painted itself as completely soulless and not even worthy of contempt. This did not bode well for the future of Empire.
I disembark from my airplane. It is a brilliant morning: I arrive just as a major storm has scrubbed the skies and air clean of choking levels of pollution, or so I am told. I see none of this: before me is placed a clean, leafy and inviting city. To add to my imagination, I am met by a tour guide who has the chiseled features of a movie star. I strap myself into the passenger seat: I am now ready for any adventure, any eventuality. After a short drive, he inquires whether I am hungry. To be polite, I reply in the affirmative. He violently turns the wheel of his car and we careen across two lanes of traffic to come to a stop beside a roadside food stand. I am aghast twice over. Firstly, though I am prepared and ready for all eventualities, Indian driving is still an acquired taste. My palpitating heart tells me I have not quite achieved this necessary skill set. Secondly, we are eating like a local, at an outdoor food stand. Both situations produce fear and the necessity to destroy stereotypes. Both should produce a hospital bed or a morgue: will they? Much to my dismay, they do not, though I wait for many days. Neither the driving nor the food kills me!
After lunch, we visit many of the most memorable sites of the city: the parliament of India, India Gate, the Rajpath, to name but a few. (2) The Lodi Gardens is one of the most human parks I visit in my life. Why? It is filled with young couples walking hand in hand. These are the love relationships. Only a few will be brave enough to defy the wishes of their parents and marry: the love marriage. For the majority, this is but a momentary glimpse at love. To quote the great Romantic poet, Lord Byron (1788-1824): Friendship may, and often does, grow into love, but love never subsides into friendship.
I visit the Gandhi Museum and the site of his murder. He was, according to all accounts, a curious little man — a pure ascetic. But, he had a singular belief: freedom. The British Raj, as an institution, had betrayed its values and become overly racist and capitalistic. The land had to be returned to the people. How could this be done? The imperial empire, at this time, was the superpower of the world. Following Tolstoy’s writings on peace and action (3), Gandhi developed the concept of satyagraha: non-violence. (4) This culminated in the Salt March of 1930. One man marching collected thousands of people to march with him, and together they changed the world. Each of us can do the same. Next week, I will go on to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) leaves us with a thought: I hold a beast, an angel and a madman in me and my inquiry is as to their working. My problem is their subjugation and victory, downthrow and upheaval: my effort is their self-expression.
A closing thought: We can see through experience that violence is the natural purview of all living creatures, with the exception of man. As beings, we choose to be violent, and therefore cannot apologize away our actions with the excuse of nationalism or political safety.
A small joke: One of my less than stellar students approached me the other day with a serious look in his eyes. “Teacher, what score would I need to get on the final test to get ‘at least’ a C in the class?” I patiently explained, as kindly as I could, that he needed at least 115 points on the final test and the test was only out of 100 points. “Gosh: that bad eh? Well, what would I need to at least pass the class?”
This week, please reflect on the beauty that exists all around us. What can I do to enhance it?
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: The power that exists within you is immense and can change the world. Why then do so many of us live unrequited lives filled with frustration, pain and suffering? The simple answer is one of either fear or of procrastination. Be unique in your time in this consciousness: act, act and be ready for the results. Life is not always fair, but always better than inaction.
Footnotes:
1) Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture
2) 50 Best Places to Visit in Delhi
3) Literature by Leo Tolstoy
4) Truth: The Backbone of Nonviolence