Not So Much Scratching The Surface, More A Light Dusting

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I have crossed India by myself. I've been repeating this statement to myself for the past 2 days. I am very proud of it. Sometimes I replace "India" with "the Indian Subcontinent" and "by myself" with "single handedly". And then I imagine briefly that I'm a pioneering explorer with an interesting and appropriate hat.

In fact I have covered a tiny part of India, taking in some major places but only along a very thin line. In some cases, Varanasi and Agra spring to mind, the path I took has been a very well trodden one indeed. And I leave India at the most trodden place on the backpacker trail, with the exception of Goa possibly; Delhi.

I'm really intrigued to know how I'd have reacted to Delhi if it had been the first place I'd seen in India as opposed to the last. Because while it has some of the traits that made Kolkata so daunting I really haven't encountered any problems in Dehli. My guidebook warned me that New Dehli station would be a nightmare and I would have to constantly dodge touts whilst keeping an eye out for thieves. But it really wasn't that bad, I've definitely gotten a lot better at ignoring people. I can now find the middle distance within one second. A tip for people coming to Delhi: arrive late at night, all the touts were sleeping on the floor and you can make your way to Paharganj by yourself. I promise it's not scary.

I prefer Kolkata to Delhi because Kolkata just feels more quintessentially Indian. Everything is just more vibrant and visible and different to the UK. When you're a traveller with time constraints one thing you don't appreciate is subtlety. Blatent or Bust if you please. Also Delhi doesn't have the yellow taxis that Kolkata does, just stupid auto-rickshaws which manage to be dull and nerve-jangling at the same time.

I am being quite negative I realise, which is very unfair to Delhi there are some very impressive and enjoyable things I've experienced. Connaught Place the central point in the city is a series of colonnades that form ever increasing circles around a park. It has lots of shops and restaurants that are quite expensive but they make up for this by all having air conditioning.

I also went to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum which has been formed out of her house. It's got air conditioning, so there's your reason to go. If you need more though I do recommend it. Indira Gandhi was the prime minister of India on and off for decades in the 20th century and is revered in India. Indira Gandhi was murdered just outside the museum and the vast collection of personal items and photographs form a very moving tribute. It's very well curated with newspaper articles from around the world relating to her life and political actions, as well as excellently written captions. They also have the clothes she wore when she was assasinated and hundreds of Indians come to the museum everyday so highly was Gandhi respected. The museum does gloss over some of the less impressive episodes in Gandhi's life, like the Emergency when she suspended all civil rights and the democratic process because it looked like the opposition would win the next election. Despite this the museum remains extremely informative.

I've also visited the Delhi Museum of Modern Art which for a limited time only I can't recommend highly enough. The first floor has a permanent display of modern Indian artists and sculptures which is pretty interesting but on the ground floor at the moment they have an exhibition of Flexus art. What? Well as far I can tell Flexus artists looked at modern art and decided to replicate it with their tongues firmly in their cheeks. They incorporate music and light and make many of their pieces interactive. It's like someone read my mind. Consequently I spent 2 extremely diverting hours grinning at sheet music made from broken records; a magic piano that started playing whenever I got close to it; a crucifix made from TVs; a robot covered in paint; a book made from concrete; a magnetic wall where you could move old metal objects to create your own sculpture, I dubbed it the Tetanus Wall; the most amazing chess sets that were variously themed around balancing, alcohol, spices, animal eyes, sunglasses and mice; a sculpture called Duck Hunting that consisted of a tableau of plastic ducks being pursued by toy soldiers; and a plastic table and some chairs that also had coffee making equipment, it was an art exhibit where you were invited to make a cup of coffee! There was also a set of headphones that played 70 minutes of snoring. And best of all a remote orchestra; a set of instruments suspended in mid-air and by pressing a switch you turned on a motor which either strummed the strings or hit the notes of the xylophone. I spent at least 20 minutes on this alone. I haven't got pictures as I couldn't take my camera into the gallery, so I guess you need to make your way to Delhi pretty quickly if you don't want to miss the magic piano. Also the gallery has air conditioning.

Finally I have to mention Delhi's Metro system which truely puts the Underground to shame. Clean, Fast, Spacious, Modern, it's staggering. It's extremely cheap and as far as I can tell, with the place names not meaning anything to me, it goes everywhere.

Sidenote: Can I claim my bonus points for working out how to go on the metro by myself?

Also the trains are air conditioned. Just thought I'd mention it.

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