Delhi Old and New: Jama Masjid Mosque, Old Delhi by Rickshaw, the National Museum, and the Ghandi Memorial
Today was devoted to Delhi -- and yes there is both an old and a new Delhi. We drove some around town (a little less hectic because it is Saturday which is more or less like it is in he US) and drove by such places as the president's house, the vice president' house, parliament, the Red Fort, and India gate. We learned a lot about the seven earlier Delhis -- all but the last two have been destroyed over the years leaving just old and new Delhi remaining. And then we went to the Jama Masjid Mosque which seems to be something of the "home" mosque for Delhi. There was some discussion of the practical aspects of Islamic practice including that the main part of the mosque is a large, open gathering place to people to gather, surrounded by walls. Inside this place, which is open to non-Muslims except when prayers are being said, the floor is covered with parallel white lines. During prayers everyone is supposed to stand on one of the lines, in straight lines. There are even wires strung between these lines so that, during the hot season (fortunatelly not now) cloth can be drapped to provide relief during prayers. Also during the hot season mats are placed down because the red sandstone floor is too hot to walk on.
Today was devoted to Delhi -- and yes there is both an old and a new Delhi. We drove some around town (a little less hectic because it is Saturday which is more or less like it is in he US) and drove by such places as the president's house, the vice president' house, parliament, the Red Fort, and India gate. We learned a lot about the seven earlier Delhis -- all but the last two have been destroyed over the years leaving just old and new Delhi remaining. And then we went to the Jama Masjid Mosque which seems to be something of the "home" mosque for Delhi. There was some discussion of the practical aspects of Islamic practice including that the main part of the mosque is a large, open gathering place to people to gather, surrounded by walls. Inside this place, which is open to non-Muslims except when prayers are being said, the floor is covered with parallel white lines. During prayers everyone is supposed to stand on one of the lines, in straight lines. There are even wires strung between these lines so that, during the hot season (fortunatelly not now) cloth can be drapped to provide relief during prayers. Also during the hot season mats are placed down because the red sandstone floor is too hot to walk on.
This is especially important since no shoes are permitted to be worn inside the mosque -- which means that even visitors have to remove their shoes. The mosque sells "slippers" for about $2 and you can also either go barefoot, go in stocking feet, and put on "temple socks" as we're learning to call them (which is simply an extra pair of socks that you wear over you other socks or bare feet. This photo shows a bit more inside the mosque including one of the minarets from which the call to prayers 5 times a day used to be said (it's now done by taped message over a loudspeaker system), the wall towards which everyone faces (so as to orient properly towards Mecca) and some of the domes (typical of Islamic architecture.
Much of the quite beautiful artwork in the most consist of inlay work in which slots are cut in the main stone (usually either marble or sandstone) and then inlays of other stone, usually of a contrasting color, as placed. The effect is quite striking (see the following photo-- and yes that is a clock on the wall, so that the timing of the prayers is always going to be correct.)
We then undertook a rickshaw tour of old Delhi. Let's first deal with the issue of riding in a vehicle which another human being transports two of you by pedaling on a bicycle aparatus. I must admit that I find it difficult but it is one of a number of conscience issues that affect me on this trip. It raises the issue of whether I am imposing by elitist USA views on a different culture or whether there are simply some universal philosophical truths of which this is one. The tour leader has noted (yes, this was discussed and raised by him -- a fairly middle to upper middle class Indian) that the rickshaw driver only makes money if someone rides in his rickshaw and that foreign tourists pay a higher price than Indian tourists who pay a higher price than locals; price is negotiated. (By the way, there are often two prices at places -- one for Indian nationals and one for foreigners. This is based on the correct assumption that any foreigner who can afford to come to India is rich by Indian standards.) I wish there were either jobs or an infrastructure support system such that we didn't need or have rickshaws. There isn't. We don't. I went. And we can debate this further.
There are two types of rickshaw -- old and new (these are highly relative terms). The new ones have a top of sorts and something you can hold onto. The old ones are open on all sides and you stay in by putting your foot on a rack in the center of the floor and pressing down to stay in. It sounds incongrous but it does work and gives your stomach and leg quite a good workout.
The streets of old Delhi are more narrow than those of New Delhi. There is barely room for two rickshaws to pass each other and sometimes not even then. And you have to add to the mix carts, motorcycles, and the tendency of many of the businesses to expand outside to the street. And then throw into the mix people walking about.
Old Delhi seems to consist of a number of various areas in which one type of product is the speciality. For example, one area was spices, another was written material, etc.
And each of the many little shops have a strong need for electrical power and internet access. The resulting Gordian's Knot of wiring is well known but until you actually see it, it's hard to believe.
I've been told by a native Delhian that the system does work ...even during monsoon season. And, for those of us who rely on tech support, we must hope that it continues to do so.
(I took some video of the rickshaw ride from inside and will post it later).
Later was a trip to the National Museum which is a major collection of many different types of Indian culture throughout the ages. It is impossible to make any one or two photos stand for that entire exhibition, which was fabulous and mostly new for me. Lots of the civilization history of India which goes back thousands of years and while they did use the term medieval to describe certain periods, it was clear that it was definitely not the dark ages as far as India and its culture was concerned. (We can debate how true it is of Western culture as well -- I know.) So, rather than say this photo is representative, I'll simply use Ganesh to take away troubles.
Then it was off to the Ghandi memorial. It's important to recognize that Ghandi has a near god-like reverence in India unlike Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln have in our country.(More on that when I talk about Day 3).) However, the very simply memorial to him is moving important to visit.
After all that, the group leader announced that if anyone wanted to go shopping for telephone stuff after we got back to the hotel, he would go with us. Well, I was the only one and we did get a working sim card for my jail-broken and unlocked iPhone 3GS. But the story was more where we went. Nearby to the hotel is a "shopping mall." Well, here is one more place where you need to dispose of preconceptions. A mall in India seems to consist, at least in this case, of a bunch of tiny shops thrown together more or less at random and without any real common structure except it is all set back from the street. Shops may or may not have names but they do indicate, in a variety of methods what they sell. And there is no such thing as mall addresses (as near as can be seen) nor is that a mall index or map. Instead, you walk around and ask people (speaking Hindi is a definite asset here) where things are -- either your fellow customers or shop owners. And, once you find what you want, there is no such thing as listed items and prices. You ask for what you want and ask the price. In the case of the sim card and service, at the advice of the group leader we did no bargaining. Of course the price was already ridiculously low. Now here is an interesting added factor. In order to buy a sim card you need to fill out a form and show your id (passport if a foreigner) and have a photocopy of the id document to give to the person selling you the card. And, needing the photocopy, resulting in another trip around the mall a bit to find someone who could make a copy.
Another long day in India -- exhausting and woderful.
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