NAMASTE. Greetings to you from India, which is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world, yet is one of the world’s youngest countries. There are more than a billion people here, and it feels like I’ve seen every last one of them today in the streets of Delhi. Yes, folks, this place is packed! (How packed is it? Delhi, for example, can comfortably hold 400,000 people. The population now site at 18 million, and that is in Delhi alone.) However, India is not just packed with people. I discovered that it is packed with adventure as well, and it meets you at nearly every corner…
I covered a lot of ground on my first full day in Delhi - Jama Masjid (the largest and best known mosque in the country), Gandhi Smriti (the official residence of Mahatma Gandhi, where he spent the last 144 days of his life before he was assassinated), and Humayun’s Tomb (the first garden tomb in India, and a precursor to the Taj Mahal). I toured those sites and more in between riding rickshaws out in those unforgiving streets. (I was also involved in a fender bender (not our fault), and had a hilariously insane amount of phones shoved in my face for selfies and regular photos - but I’ll tell you more about that later.)
Another highlight included Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, one of the largest Sikh temples in the city. The rules? Your head must be covered; your feet uncovered. No shoes/socks/footies allowed in the sacred space. Also, no pictures inside the worship area.
But fortunately, worship was more than the expected prayers, songs, and bows before a holy book. I was able to see the worship going on behind the scenes, like the Sikhs working in a HOT kitchen to provide free meals - three times a day, everyday - to anyone who wanted them. Or the hundreds of people gathering around a large pool on the grounds to dip their feet in or even bathe in the water, cleaning and treating their bodies as temples while inside the temple.
It was truly a beautiful and welcoming experience, one that I shared with new friends, both Indian and American (U.S.).
And that was just Day 1. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring...
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