Reflections on Delhi

As we leave Delhi for other parts of India, I leave with the following…
India is now engaged in national debates about several critical issues, and from all accounts they seem to be attacking them with great enthusiasm.
At the end of a panel discussion on religion, a conversation between panelists became quickly animated when a person representing one faith tradition tried to tell the group what another person’s faith tradition was provided for exactly in India’s constitution. They were both quoting lines from the constitution and had absolute faith the constitution held the answers for their bigger philosophical questions. I was impressed by that kind of faith in a political document. This was not the first mention of what was and wasn’t allowed for in the constitution, which I found quite interesting.
Indian food still rocks my world, and is definitely one of world’s most interesting and delicious cuisines. In addition to several great meals along the way, I had a one GREAT meal one evening with a friend who is a R2I (returned to India) who was a former Iowa City resident. We had a 10 course tasting menu that scored 10 out 10. We both voted the dessert, KULFI, an almond ice cream, as our favorite, although the mutton and stuffed shrimp and tamarind sauce were all high up on my list.
The Delhi Disco, that unconscious way Delhi residents have of moving through the traffic and living to tell about it, is quite a fascinating dance. All the Americans had a very difficult time moving through the traffic, as our rhythms simply didn’t match theirs.
China Mention Count: I noticed early on, way back in Madison, that India sees China as the guy to beat. I started to keep track of how often lecturers would mention India’s superiority, or inevitable superiority, to China, and it was amusing. People from such varied disciplines as dance and political science had much to say about China’s even demise, although I’m not ready to count them out yet!
The word SECULAR in India means equal respect for all religions, but the word SECULAR outside of India means not following a religious tradition. That semantic difference says a lot about the extent to which Indians are exposed to various spiritual practices, I think
John Galbraith’s quote will end our time in Delhi: “Whatever you say about India is true, but the opposite is also true.”