We landed in Delhi around noon and I was immediately surprised by the modern Indira Gandhi airport. It was bright and clean and comparable to many European airports. I was mentally preparing myself to be thoroughly questioned by the immigration officers but I was simply given a cursory glance and my passport was quickly stamped. I was even more surprised when we arrived outside. I was expecting to see beggars, touts, and taxi drivers to swamp us but only saw an orderly queue of taxis and cars. Soon we were picked up by the driver sent by our hosts and we were on our way to a suburb called Paschim Vihar. I noticed that the tree lined roads surrounding the airport were also very new and modern and quite unlike the picture of Delhi that I had in mind.

The atmosphere changed quickly as we entered the residential neighbourhoods. India has a way of overcoming your expectations and assaulting your senses in every way. The air of Delhi was much more polluted than I had expected. The dust and smoke made me conscious of every breath I took. The noise on the streets was louder than I had ever experienced. The traffic was more chaotic and busier than I had every imagined. At the same time the city was exceptionally lively and exciting. Countless bodies roamed around the streets and went about their tasks. There was a constant stream of various wonderful and disgusting smells hitting my nostrils. It was amazing, inspiring, and frightening to be in such a city. I saw extremes of poverty and wealth.

After a thrilling and eye opening ride through the busy streets of Delhi, we arrived at our friend’s house. We met the family, and then met the extended family, and then we met the neighbours, and then the neighbour’s friends. We met a man who worked for NASA in the United States and whose father proudly introduced him to everyone. Everyone was very friendly and looked somewhat intrigued by us. We had an open air lunch on the rooftop of the house and the we were taken to a massive new apartment which was to serve as our hotel room for the night. We rested for a few hours and then decided to go shopping. Our hosts told us to go to Karol Bagh, which is a big bazaar in Delhi. It turned out to be a crazy and irritable adventure. It was our first night in the city and we had decided to go to one of the biggest markets in Delhi. It was loud, busy, dusty, and completely overwhelming for three tourists who had just arrived in India. We didn’t know what to buy and how to haggle so we walked around for a couple of hours and tried to take it all in. There were strange and new things happening all around us. I saw a mandir with loud speakers on the street blasting bhajans so fiercly that we had to yell at each other to have a comprehensible conversation. I saw a woman throwing rocks at stray dogs who in turn organized themselves in a group and tried to attack her. At every step someone tried to shove household items such as pails, bed sheets, and towels in my face and asked me to buy them. I wondered why they thought that three young people walking around Karol Bagh taking pictures and talking in English would feel the need to buy bed sheets. It was amusing and annoying.

We escaped Karol Bagh and went to a restaurant called Punjabi by Nature. This was one of the best dining experiences that we had in Delhi. Their menu was extensive and the food was brilliant. We had their specialties which included roasted leg of lamb and Lahori Masala Paneer. The service was immaculate and the setting was modern and comfortable.

That first day in Delhi was surprising in many ways. One thing that intrigued me was how much the city reminded me of Pakistan. If you look carefully you can find signs of Pakistan everywhere. Karol Bagh reminded me of Raja bazaar in Rawalpindi. One of the first shops that I saw was called Rawalpindi Embroiders. I later found out that many of the shops in Karol Bagh were owned by migrants from Rawalpindi who had moved to Delhi as a result of Partition. The menu in Punjabi by Nature had dishes named after Pakistani cities such as Lahori Masala Paneer and Rawalpindi Chole. The atmosphere was also not much different than the cities across the border.

To be continued…