Delhi Overview

The first thing that hits you upon arrival in Delhi is the air. It’s dense and thick and you can see it. Imagine the pictures of 9/11 with detritus everywhere in the atmosphere, except no bomb has caused this. The sun is not strong as it is diffused by the dust clouds and pollution, but it is pleasant and also humid. Things go smoothly in the airport, however I wasn’t prepared for my first cab ride in Delhi.

The cab is a dilapidated jalopy, with a wooden bench in the back and holes in the floor so you can see the road beneath. As soon as he makes his way onto the highway (if you can call it that) you see there are no rules to driving in Delhi. People swerve from one lane to the next without any seeming order. A man in front swiftly does a u-turn and heads back towards the oncoming traffic the expression on his face one of calm, while in the back we make noises to express our fear and amazement. Others are unperturbed; motorcycles pass with one man on the front and one on the back holding a stack of boxes which must be over 2 metres higher than his head, other motorcycles are ridden by men with beautifully dressed women sat on the back – sideways – as if they are having some romantic sit in the park or a candle-lit dinner – and everyone always smiling, not raging despite the madness.

The side of the road is littered with things to see; poor people clad in only dusty rags contently sit aside boiling pots of food which smells delicious. There are discarded materials stacked to create what must be make-shift dwellings, tarpaulin strewn across the top to create sort of permanent tents. Amongst these there are people and livestock, scrawny looking cows or goats and men and women, all toiling away in the heat to survive. Everything looks stripped down to the barest, the dogs look tired and unhappy and the buildings seem to be the minimum amount of shelter to be functional. Nothing looks finished, everything still being built or maybe falling apart. It is almost like an organic form of urbanity: a growing mass of buildings and people that seems to be ever-changing.

Nearer the centre there starts to be commercial activities. So colourfully, stalls and shops line the streets creating an amazing feast for the eyes and the ears and nose as well, as smells sounds and sights hit you unavoidably. The shops are well dressed and inviting, yet they make the bottom floors of gigantic tower blocks which appear to be room upon room, although what kind of furniture or facilities lay within I can only guess. The upper levels have open sections, the paint has long since worn away and pieces of wall, timber and many wires all haphazardly protrude from the structures. The shops themselves are not like those we know but a crude series of shelves with a front desk perhaps. Each one looks different and is independently run; there are no chain stores here in India it seems. Products on sale range from usual snacks and drinks, groceries, and quickly made curries too unexpectedly many mobile phone stores. There are also men with carts stacked with fruits and vegetables at the side of the road providing extra colour to the already crowded streets. Central Delhi around Connaught place you see occasional signs of India’s newly found wealth, with awesome high rise offices and the curved tower blocks of its central government offices juxtaposed with this makeshift and haphazard style which is more common.

The sound in India is ever present, car noise and honking horns is standard and inescapable, then there are the street sellers waxing lyrical about their products at full voice. There are many dialects, all of which blend to create a constant buzz in the back ground that is indecipherable but so distinctly places you on another continent. The air in Delhi too has a scent. A slight charcoal twang perhaps from all the fuel burning in the heat is interspersed with the occasionally beautiful whiff of fragrant spice. It is not an unpleasant odour not so much that of sewers and grime as I perhaps expected.

The dress here is also different to expectations. Not so colourful and elaborate as the saris you see in England – most wear bland earthy colours like brown and grey and heavy maroon. The men wear smart trousers or jeans and shirts with polished black or brown shoes, and many wear waistcoats that are thick and warming above their shirt in bright colours like orange or yellow. For them it is winter now, but we still feel pleasantly warm. Women wear mostly jeans with fancy traditional shirts/blouses if they are more of western style, or others or covered with draping material which is usually white or again an earthen tone in more traditional style. No-one wears short sleeves or shorts/skirts but women especially are always fully covered on the arms and legs. I have hereby taken to wearing a shirt and trousers and Kath a traditional Indian dress with long sleeves in attempt to blend in and stay respectful.

You can do a lot in Delhi but you must not be led off your path, as many people want to distract you and take you to shops you don’t wish to visit. If you are direct with them and to the point you will avoid this agro. The food is amazing and just going through the streets is awesome. All in all a great place.