Northern India and Adult Diapers?

This week I am writing from India. We are currently in Anjuna in Goa enjoying some sunshine. We started our journey in New Delhi and took a quick trip to Agra before reaching the relative tranquility that is the Southern coast of India.

When asked what we were doing for Chinese New Year and our response was India we met with a multitude of opinions, advice and mild to moderate shock in some cases. One classic piece of advice from a colleague was to purchase some adult diapers and take them with us as we would inevitably need them. Another reassuring piece of advice was that everyone sees us as an easy target and that it is scam central. Sounds like the perfect holiday for a twenty-something; adult diapers and being taken advantage of.

In all honesty I have been the driving force behind this trip and not my husband. I am very lucky that he agreed to come with me despite his reservations and lack of desire to go. Most people who know us know that it is unlikely my husband would refuse as he has accompanied me on my crazy country hopping for sometime now. I certainly have at least one relative who finds my behaviour quite shocking and the phrase “your poor parents” has been spoken more than once. To qualify this I should explain that there is no real history of wanderlust in my family and only an average amount of movement within the confines of the homeland. The only parallel I can draw with a relative is my Great Auntie Delphina. A truly amazing woman who it would appear never did as was expected by society and lived until a few days short of her 99th birthday. I have always admired Auntie Del and enjoyed spending time listening to her stories of how she grew up at the beginning of the 20th century and the places she visited. On her mantle were two small marble coaster-like ornaments with inlaid marble patterns that she had purchased when she visited the Taj Mahal in India. I loved looking at them and always thought about going there.

India is a hard place to describe. My husband and I are both still trying to make sense of everything we have seen and experienced so far. The biggest thing that has struck has been the divide between rich and poor. We have of course experienced this before in Borneo and at our current home in China. Driving in a taxi in New Delhi; men, women, children with babies in their arms, the wounded, the crippled and the elderly wait at junctions and then surround the car banging on the windows to get your attention and beg you for money. The only problem with this is that there is sadly a baby rental service throughout many regions of India where people can rent a baby to improve their chances when begging. Then, we have actually seen a few people catch buses to get to the better begging spots. Are they poor? Is it an easy way to make some money?

An image that will stick with me for a long time are the small communities of people camped by the main road, lighting fires on the pavement to keep warm and cook what they have a few steps from the most affluent area of Delhi and some of the busiest roads. With no social security or benefit system people literally have no option but to support themselves. In Agra we were approached by a girl who was clearly blind in one eye due to cataracts, such a simple thing to cure, she was shabbily dressed and quite filthy and literally less than a metre away were 3 girls the same age immaculately dressed in crisp blue and white school uniforms. How can you make sense of that? 

We visited Ghandi Smriti the day following the anniversary of his martyrdom. The whole place was strewn with flower petals and floral garlands. It had been closed on 30 January for a ceremony for the “select” and this was quite ironic as this surely would have gone against the grain with Ghandi. Having spent some time in Old Delhi and seeing the poverty first hand in the dusty streets surrounding Agra you begin to understand Ghandi’s reason for being in Delhi and his push to erase the Caste system that has sadly existed for decades in India. What would Ghandi think of India now?

Our experience in Northern India took us to a variety of temples, tombs, markets, forts and gardens. It is dusty and dirty and full of history, noise and curious sights. There is elegance in even the most garishly ornate building and I suppose this can be compared to the women in their brightly patterned Saris with gold stitching and elaborate jewellery and shoes. However there was a lack of colour in Northern India during our visit, even the spice market didn’t hold the vibrancy we were looking for and perhaps this was due to the season. Is the Taj Mahal impressive? Simply, yes. Are we glad that we have been to Northern India, experienced the chaos, been charged crazy prices because of our white faces and seen what life is really like for people here? I don’t know if glad is the right word, but we have learnt from this experience and it has raised many questions for us to consider.

No adult diapers required so far.