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Took-Took
Local Transportation“Delhi-Belly”
New Delhi, India
2nd February - 22nd February 2002 Six months into a new career as a Business Analyst in London, the project schedule called for software testing to be undertaken at our software house (TCS) in New Delhi, India.
This process required a collection of regional representatives to meet at TCS and attempt to “break” the application we had recently built. My job was to over-see the testing and ensure our regional “chaps” kept to the pre-defined schedule.
At this point in time, my international travel itinerary since moving to England consisted of only a long weekend in Barcelona, so my reaction to upgraded flights to Delhi was somewhat enthusiastic.
Accommodation, courtesy of my employer, P&O Nedlloyd was the Taj Mahal hotel, New Delhi and I arrived there with my boss, Gordon Pow on the afternoon of Saturday 2nd February 2002.
Following a few beers and lie by the pool, despite the Indian winter (a sunny 22 degrees Celsius) dinner in the hotel restaurant was served.
It only occurred to me after I had completely polished off the plate that one should really think to themselves before ordering a seafood meal whilst in
the Testing Team
Rahul is the little fella making hand signals behind my head. the middle of India.
The prawns while delicious at the time, did not react well with my internal organs and revolted accordingly. Thus the beginning of my Indian “experience” was somewhat tainted, for the first seven days at least.
On Sunday (3rd Feb), Jo Loftus and Ivo Sauviller, our European representatives arrived. On this day, my bowels were co-operating with me so I took the opportunity to get outside and meet them, along with Gordon by the pool.
There was a suggestion that we should make the most of our day off (testing was to begin the following morning) and take a “taxi-tour” around New Delhi. I was a bit hesitant due to my “condition” but Jo gave me some ‘Fibre-gel’ which, when dissolved in water formed a proverbial “plug” that allowed me to leave the vicinity of my hotel room with a temporary confidence.
The hotel organised a tour guide and driver for us and we set off through the streets of New Delhi in a convoy of taxicabs.
Our first stop was India Gate on Rajpath, which plays host to the annual Republic Day parades (26th Jan). Built in commemoration of the Indian
Raj Path
"Kings Way" towards India Gate soldiers who died in World War I, India Gate stands magnificently in the middle of a roundabout, in a similar style to the Arch de Triumph in Paris.
Like most of India, beggars surround the tourist attractions and India Gate was no exception. Whilst Gordon & I waltzed through the crowds to take some photos, poor Jo was swamped by kids and young men hoping to collect some money and excited at the fact of seeing a white woman for perhaps the first time. In a rather unfortunate move, Jo gave a small child a 1-rupee note and this resulted in her being swamped even further. Needless to say, she learnt her lesson after that.
The WWI monument was dedicated to the nation 10 years after the war by the viceroy, Lord Irwina and was earlier named All India War Memorial. Inscribed on it are the names of 85,000 Indian Army soldiers who lost their lives in the campaigns of 1914-1916.
In amongst the beggars and opportunists selling post cards and other Indian paraphernalia was a man with two monkeys, which he kept under control, rather cruelly with dog leads
When the smaller of the two
India Gate
note the hordes of beggars congregating underneath India Gate monkeys jumped onto Gordon’s shoulders, I quickly took a photo. This resulted in the Monkey-man chasing me all the way back to the car trying to charge me for the “privilege” of taking a photo of his monkey. Meanwhile Gordon, was amusing himself with “get your monkey off my back” gags.
Jumping back in our car, the driver headed further up Rajpath, which translated means “Kings Road” towards the Secretariat Buildings. These unique structures house the ministries of Finance among others and are divided into North and South buildings.
The buildings are topped with chhatris, which are small domes and are an impressive site in the late afternoon sun.
Flanking the South building is Rashtrapati Bhawan, which is the official residence of India’s President. Currently in office is Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, who became President of India on 25th of July 2002 although when I was there, India’s President was Shri Kocheril Raman Narayanan. Behind the North building is Parliament house.
We knew we had stumbled on some pretty important buildings when upon taking countless numbers of photos, we were charged by heavily armed guards attempting to “seize” our cameras!
Diving into the cab we made
a run for it expecting to be followed by a trail of bullets and the shattered glass of the back window. Although no bullets were forthcoming, the “tour” at this point took a turn for the worse as despite our pleas, our cab drivers (in co-ordination, no doubt) took us to a tea house, that just happened to make high quality Indian carpets.
Even though we had specifically requested not to include a place like this on our tour, the lead cabbie insisted that we visit his uncle’s cousin’s best mate’s shop.
We were greeted inside with hot cups of Indian tea and the promise that there is “no pressure to buy”.
Carpet weaving was thought to be introduced to Indian culture during the mid sixteenth century whilst it was under the ruling of Moghul Emperor Akbar, the son of Emperor Humayun, who’s tomb we would coincidentally visit later that day
Over the next forty minutes we were explained the history of carpet making and how the uniqueness of each weaving indicates the background of the family who made the carpet.
Although nobody intended to buy a carpet, everyone in our group walked out with
one - except me. I did buy one however rather than carry it with me, for a ‘small fee’ I had it shipped back home to Australia as a present for my mum.
After the carpet show we headed into Old Delhi to pay a visit to Humayan’s Tomb, added as a World Heritage site in 1993, was built in 1570. Humayan was the second Mughal Emperor of India and his tomb was said to have been an inspiration for the building of the Taj Mahal in Agra.
The tomb is a magnificent structure of white marble, red sandstone and terracotta tiles, toped with chhatris. While I had only reserved such a breathtaking sight for the Taj Mahal, I was caught off guard by the tomb’s beauty that showed through in the late afternoon sun.
We hired a local man to guide us through the grounds and around the tomb while he relayed stories of the tombs existence.
Humayan was expelled from India after ruling the land for more than a decade. He found refuge with Safavid shah of Persia, who later helped him retake control of Delhi the year before his death in 1555. Hamida
Humanya's Tomb
Me outside Humanya's tomb Begum, Humayan’s wife from Persia over-saw the construction of the tomb in Delhi.
Inside the great temple-like building stood a single tomb, elevated on a marble podium. This, we were told was the tomb of Humayan.
Following this our guide lead us down a set of very steep steps leading to darkness. We all followed reluctantly into the pitch black cavern beneath the tomb. It was here that he told us that the actual tomb of Humayan is located.
Although we could not see it, it was a chilling moment. After regaining our senses, we all began to notice slight screeching noises coming from the walls of the cavern.
The guide lit a single match although this did not help matters. I got out my camera and took a random photo in the hope that the flash might illuminate the walls. We were all in for a surprise. Covering the walls some two deep were small Indian bats.
Another match was lit and held up to the wall and we all saw the thousands of bats that were crawling over the walls. I held my camera to the wall closest to me and again pressed
Guiding Light
Our guide describing the history of Humanya's Tomb. the shutter button, revealing up to ten bats screeching by my ear no less than a couple of centimetres away.
At this point a few people got a little jumpy and we suggested to our guide that it was time to go. On our way out, Ivo walked right into the flight of one of the bats resulting in the bat getting caught on Ivo’s jumper. The bat flapped its wings incessantly and screeched loudly. Ivo nearly did the same before we were able to free the creature and leave the cavern in one piece, if not all a little shaken.
That night was a restless one for me. Non-stop trips to the toilet followed by stomach pains and throwing up meant that I was to get no sleep at all.
Come Monday morning, I struggled to get down to breakfast and meet the team for our bus ride to the TCS offices. My skin was a pale white and despite the air-conditioned hotel lobby, I was sweating profusely. Accompanying my pounding headache were severe stomach pains and an aching back. On seeing my state, IT Manager Chris Parks suggested I go back to bed and rest
Holy Bat-Cave Batman!
The bats beneath Humanya's Tomb up for tomorrow.
“Being the first day, there is nothing too important that you will miss other than introductions and the like.” Chris told me as he ushered me towards the elevators.
I protested slightly before heading back upstairs and crawling into bed sheets already soaked with my sweat.
And so one day in bed or on the toilet turned into two, and soon three. Most of the time was spent zapping through around fifty-odd TV channels. Flicking over Bollywood film after Bollywood film (wet saris and men with sinister eyebrows seem quite popular) and advertisements featuring the recognisable face of Amitabh Bachchan (the host of India’s Who wants to be a millionaire among other things) in the desperate hope that something interesting would be shown, I found solace in the “Fresh Prince of Bell Air”.
Around the fourth day, I had a visit from Gordon to see if I was all right but my symptoms continued into day five but by day six I was back to normal. During the ordeal, I had lost 5 kilos, watched 29 episodes of the “Fresh Prince of Bell Air”, drank approximately 40 litres of bottled water and was
Road-side Living
Some people utilise their road side houses to earn money from passing tourists by offering drinks and meals. on a first name basis with the entire hotel cleaning and room service staff.
I had heard that a group tour to the Taj Mahal in Agra was planned so I took enough “Fibre-gel” to ensure I would be “comfortable” for the next 24 hours and was ready in the hotel lobby by the required 6am Sunday morning.
With the temperature hovering around 5 or 6 degrees Celsius, we all huddled into the bus and set off southwards for the five-hour trip Agra.
Around 9am we reached a border crossing that separates Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. After a brief inspection of our bus, the border inspectors sent us on our way although on the other side of the border we ended up waiting for just under half an hour, stuck behind several other buses heading in the same direction.
Arriving at the eastern car park of the Taj Mahal, we were instructed to leave our coach and jump on a smaller bus that would take us closer to the entrance. As we got off our coach beggars, lepers and innovative businessmen trying to sell their wares swarmed us in a fashion not dissimilar to a rugby
Grand Entrance
the entrance to the Taj Mahal rolling maul. All of them were touching and grabbing at clothes, skin and anything else exposed. It was a bit of an eye opener for some people in our group.
Even once we had got on the new bus sitting next to the window became an ordeal some of us, as people stuck their arms through the windows and flashed post cards for sale. Sitting next to the window myself, one guy tried to climb in while attempting to get me to buy a coffee-table book on the Taj Mahal.
Thankfully as the bus coughed and spluttered to a start and we were underway. This didn’t stop some of the more adventurous post card sellers for chasing after us but as another large coach full of tourists pulled up, their attention turned to them. One post-card seller who told me his name was Manish said he would “be waiting for me to return” so I could look at some more post cards. I was looking forward to that.
The entrance building to the Taj Mahal is as breath taking as the Taj itself and covered in terracotta & white tile, it looks similar to Humayan’s Tomb in
Simply Spectacular
The Taj Mahal in all it's glory Delhi. Passing through the entrance hall, I shivered with anticipation. This was going to be my first viewing of one of the worlds most spectacular monuments - at this point, I hadn’t even seen the Eiffel Tower in Paris yet so to be seeing the Taj Mahal was a surreal moment in my lifetime.
What a moment it turned out to be. A clear blue sky provided the backdrop to a view experienced by some 5.5 million visitors each year. Rows of thinly trimmed hedges flank a long calm pool of water, known as the Al Kawthar (the Celestial Pool of Abundance) that leads your eyes towards the Taj Mahal like a path.
Twenty thousand men worked daily over seventeen years in the construction of the Taj Mahal. Building began in AD 1632.
The wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s dying wish was "to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before". Inconsolable over the loss of his beloved wife who died giving birth her fourteenth child, the emperor set about building the most flawless architectural building, the world had ever seen. Pristine white marble was used as the chief material
Me &Taj
Me outside the Taj Mahal. for the Taj Mahal, which sits on the banks of the Yamuna River and is un-shadowed by any other structure.
There are stories in Indian history that suggest the emperor wanted to build a mirror-image monument on the opposite side of Yamuna river in black marble so that he could later be laid to rest there. However he was to be imprisoned by his son and held captive for the remainder of his life. Following his death, the emperor’s tomb was also encased in the Taj Mahal.
We spent hours wandering around the building taking in its beauty. Even with all the visitors on this day the scene was peaceful and picturesque. No more words could possibly describe the masterpiece I was privileged to bare witness to. I was simply overawed by the whole occasion.
Taking our shoes off, we left a “minding fee” with a short man named Manaj, who said, “I will be taking much care of your shoes sir, you can trust me” as we walked inside the Taj to view the tombs.
Vast soft marble floors spread throughout and the high domes create a cavernous effect on the inside of the Taj
Up close and personal
The front of the Taj up close. Mahal. The tombs, also made of white marble are covered with bands of calligraphy and various writings of the Koran - the sacred text of Islam, the infallible word of Allah, as revealed to the profit Mohammed; the primary source for Islamic law.
As promised, Manish was waiting as we left the Taj Mahal grounds and followed me all the way to, and onto the bus. The driver chased him off but he persisted by attempting to climb in through the window.
After a brief stop for lunch and a detour to a “special” marble shop, which we think was owned by the nephew of our driver, we arrived at Agra’s Red Fort.
The fort was built over many centuries under the command of many different regimes. Each architect worked on a small section of the building although this is not instantly evident due to the common red sandstone used throughout the structure, hence the name “Red Fort”.
Originally intended as a fortress, the building was converted into a palace due to Emperor Shah Jahan’s imprisonment there. He was to die here, a prisoner of his own son, but was later laid to rest in the
Yamuna River
Overlooking the Yamuna River from the back of the Taj Mahal Taj Mahal. The fort also operated at times as a strategic military base for the Mughal Emperors.
Inside the fort is particularly bare although the view from the top is absolutely spectacular. With the sun setting and grey clouds gathering overhead, I spotted the Taj Mahal in the distance along the Yamuna River reflecting the changes of colour visible during sunset. The Taj Mahal is surrounded by nothingness, completely isolated in flat grass fields. It looked even more breath taking than up close.
Gordon mentioned to me that with the ongoing feud between India and Pakistan, the Indian government wanted to create a gigantic camouflage cover for the Taj Mahal to protect it from any Pakistani air raids. I couldn’t begin to imagine just how big the cover would need to be because even from here, the palace sticks out like a sore thumb!
On the way out of the red fort, a young boy begging for money approached me. His left foot was inflated by what I later found out was an Elephantism disease. I gave him what little rupees I had on me at the time but I still couldn’t help feeling horribly ashamed…for what
Agra Red Fort
Out the front of the Red Fort in Agra reason, I do not know. Perhaps it was that I have been lucky enough to be brought up in a country where poverty and disease can be treated and in general are not large-scale problems. Maybe it was the guilt that I could have given him more but didn’t because I was also partially disgusted of what I had witnessed.
The sombre bus ride back to Delhi was long and quiet. Most of our group slept although my mind was far too active to sleep.
With my stomach troubles well and truly tamed, I was able to successfully complete a full weeks work. Our daily coach ride to work was a definite highlight as we witnessed cars 4 lanes wide attempt to fit onto a 2-lane road. On occasions our bus even mounted curbs and drove almost horizontally through ditches to beat the traffic on the way home.
It was also interesting to see whole families travel on one single scooter. With Father driving and mother sitting side-on at the back, several children were seated wherever space could be found - on Mum’s lap, wedged between Mum & Dad, on the step between Dad’s feet. It was
"Post Card sir?"
Young opportunists and beggars outside Agra's Red Fort innovative but quite un-safe considering the road rules in Delhi…in that, there are none!
We watched in amusement and amazement as a scrawny young man attempted to ride his bicycle up hill loaded with approximately ten 12-foot planks of wood strapped on the side.
In the office, there were four common daily activities that we all looked forward to. The first was the coffee & biscuit’s man who came around at 10am and 3pm to ensure we were watered and fed sufficiently.
Secondly, all the power in the office would go down without fail every day. Despite this, we still managed to complete our testing a week ahead of schedule.
Lunch was always provided in the office foyer and was a combination of spicy Indian dishes and the occasional omelette for those with upset tummies!
The final activity was the daily walk around the block that Jo, Gordon & myself would do in our lunch break. It wasn’t so much of a highlight for us as it was for the local residents and workers who would come out in numbers to catch a glimpse of the white woman - possibly for the first time ever!
On Tuesday 13th of February, the night before Valentine’s Day, Rahul Chaman from TCS persuaded us to come to his favourite night club MKOP - My Kind of Place, which was conveniently attached to the Taj Palace hotel where we were staying. We all had a fabulous time dancing well into the night. All the local guys were swooning at the famous female singer who was performing various Indian pop songs and although we had no idea who she was, we danced along happily.
The following night on the way home from the office, we had dinner and drinks at the Sports Bar within the Radisson hotel, New Delhi. The sports bar was literally that, it had a half basketball court, cricket nets, a couple of pool tables, squash courts…all surrounding the bar, it was fantastic.
We then ventured downstairs to the Radisson’s famous bowling alley where we played till all hours, each taking turns at imitating David Swayn’s suave bowling action.
After a fun-filled night, the journey back to the hotel was a sobering one when an elderly lady offered me a new born baby through the window of our bus to exchange for money or food.
As the week and our Indian trip came to an end, Jo & myself, accompanied by Ivo went to Connaught Place to do some final shopping.
Connaught Place on first viewing is just a collection of “high-street” type shops in the one place, however it is very much the heart of the city of Delhi. No cab driver will refuse to take you there and you can get a bus to Connaught Place from ever little colony in the city.
Commonly known as C.P. and named after the visit of Duke of Connaught to India, it is the focus of entertainment, shopping, and business activities.
Jo & I spent most of our time in Levi’s buying cheap pairs of jeans and t-shirts while Ivo wandered outside each shop we visited like a patient uncle.
After that, it was back to the hotel to attempt to pack all my recent purchases into my already expanding suitcase.
Reflecting on my Indian experience on the flight back to London, Rahul Chaman’s words rung in my ears like a ghostly memory “You will be back in India again, yes?”…
I will my friend…I most certainly will.
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Rahul Chaman Saxena
non-member comment
Nice One Matt!!
Hi Matt, Good story Matt!Som part of the story needs to be corrected. Waiting for u Matt. Well it was not Taj Mahal hotel, instead it was Taj Palace...More corrections r need...Take Care... Cheers RahOOL!!!