Today is Holi

The entire country stops for the Holi celebration this weekend.

Read more about it here.

Pictured are the colors that we will mix with water and fling at passers-by. This is all to commemorate the start of the summer planting season here in India.

I'll have more pictures and stories later. For now, it's time to get dressed.

An Evening with Titou (part III)

"Before the Taj Mahal was built, this was the landmark, the face of India to the world," explained a tour guide I hired for a few hundred rupees.

Carbon dating has revealed that the foundation of the Qutub Minar was probably constructed between 100 and 200 years before the birth of Christ. That's not to say that tower construction began at that time, because it was built on the foundations of Jain and Hindu temples. The tower was constructed over the centuries (starting in the 12th), with each level (of which there are 5) added by successive kings as a monument to themselves.

It's truly marvelous. When viewed from the air, the tower looks like an inverted lotus, which is a common cosmetic detail in Indian architecture. The tower is also a functional sun dial.

Delhi has been struck by massive earthquakes since the construction of the tower, but it is one of the only remaining structures because of its assembly method. Analogous to LEGOs, all of the bricks in the tower interlock with one another; there is no mortar, cement, or other substance binding the bricks -- just gravity.

Happy to have seen this engineering feat, Titou and I set out on the long and windy road back to Sunder Nagar.

Thoughts on Language and Sly Stallone

The difference between a westernized Indian accent and a true Indian accent, I think, is encapsulated in the pronunciation of the letter "R." An Indian with a western accent will pronounce it fully, whereas an Indian without the accent will add a very soft "d" after every word ending in "r" -- making it sound as if they said the "r" but then lassoed it back into their mouth at the last second and replaced it with a "d" ("Yes, sir(d)").

This dawned on me when I hopped in a tuk-tuk on my way back from Khan Market one day.

The driver, Rakesh, was trying his best to get some recurring business with my deep, non-discerning American pockets. To do this, he spoke in the best American accent he could muster, faking a very deep voice and over-pronouncing his "R"s. "Yes sir(rrrr), I would be happy to take you back to Sunder(rrr) Nagar(rrr)," he said after I asked him for a ride.

We chatted for a while, and I figured that his familiarity with English could be an asset one weekend if Titou were unavailable to take me out. So I asked Rakesh for his name and number.

"Oh, thank you sir(rrr). I would be happy to give you my number(rrr). It's [blah blah blah]."

"And your name?" I asked.

"Rocky."

"Rocky?" I asked. "Really?"

"Yeah, like the movie."

Rocky and his silly accent have my business.

Saturday in the Park -- Lodhi Gardens

On Long Island, archaeologists get excited when they uncover the foundation to a building of an eighteenth century whaling village on the East End. To further illustrate it's infancy, on Long Island, you'd make the most meaningful distinction by identifying "pre-war" buildings as those constructed before WWII.

So, I've found it refreshing to come to India and completely overhaul my personal definition of "old". There were great civilizations here while the French were still running around half-naked flinging croissants at one another (I read about the croissants in a book -- it must be true). Heck, India is where Alexander the Great met his match and reasoned that 'enough is enough.' Even right here in Delhi, within walking distance of my house, there are structures that predate Jesus Christ.

The city's stewards over the centuries (Indian kings, Mughals, Brits, etc.) demonstrated great wisdom and foresight when the decided to link and preserve 5 very old monuments within the confines of one great park in the middle of the city called Lodhi (rhymes with "Brody") Gardens. Four of the monuments are tombs or cenotaphs (a tomb without a body), and the fifth is an ancient mosque (pictured at right).

This park is very popular among city residents. In the times I've been there, I see lots of people picnicking, jogging, playing with dogs, or just enjoying the spring weather. It's also, from what I can surmise, a popular make out spot; I've always feel compelled to tell them to find a room, or an alley, or something more private.

The landscape is stunning. Beautiful, exotic plant life grow everywhere, and all kinds of parakeets, hawks, vultures, and other birds call the park home. Much of the green areas slopes down to a body of water that was once part of a city river that has since been artificially diverted.

Park goers are permitted in every corner of each of the monuments -- there are no roped off areas or guards telling you not to bring food or beverages in. What would otherwise be a breathtaking landscape in its own right is augmented by the presence of these buildings. New Delhi residents are lucky to have it.