Blogs from Jangpura, Haryana, India, Asia

You can get an Indian driver’s license if you were Indian in a past life. Road signs urge parents to “Never Encourage Your Children to Drive!” Cows take siestas on sidewalks and elephants walk alongside highways. There are over 330 million gods available to answer your prayers. World-renowned lamas come over for afternoon tea. Sequins aren’t reserved for special events. Tailors still make clothes. Scaffolding is built with bamboo. Guards outside of banks carry original 18thcentury muskets. People are named Vijay. Body odor is sweetened by sugar and spices. Chana masala and masala chai. The Ganga. The Indian head waggle that communicates countless exchanges, such as: Yes; I Understand; As You Wish; No Problem; Go For It, and Thank You, but No. People are capable of waiting without losing patience and are similarly nonplussed when things ... read more

Before my arrival here, the mention of Delhi conjured an image of too many people and too many rickshaws, of crowds and traffic struggling for space, of staring eyes and blaring horns. It evoked the smell of spices, frying oil, and human excrement. To be sure, Delhi is all of this, but it is also much more. As my host Vidhi told me, “Delhi is built on the ruins of seven different cities and more than 50 different empires. It has over 1,400 monuments, most of which are over 400 years old.” If you don’t know where to look, it can be easy to miss the secluded shrines and tucked-away temples; to walk right past the history. The most surprising thing about Delhi, however, is all of the green – the tree-lined roads and parks where ... read more