India for a week - after 8 years!

I made my 4th trip to India earlier this year. Previous trips were for weeks or months (how I miss those good old student days!) but this was a mere week. It followed an intense 10-week stint in Kabul, and even then I had to negotiate with my Afghan counterparts for time off! Not something I intend to do again. It was a much needed break and as a result I treated myself to a night at The ITC Maurya upon arrival. The pool was closed (so disappointing - it's one of the main reasons to stay in such places) and I found the hotel to be quite disappointing overall. It was fascinating, though, to watch the creme de la creme of Delhi society mingling in the lobby. The highlight was the chicken kebab at Bukhara - reputedly one of the best Indian restaurants in Delhi, housed inside the hotel. The booking were so numerous and the queue was so big, I only got a table at 11:30 pm! I had some Bukhara dal too, but this came with a dollop of butter (which I cannot stand) so was only half-eaten.

I went to just Delhi and Bangalore - two cities I had been to before. I wasn't particularly aiming to see anything new this time but just to enjoy being in India again. It was the first time since 2002, and things had clearly changed a lot. As expected, the dramatic increase of wealth and shiny new shopping malls and hotels was the most conspicuous difference. New Delhi airport - both international and domestic terminals - was astounding in its modernity. The gap between rich and poor seems to have increased and there is so much more range of choice available in everything. Thankfully the cheap street stalls, vibrant colours, bustling markets and general invigorating Indian chaos were still much in evidence (I doubt those things are unlikely to disappear). 

Bangalore street snacks

 
Bangalore was a city where new money and development were palpable - although it has been an IT hub for many years now. I met my friends, Archana and Jen, who were visiting from UK and we visited Bangalore Palace. This was an impressive structure belonging to the evidently rich Wodiyar family. There were wedding preparations going on for that night, with staff climbing up pillars to attach lights and plant decorations. Hundreds of chairs and a stage awaited the guests that evening for a no doubt sumptious party. What a place to get married! We were chased round by an over-zealous guard who blew his whistle whenever we wanted to take a picture - there's always amusement in India. 

Overview of flower section, City Market

 

 Although the first 24 hours made me feel I was yet to experience the India I knew, City Market changed all that (this was recommended when I asked Archana's family for a bazaar with chaos). It was just fantastic and was just what I needed - complete sensory madness, with shops selling everything ranging from giant cooking utensils to banana leaf plates. A bit of shopping had to be done around MG Road, too, which is the main thoroughfare in the city and near where I was staying. In fact my hotel was located on a gorgeous side street which was lined with bougainvillea erupting from the compounds of white-walled houses, any of which I would love to live in! Being in the South, the food was delicious (I much prefer it to the north) and how great it was to eat masala dosas and idlis after so long. 

On the last night, all of us (Archana, Jen and Archana's family) went out to a couple of bars/clubs in UB Towers, a giant complex built by Vijay Mallya's group. It was astounding and rivalled anything I have seen in Tokyo. The lower, marbled floors were full of haute couture shops (Chanel, Gucci), with offices in the middle and bars in the top. It was quite something and I felt positively out of place! One of the venues we went to (but couldn't stay in due to not having a booking) was Skyye, on the rooftop. With glass floors that had lights buried inside, and open to the skies above the city, this was probably the coolest venue I have ever seen.

I totally misjudged the distance from Bangalore city to the airport (when I arrived it was night but when I left it was midday) and for the first time ever missed my flight. I got rebooked on another 5 hours later and actually enjoyed the opportunity to read and sit still - something I do surprisingly little of in Kabul!

Delhi was very nostalgic and I stayed near the backpacker area of Paharganj near the railway station. I met a friend and we went for a picnic at Tuqlaqabad Fort - a massive rambling and ruined complex on the outskirts of the city. Sitting on the walls eating cheese sandwiches, drinking white wine and gazing over the city was a pretty special experience. Did some shopping at Fabindia and Khan Market. Fabindia is a great chain of stores selling clothes and crafts. It offers an expat friendly shopping experience in well-designed shops with air conditioning and a fantastic array of goods. I perhaps overdid it and got 5 kurta shirts - they were too beautiful to resist! Here is one of them (worn in Kabul).

 
One week was far too short and has only strenghthened my desire to live in India, hopefully sooner rather than later. There's something about the place that appeals so much. No markets are like India's. No smells are like those you smell in India. All five senses are worked to the extreme, and I find it invigorating. Despite wondering whether 'shining India' (BJP's electoral slogan in 2004) would somehow change my feelings for the place, I think the fact that you can now increasingly have the rough and the smooth together makes it all the more attractive! Something tells me I will be spending a lot more time there.

A street scene that just shouts 'India', Bangalore

Tuqlaqabad Fort, Delhi