India

Friday May 25th, 2012

New Delhi.. a city home to many. A city of abundance, and of scarcity. A city with beautiful architecture and run-down buildings. In some parts of the city you feel like you could be in any other metropolitan city in the world, in other parts you are surrounded by an intricate history of traditions, culture and stories. I read somewhere that anything you will think of India, the opposite is also true. And that is so true. New Delhi is a melting pot of cultures, religions, ethnicities and traditions where Delhi-ites (or Dilliwalas) live amongst each other, individually as well as collectively participating in daily, hectic, dynamic Delhi. You would see Sikh men driving their motorcycles wearing their turbans and a see-trough helmet covering only their face. This safety measure is only applicable to Sikh men, as a helmet would never fit on top of the turban that is wrapped around the head, sometimes consisting of 8m of fabric! Women would be dressed in colourful and embellished sari’s riding the passengers seat of a motorcycle with both legs on one side (probably more comfortable wearing a draped sari). Muslim women would wear veils and men djellabas. Teenage girls and boys walk around in jeans and t-shirts occupied by their cell phones. A city with so much diversity that you won’t get bored easily. And just watching what is going on on the streets is fascinating.

The first day started with an 8am wake-up call, firstly by hotel staff knocking on every door offering laundry service. Second call 15 minutes later by the housekeeping asking to clean your room. Either you say no, or you hang around the room while they clean. Either way you will have to jump out of bed, tidy yourself and answer. Not answering is not an option, as they will repeatedly knock on your door. Finally, after a few days of the same routine I asked for a ‘do not disturb sign’, which gave me more peaceful mornings, at least until 9.

I surely needed the extra hour of sleep as I suffered from jetlag the first few days. I wasn’t able to sleep before 3,4 am and the sound of the air-conditioning and the continuous honking outside starting at 6 am did not help much either.Anyway after I was settled my adventures in New Delhi were about to start.

I started off by contacting the few contacts I had gathered trough my friends in London. It is nice to have a starting point and some initial contacts in a city where you actually don’t know anyone. Luck was on my side, because these people turned out extremely friendly and helpful. Thanks to them (and thanks to my wonderful friends) they helped me gather young women to participate in my research and made me feel welcome in the city.

One of the best experiences of doing research is meeting incredible people along the way. Amongst the very interesting young women, I met and interviewed Medhavi Ghandi, a young, bright entrepreneur who founded the NGO Happy Hands. Her foundation works towards the empowerment of women from (rural) India trough arts & crafts. It creates a platform for young artisans as well as women from slum areas who are taught skills and techniques to create artwork. She is doing amazing work and I admire her for being determined to make a difference, especially at such a young age. At the end of the interview she gave me a gift, a small vase decorated with a colourful pallet of bright colours and shapes made by a rural artist. She give me this particular gift because it is from the area where my great grandparents are from, how amazing… Experieces like this are memorable and make this trip extra special.

Getting around town is both easy and complicated. There are lots of options: the metro, auto rickshaws, taxis, busses and so on. But the traffic jams keep you locked within the city with endless honking drivers. I find myself navigating trough the city mostly by auto rickshaws (quick and easy) and metro for longer distances. Delhi’s metro is brand new, modern and user friendly. I like the fact that they have a ladies compartment, reserved for female passengers. Even the waiting area on the platform is reserved for women only. I don’t like it too much that apparently it is necessary. Other compartments are hardly mixed and predominantly occupied by men. Would you choose to sit in the mixed compartment it will make you subject to 100’s of staring eyes, which make you feel more than uncomfortable. Despite that, getting around Delhi during the day is quite easy. Of course taxi and rickshaw drivers try to literally take you for a ride. Yesterday a driver asked me for 50 rupees for a very short drive, which I knew would normally cost around 20,30. I asked him about it a few times, and finally he confessed he asked me 20 rupees extra because he needed the money! These things happen a lot. In some cases I don’t really mind, because for me it is only a difference of 50p and to them it could be a meal. But in some cases they try to double the fee and you really have to bargain your way trough Delhi life. Oh well, it kind of makes it a unique experience as well.

Being by your self in a city as big as New Delhi is an adventure. Exploring the city can be fun and adventurous. However in some cases you find yourself lost. For example, I bought a SIM card at Vodafone more than a week ago and due to administration errors the SIM card has been blocked on and off for the same period of time. Which is very annoying and inconvenient. My research meetings require me to travel to different parts of the city, a city I have never been before. Well prepared and with directions I would travel to my destination, however finding the descriptions not exactly matching the route. At this point Vodafone decides to block my phone again, both incoming and outgoing calls, so there is no way to reach my interviewee. What is left is asking for directions, which is not always an easy thing as I have noticed that a lot of people point you in the wrong direction even when they say the know exactly where to go. Eventually I find myself walking in the directions crossing some small streets with street beggars where you don’t feel comfortable or safe at all. In situations like this, it is not so great to find your phone not working! Once again, I realize how much we have become dependent on technology.

Delhi is considered not to be the safest city, but I found that during the day it is quite all right. As a women traveling alone, you always have to be more careful and always take safety into consideration. Even when it means that it limits your travel plans.

However, aside from that I am truly enjoying the energy of this city. The variety of colors, food and culture are unique to what I have seem before. Plenty is happening in the city. I would love to check out Delhi’s museum of Modern Art this weekend and get a taste of Delhi’s art. I have interview meetings everyday and I keep meeting new and interesting people. And in a city as large and diverse as Delhi, there is still a lot to discover.. So stay posted for the next update following shortly.

Greetings and love from New Delhi, India.