special publication of the Villager newspaper
The Taj Mahal, one of the world’s greatest wonders, was built as a tomb for Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire’s period of greatest prosperity, when he was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died during the birth of their 14th child. Both are buried in the structure that was completed around 1653.
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A New Delhi adventure to the Taj Mahal & beyond he invitation to travel to India came from a good doctor friend who was traveling there for a medical conference and was looking for traveling companions. A few phone calls later, including one to long time Villager photographer Jim Pilon, and the invitation was accepted. We would fly to India for five days primarily to visit and view the famed Taj Mahal, one of the eight wonders of the world located in Agra, 124
miles south of New Delhi. The trip would begin in Newark, N.J., with a nighttime journey to New Delhi taking a bit more than 14 hours to arrive. India does require a Visa for entry and application must be made at least two weeks prior to travel. To facilitate this process, we used International Passport Visas, Inc., a very valuable resource in Denver, located at 1325 S. Colorado Blvd, 303-753-0424. These folks were invaluable in obtaining a Visa along with
Story by Bob Sweeney Photos by Jim Pilon & Bob Sweeney
the photo requirements. The cost of using their service and fee for the document was $215, of which $75 was a Consular charge. One crosses the International Date Line when going to the other side of the world, so we departed U.S. on Friday night and arrived in New Delhi around 9 p.m. on Sunday night, a loss of a day, and the time differential was exactly 12 hours between New Delhi and Denver. Continues Page 2
A Sikh holy man sits in front of a temple.
Over five days, Villager Publisher Bob Sweeney and former Villager photographer Jim Pilon were given a colorful glimpse at the people, places and life of India.
I deny being a visionary. I do not accept the claim of saintliness. I am of the earth, earthly ... I am prone to as many weaknesses as you are. But I have seen the world. I have lived in the world with my eyes open. I have gone through the most fiery ordeals that have fallen to the lot of man. I have gone through the discipline. -Mahatma Gandhi
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india101 Capital New Delhi Largest city Mumbai Total Area 1,269,219 sq mi Water 9.56 percent of land mass Population 1,210,193,422 (2011 Census) Pop. Density 963.7/sq mi Government Federal parliamentary constitutional republic Union 28 States and seven centrally administered Union Territories Independence from the United Kingdom Dominion, Aug. 15, 1947 Republic, January 26, 1950 Official languages Hindi, English (17 major languages, 844 dialects) Major religions Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism Currency Indian rupee
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he new Indira Gandhi International Airport is bright, shiny and bustling and United Airlines had our suitcases ready and waiting at baggage claim when we deplaned. We had advance hotel registrations made at the Westin Gurgaon in New Delhi, a five-star hotel with a room rate of around $250 per night, including double occupancy with a fine breakfast and gourmet dining room. New Delhi is much like the Denver Tech Center with its new hotels and corporate headquarters, many in the technology business, that provide services to the 1.3 billion Indian population and the 17 million residents of the Delhi area. Old Delhi, home of the ancient marketplaces and named souks in the Middle East, is a thriving melting pot of open-air shops, breads, chickens, rugs, tourist items, and a sea of humanity up The splendor of Westin Gurgaon in New and down the ancient crowded Delhi welcomed Villager publisher Bob streets. The city hosts a gigan- Sweeney and photographer Jim Pilon tic fort dating back hundreds of years. The old city grew into Delhi, the seat of the Indian government with lofty, majestic government buildings hosting the world’s largest democracy of freely elected party members with a coalition style of government. Continues on Page 3 Rickshaws move around the old Delhi open market area dating back many centuries.
NATIONAL FLAG Horizontal tricolor in equal proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom. In the center of the white band is a wheel in navy blue colour. National emblem Replica of the Lion Capital of Sarnath
Source: www.wikipedia.org
Cattle are sacred in the Hindu religion and found along many streets and towns.
National animal Tiger, Panthera tigris National bird Peacock National flower Lotus National tree Banyan National fruit Mango Clothing in India varies by area. Most women wear a sari made of colorful silk or cotton. The sari is one long piece of material that is draped around the body like a dress. Many men wear a dhoti. A dhoti is a white piece of cloth that is wrapped around the hips and pulled through the legs. Not all people dress traditionally in India, but the clothing is always loose due to the heat. Much of the food in India is flavored with spices such as cinnamon, garlic, and cumin. Most meals include rice, vegetables, bread, and yogurt. Many of India’s people are vegetarians. Hindus believe that the cow is a sacred animal and never eat beef. Source: www.oocities.org
the villager | february 14, 2013 Jim Pilon and Bob Sweeney pose in front of an elaborate display made from cabbage flowers, bell peppers (or capsicum as they are known in India) and other flora.
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Leading up to the seat of power was an Embassy row, including a large U.S. Embassy along the wide streets laden with plush green trees and shrubs. So, as tourists we discovered Old Delhi, Delhi and New Delhi during our five days in the area. Our room in the Westin was elegant and modern, and included bottled water for all purposes, robes, Internet service, fresh cakes and fruit on the coffee table, and a refrigerator full of beverages that included the local Kingfisher beer. This beverage was no doubt left from the British reign, which began in the 18th century under the British East India Company and left the country in 1947 after a long period of occupation was brought to an end by Mahatma Gandhi and his passive resistance revolution. Subsequent partition dividing Pakistan from India led to Gandhi’s assassination on Jan. 30, 1948, in an unguarded complex with a small room and courtyard. That is where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life writing and meeting with followers who came to meet with the unguarded martyr described now as “Father of the Nation.” Gandhi was shot at close range by a Hindu man angered about family property lost in the disputed land divisions with Pakistan. We spent an afternoon touring the site along with a visit to the Jantar Mantar, a huge complex of sundials built in the 18th century that can predict the correct time of day, year, monsoon season and altitude of the stars, along with shortest and longest days of the year. A series of ancient buildings were all designed and engineered to keep accurate times and days from the heavens above. Continues Page 4
Just one set of the many feet of India’s 1.3 million people. New Delhi has a population of 17 million with 80 percent who practice the Hindu religion.
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AT LEFT: The garden area where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. AT RIGHT: Lord Shiva Statue in Haridwar, India
Tourists explore Jantar Mantar, a huge complex of sundials built in the 18th century.
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Westin driver Parvesh Kumar with his wife and children at home in his village outside of Delhi.
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onday was spent traveling by a hotel car with Parvesh Kumar, our 24-year-old Hindu driver, husband of two youngsters, who later in the week honored us by taking us to his village home to meet his family. Each morning we gathered in the Clubroom atop the Westin for a buffet breakfast that included Western and Indian cuisine in true British tradition, serving beans like in the U.K. Breakfast was a complete feast of cheese, ce-
reals, juices, breads, sausages, eggs cooked to order, along with many cooked veggies, and Indian offerings. This meal lasted most of the day and kept us away from the many food stands abundantly located across the Delhi area, usually surrounded by dozens of patrons eating the local foods. We were advised to stay away from street food and we did. Asking an airplane veteran traveler about what to do and not to do in India I was advised, “Don’t sing in the shower.” Most publications like Fodor’s advised against dining on the street food, but we did have
In Hinduism, a dominant religion in India, the cow is a symbol of wealth, strength,
some fine meals in local restaurants, which consisted largely of chicken in various spicy forms. My favorite was a chicken noodle soup that was quite tasty with the local paper-thin bread. Fine dining was not something on our agenda except for one meal later in the week awaiting the arrival of a snake charmer who failed to show on a rainy day to our major disappointment. Eighty percent of India is Hindu and they do not eat meat so much of the food is vegan in style and preparation. We fed our driver and he would order his favorite vegetarian delight. Continues Page 6
Slum dogs And what is a top destination for a newspaper man in a foreign country? A newspaper office, of course.
Exquisite Indian rugs in the marketplace.
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The road to the Taj Mahal
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uesday was the Taj Mahal adventure and the best day of the trip. We were on the road early traveling 124 miles south to Agra. The morning traffic was as usual, bumper to bumper, six lanes of traffic on a three-lane road. Indians honk their horns as a courtesy, not an insult, to warn they are inches, not feet, away from each other’s vehicle. The transportation came in many varieties from ox cart to three-wheel motor taxis, to Tata, Honda, Toyotas, all small and going somewhere day and night. The Indian nation is constantly moving, 17 million people all riding or driving something, somewhere. The price of gasoline and oil will never go down with this huge demand for energy, so I suggest buying stock in Indian Oil Co. The city had a magnificent new freeway heading south with few cars and toll stations about every 50 miles. At the toll stations were fueling pumps, clean bathrooms, coffee, tea and food items. Frito Lay potato chips were everywhere as this U.S. Pepsi Company, Indian managed, is pushing their food products into India, but is far behind Coca Cola in the beverage department. On reaching the 1.5 million populated Agra city limits, the road narrowed to a trail threading through the ancient city where the Taj Mahal was constructed by the fifth ancient Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife who died after delivering her 14th child. She was buried in a field adjacent to the Taj Mahal as 20,000 Persian craftsmen spent 22 years constructing the tomb starting in 1632 for the eventual monument where the couple are entombed today. Parking some distance away, the street venders were hard at work selling booklets and assorted items to the eager arriving tourists. We paid the 750 rupee fee, exchange rate around 50 rupee for one U.S. dollar, a great bargain, and proceeded to enter a gigantic gate into a large courtyard. The hotel had pre-arranged a guide for us, Zoheb Khan, who met us in the parking area. The courtyard shielded any view of the Taj and was where the 20,000 workers lived for two decades during construction. It has served as home to soldiers and conquerors down through history since 1652 when the Moslem Mughal’s loving tribute to his wife Mumtaz Mahal was completed. After a history lesson, we were escorted through another gateway and the site of the Taj Mahal was breathtaking, almost a mirage under the bright morning sunlight. Reflecting pools of water divide the grounds into four sections and hundreds of visitors were strolling by the pools leading to the Mausoleum by the longer Lotus pool. Four towers standing at each corner of the structure are engineered to lean outward away from the main building to avoid any damage from
In addition to the iconic white marble mosoleum, the Taj Mahal grounds include gardens, reflecting pools and a number of outlying buildings including mosuleums for Shah Jahan’s other wives.
earthquakes. A mosque is located on one side of the Taj and a museum and former guesthouse is on the opposite side. Tourist take off shoes, put on plastic foot coverings and proceed up stairways and inside the structure. Intricate marble carvings surround the entombment area and quotations from the Koran are inlaid in the outside and inside of the building. The inlay is magnificent and perfectly inlaid throughout the 190 sq. ft. building with scriptures from the Koran. The tower structure rests along the Yamuna River that winds through the area a short distance away. Our guide relates that the Mughal planned on building himself a “black tomb” across the river but his heirs quashed the idea because of the huge expense. The building site is still visible against the seasonable almost dry riverbed. The monsoon rains come in June and July and drench the country in torrential rainfall. Continues Page 7
The Taj Mahal grounds are an architecture lover’s dream come true with intricate detail everywhere.
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Beautiful brass artwork, jewelry and carpets from an Old Delhi store.
Several hours of gazing at the beauty of the building and grounds led us back to the parking lot. Our guide and driver then took us on a shopping tour to a rug and artisan factory, no doubt pre-planned where we were to shop and buy some of the exquisite inlaid art, bowls, jewelry and famous carpets. We were tired, but purchased a few jewelry boxes inlaid perfectly with colored stones showing the Taj Mahal. The early breakfast had passed and at 4 p.m. we entered the gates of an Agra majestic hotel to be greeted by colorful Indian doormen. We had a sandwich for lunch in the bar area of the lovely hotel before heading back to Delhi. A magnificent day as we arrived back at the Westin, we all commented that we could fly back to America on Wednesday and be quite satisfied with the trip, no doubt the site ranks with the Egyptian Pyramids and the Chinese Wall. Continues Page 8
A Catholic church visited by Pope John Paul II survives in Old Delhi.
The busy streets of the city are crowded with buses, taxis, and cars as well as rickshaws (a type of cart drawn by person or bike) and sometimes camel, cows or other livestock. Only a small percentage of people in India own a car. Â
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An authentic indian adventure
AT RIGHT: The markets are a busy, crowded place. BELOW: A motorcycle speeds past the slums of India.
The doctors departed for their medical conference in Hyderbad, and Jim and I spent the next three days with our driver Kumar searching for a snake charmer, visiting the Gandhi Museum and riding along for a rickshaw tour of Old Delhi. This tour landed us in another carpet, scarf, silk tie store where the rickshaw riders cleverly deposit their customers for a few rupees in sales commission, apparently common practice where the average wage is less than $50 a month. The highlight beyond the Taj trip was a 40 mile jaunt to our driver’s village where we met his wife, his brother, married to his wife’s sister; mother of the girls, and four small children. Kumar was the sole support for this family. The small concrete structure where the family lived was clean and neat and they served us hot tea, cookies and potato chips. The tea was steaming, but no doubt made with local water; Indians use milk in their tea and there were three cows living in the yard that supplied revenue for the family and fresh milk products. A small family shrine in honor and memory of his parents was in the back yard, a Hindu custom of honoring parents, and they do believe in reincarnation. They hold cattle and dogs in high esteem and they are roaming freely around the streets of every town. The villagers turned out to meet and greet us and we gave them American flag pins. We really enjoyed the visit. The hotel white Mercedes was quite impressive for everyone and showed the importance of our driver who performed so well during the entire week taking us to the airport at midnight Friday as we headed for home. Yes, we did acquire “Delhi Belly” but only after we arrived back in Denver. The intestinal discomfort lasted for a few days and we could only guess that it came from hotel hamburgers that probably were buffalo meat served to us Friday evening. We consumed fresh orange juice out of open bottles each morning, maybe some milk-laden tea, but whatever the cause, it is almost impossible to escape some of the bacteria. So eager to come to America, our fragile digestive tracts are accustomed to pasteurization and purity, weakening our immune systems. Whatever discomfort we endured, the trip was well worth the time and expense to see the world’s largest democracy, one of the great wonders of the world, and to meet and greet the really sweet, gentle people who reside in India. It was a week well spent.
See even more incredible india at www.VillagerPublishing.com
Schoolboys march to school
Bob Sweeney talks to a tiny ambassador of the country.