This piece of writing is mostly for myself. I want this to act as my journal. I've always tried to see life from others' perspective. I think it's time to see it from mine. This can act as a rough draft of my life.
If you're very nosy and want to kn...
We had the popular 'chole bhature' for breakfast today! And it was soooooo good! This one was a totally different chole preparation but now I know that I like chole in two ways. :P
After getting ready, we set out for our sight-seeing . My neighbors seem to have kept one of their cars and a driver ready for us and I'm really thankful for that.
Our first stop was the Qutub Minar. It is so taaaalll! The area surrounding it wasn't restored the way yesterday's Humayun tomb was but it looked beautiful nonetheless. We took loads of pictures there. Their guards also seemed to be used to taking photos with even DSLR cameras so they were fully efficient in making us pose for the pictures. I found that quite hilarious.
I don't know if they were all a part of one group but I saw so many Koreans there. My head just turned the second I heard someone talk in Korean. I was so tempted to go and at least say "annyeonghaseyo" to those ajjumas and ajjushis but chickened out at the last moment. There was a possibility of things going the wrong way. Also, some of my fellow Indians were already persistent in asking for pictures with them that I didn't feel like adding to their discomfort.
We had decided not to take a guide so we kept on looking for the written descriptions of the structures. And of course, trying to discreetly overhear the guides explaining to the others.
I had heard that Delhi has one of the worst road sense ever and I did not believe it because everything seemed to function in an orderly manner. However, today we witnessed an accident. No, weren't involved in the accident but it happened right in front of us. The car ran into a bike and then instead of staying back to see if the motorist was okay, the car just took a reverse and fled from the scene. Wow.
But I've seen similar things in my city as well so I'm still not convinced with the statement.
Our second destination for the day was the Lotus temple. Just like it's name, the temple was in a shape of a lotus and it looked beautiful! It gave off Sydney Opera House vibes, something that I wasn't expecting at all. They had built it very well.
The entire area was a big mass of green, properly maintained land with the temple in the centre. So there was a bit of a walk until we actually reached the foot of the temple.
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The main temple area was quite high because they had built a big hollow space surrounding it. This hollow space was meant to be filled with water so that it looked like a lotus in a lake. I really liked that idea.
We removed our shoes and were briefed a little before entering the temple. They continuously emphasized on the fact that we had to stay silent while we are inside and I later understood why. Unlike expectations, there was no deity as a main focus in the temple. It was actually a meditation hall mostly used for sermons and self religious practices. We sat there for a while and then headed towards the next location.
We visited the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum and learnt quite a lot about our first and only lady Prime Minister till date. The museum was built in her actual residence so they kept some rooms unchanged for us to get a glimpse of how her living conditions were back then. We also saw quite a lot of personal pictures of the Nehru- Gandhi family, Indira Gandhi's personal belongings and a lot of newspaper clippings announcing her appointment as PM, the Nationalist movement as well as her assassination.
The most impactful part of the entire Museum was actually outside the house where they had described in detail and marked the exact spot where Indira Gandhi fell when she was shot dead.
We came back home for lunch, took some rest and then left for this place called Akshardham. I wanted to go by the metro but we ended up going via cab. So Akshardham translates to "an abode of God" and it is a MASSIVE place of worship, devotion and peace.
Due to our neighbour, we obtained a VIP pass and got a personal guide for the first time. He was good in the beginning but rambled on to a point where we just wanted to get rid of him. But good lord the place looked so grand! It was a pity they didn't allow to take even our cell phones along because I would've taken so many pictures of the beautiful structures and that HUGE temple.
Most of the structures had elephants and peacocks so intricately carved it was amazing! They really put a lot of thought and effort into making the entire place look like a heavenly abode. The interiors of the temple were great too! There was big gold statue of Swami Narayan (who this place is built around) and it was adorned with jewels, making it look very appealing.
After taking 'darshan' at the temple, the guide took us to the 'Abhishek Mandal' and then to an exhibition area, ending his journey with us. The exhibition started out as a dark place with a seating area. Once the seats were sufficiently filled, the show began. There was a voice introducing Swami Narayan and Akshardham as a whole. Then one of the doors opened and it lead us to a succession of different rooms, each room displaying a short skit (done by human robots) based on the life of Swami Narayan from his birth to death.
The experience was very similar to the one we witnessed at Ramoji Film City about 2 years back but it was equally fun. The robots acting out the scene looked and behaved so realistically that in the beginning I thought they were actually people enacting! Everything looked well designed and well planned. I feel like if I had visited this place before Ramoji, there's a chance I would hold this as one of the most special experiences I've ever had, exactly the way the Ramoji one has stayed with me.
The exhibition took an hour and it was dark by the time we came out. There were A LOT of people sitting by this (man-made) step-well for the fountain show. We had to separate ourselves and sit wherever we found space. The step-well had seats/steps on all four sides but they didn't allow anyone to sit on the fourth side, even when there were seemingly no places left. I found it quite a strange strict rule at the time.
The fountain show began after a small puja and it was tooooo goooood! Do you know why they didn't allow anyone to sit on the fourth side? It's because this was not fountain show but also a lazer show with the building (and stairs) on the fourth side acting as the screen!
So the theme of the show was "Courtyard of the Gods". In the beginning, 4 small kids came out and began dancing around the periphery of the well. Soon the waters also mimicked the rhythm of their dance. The fountain took shape of a flower, seemingly indestructible. To demonstrate this, various "Element Gods" aka the Fire God, Wind God, Rain God, etc and their palace was showcased through lazers, and they all tried to destroy the flower to show their prowess. However they were all unsuccessful and the flower stayed intact. The entire show was super intriguing! Multi-color lasers, video projections, underwater flames, water jets and surround sound in symphony with lights and live actors produced a captivating presentation!
This is definitely going to be one of the most memorable moments on this trip!
We came back home, tired but satisfied. The men had their drinks while all of us had dinner. I could have had a drink too but I didn't want to make my neighbour kids uncomfortable. Following some delicious mughlai dinner, we played some card games and dumb charades with them and it was fun. I guess playing something before sleeping is going to be a customary thing but I ain't complaining!
