Namaste Delhi! Namaste India!

Having arrived in Delhi, it would be incorrect to say that we have come full circle. We have in fact left an open spiral in our adventure through India. What began as a cautionary tale and ridiculous undertaking in Mumbai is now complete and the Bums are truly blessed to have been graced by the beautiful landscapes and benevolent people we have encountered in our journey from the warm of the south to the cool of the north.

Yet, we have yet to achieve true Dharma. We are still more Bums than Dharma and we have failed to even add another letter from the group contained between the parentheses. India, the land where the day begins with prayer and religion and faith guide the actions of the day, remains a mystery. We are no closer to understanding the culture of India than we are the meaning of an Indian head bobble.

We can, however, appreciate the beauty, gentility, and generosity of its people and the principles which guide their actions. Simple principles such as dignity, magnanimity, and integrity that dictate their behavior despite conditions of extreme poverty. Although we have come to India on a journey of charity, our notions of poverty have changed. Seemingly, poverty in India does not deprive people of their dignity nor their ability to be happy. It is just a mere condition of their environment like the cold winter wind or the hot summer sun.

We are now in Delhi, a city that is more familiar and comfortable for Westerners like myself. There are large boulevards and public spaces and bright city lights. The city is not unlike any others I have seen in other parts of the world. Subways run underground and it's occupants engage in the same space building exercises performed in other metropolitans--fiddling with cell phones, mp3 players, or just reading the paper--while trying to drown out the environment around them. We no longer see the affectionate interactions and familiarity of strangers experienced in other parts of India.

We find a McDonald's where a group of boys are hanging out watching the latest videos on an LCD television. They could just as well be in London, New York, or Tokyo instead of Delhi. It is the same scene.

The Delhi Times, with its pictures of pop stars and modern condominium developments, seems foreign to me. It in no way correlates with the India I have experienced in my short journey through its interior. Yet, I know that this new world is probably the future of India. Globalization has come to its shores and India seems to be embracing it as it has embraced other strange cultures in its history.

All the same, I remain hopeful and I am comforted knowing that in some call center somewhere in Bangalore, a young man is bobbling his head as he answers questions about someone's banking statement.

Namaste Delhi! Namaste India!

Posted at 12:00AM Jan 11, 2007 by D Bums Comments[0]