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Published: January 27th 2006
Ajay and Varada
Uncle and niece on Republic Day. I love this photo; I think it is one of the best I have taken!Yesterday, January 26, was Republic Day here in India. Everyone gets a holiday, security is tight and Delhi hosts a huge parade. I was really looking forward to seeing the parade, but Ajay's family said it is best to watch it on television because of the immense crowds and tight security. (Crowds in India are quite different than crowds in Canada! When they say immense crowds, they mean it.) Literally everything was closed in Delhi yesterday, and traffic was controlled because of the parade.
However, I made the Canadian cultural assumption that the parade would be in the afternoon. Canada is a cold country and our parades start about noon. India is a hot country and their parade started at about 8 a.m. and I completely missed it! (I slept in very late because Ajay, his brother Vijay, sister-in-law Meera and their daughter Varada and I went out for dinner at 10 p.m. the night before Republic Day, getting back very late. I told Varada, who adores Canada and wants to move there, that very few Canadian seven-year-olds would be allowed to go out for dinner at 10 p.m., and that there are some advantages to living in India!)
yummy dessert
I asked Varada to take this picture of me, Ajay's mom and her brother because we are eating gulab jamun and ice cream -- a great combination! Anyway, it was another example of clashing cultural assumptions. I think I would need to live here a year before I understood these basic differences. Nuanaces would take a lifetime to understand ...
So, my Republic Day consisted of going along with Ajay's family to a family BBQ, on a terrace in Karol Bagh, a neighbourhood in the north-west part of the city, quite a long way from here in South Delhi. I haven't been to it but apprently Karol Bagh has the biggest market of any colony, or neighbourhood, in Delhi. That's how it works here: most colonies have their own markets, and they are all different. Panscheel Park, however, does not have one -- which Ajay thinks is a very good thing. I can see his point. They're great, but they do bring traffic congestion and they're pretty unruly and chaotic and they can be dirty. Panscheel Park residents like the calm, clean, purely residential character of their colony.
The BBQ in Karol Bagh consisted of members of Ajay's mother family. Three of her siblings were there, and their families. Only one sibling was missing, a sister who lives in Chennai (and I will see her
Ajay's family
Here is my family in Delhi: Ajay, his Mom, Dad, brother Vijay, sister-in-law Meera and niece Varada in front. when I am there.) It was a nice event. Great food, drinks, desserts, and people relaxing together and spending time together. The only thing that made it a different from a similar Canadian gathering was the location (and the Indian food and Hindi language of course). It was very urban, on a big marble terrace sourrounded by walls and other apartments. We don't really have this kind of setting in Canada.
For me, being in India and feeling part of a family is of course an amazing thing. And I am so grateful to these beautiful, warm people for unceasingingly making me feel welcome!!
Today is my last day in Delhi for awhile. I leave first thing tomorrow morning for Chennai and my yoga training course. So I have no idea when I will be doing another blog. I will be very busy there.
Another adventure awaits ...
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deepti
non-member comment
thats my family!!!
hey this is my family in delhi.im in london studying.im the daughter of the guy doing the bbq.happy to read this n see their pics.enjoy! india is great!!!