2015 - Christmas in India
Above: Western state snow totals showing above average snow pack throughout Utah, 23 December 2015.
TIMDT and Mwah (sic) left for India just as a mega storm hit the Wasatch. 40 inches of new snow at the resorts and counting.
We departed San Francisco on an Ethiad Airlines triple 7, about noon on 22 December 2015 and arrived in Abu Dhabi, after a 14 hour flight, about 4PM on 23 December 2015. After a 5 hour layover spent snoozing, reading, blogging, and eating in the Ethiad Airlines lounge, we departed for New Delhi, on another Ethiad triple 7, and arrived about 3:00 AM on Christmas Eve day, 24 December 2015.
FeeBee and B1B's family, and their friends, Psychology, Montana, and son K, had made their own separate ways to New Delhi. We would meet them later in the morning for a day tour.
Above: Business class cabin. Ethiad Airlines, triple 7. 23 December 2015.
Losing a day. Our home for 23 December 2015.
TIMDT. 3:00 AM. New Delhi Airport. 24 December 2015. Merry Christmas say all the banners.
With a coupla (sic) millenia experience, and not without occasional sectarian violence, India is one of the few countries of the world where multiculturalism is celebrated...where it actually works.
Every one celebrates everybody else's holiday. Hindus celebrate Christmas... all respect Ramadan. .. Muslims celebrate Holi and Divali. And...nobody is offended!
I love visiting India. This is my 4th visit to India in 6 years. While the challenges are legion, India is on the move. She aspires.
TIMDT is on her 9th India visit in as many years. Giving birth to Rudy Jr. here in 1973 made India special for her.
Above: Humayan's Tomb. New Delhi, India. 24 December 2015.
Guide, VJ, kids, Drums, Cat, and K, and adults, TIMDT, FeeBee, B1B, Philosophy, and Montana in the image.
Humayan Moghul great grandfather of Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal.
Above: Food preparation at Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh temple in New Delhi, India. Near Connaught Place. 24 December 2015.
Above: Bare footed with head covered, Drums, K standing near, stirs up the dahl. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh temple in New Delhi, India. Near Connaught Place. 24 December 2015.
One of India's largest Sikh temples, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib serves up to 50K meals on holy days.
Above: The Bishop observes the Kwality Restaurant, on Parliament Street, just across the street from the site (now home of a "new skyscraper" built in 1974, of the old New Delhi branch of Citibank where the Bishop worked during 1972/1973. 24 December 2015.
Our group had lunch here. Dahl, rice pillau, bindi, alou gobi, chicken tikka kebab, nan, salty lassi. Later on, the kids said lunch was the best part of the day. Its good to see the kids liking the exotic, spicy food.
I ate occasionally at this restaurant, in the early 70's. It felt good to touch the past at Kwality.
Kwality reminded me of some of the established restaurants in New York City. The Palm, for example. The waiters at Kwality were all in their 50's or above... long time employees... professionals. Food and service were excellent. We arrived to the empty restaurant about noon. By the time we left, every table was full.
Above: The Bishop observes the exterior of the New Delhi, Connaught Place branch of Citibank. 24 December 2015.
The Bishop worked as Sundries officer, Current Accounts Officer and Bills Officer over a period of 18 months at this branch in 1972/1973. Then, the Bishop was a junior officer at Citibank, New Delhi and the only gringo working at the branch. His senior Indian officers treated him and his wife very well during what was a significant cultural change for him and his family. He and TIMDT are gratefully in touch with many of these same Indian officers and their spouses 42 years later.
The actual branch were the Bishop worked was on Parliament Street, only a short walk away from where the branch (as seen, on Connaught Place, in the above image) is today. The branch in the image is in a "new building" constructed in 1974.
As the Bishop surveyed the area of Connaught Place it seemed incredible to him that during his 28th year he lived and worked in New Delhi. He was supported by his 27 year old wife and 2 year old daughter.
Memories started to waft back as The Bishop strolled through the Connaught Place area. He remembers once, while serving as Current Accounts and Cash Officer, the branch ran out of cash. His 2nd in charge, who usually trekked to the nearby Reserve Bank of India, on cash runs was not available, so his boss, Ajit Grewal Singlh (now deceased) said that he, The Bishop, would have to go get the cash himself. Ajit's sly smile quickly signaled that the cash replenishment errand would be somewhat of a spectacle... an American Bank officer on a cash run in the bowels of the New Delhi branch of India's central bank. It was. There were lots of gawks and lots of smiles both from the Citibank clerks who accompanied the Bishop and the cash disbursement at the Reserve Bank of India.
Ajit Grewal, my first real boss in professional life, was a great guy. I was able to stay in New Delhi with him and his wife Royina, an accomplished author, in 2007 precedent to a motorcycle trip I took through northern West Bengal, Bhutan, and Assam.
Above: Site of the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi, 31 October 2015. Safdarjang Road, New Delhi, India. 24 December 2015.
The pathway down which Mrs. Ghandi was walking when assassinated by two of her Skih guards is now layered with crystal.
Mrs. Ghandi had stirred up the ire of Sikhs when she authorized Indian troops to attack Sikh extremists holed up in the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar. Most of the extremists were killed and the Golden Temple, the "Mecca" for Sikhs, was partially destroyed.
In the image, beyond, the kids, their parents and TIMDT can be seen.
While on another visit to south India earlier this year, January 2015, we saw the spot where Indira Ghandi's successor, her son, Rajiv Ghandi, was assassinated at the hands of a Tamil extremists suicide bomber. Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Above: K, mom Montana, and Santa. Taipan Restaurant, Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi, India. Christmas Eve. 24 December 2015.
Above: Bar tenders, New Delhi Oberoi Hotel. New Delhi, India. Christmas Eve. 24 December 2015.
Christmas may be dying on 5th Avenue...but it's alive and well in India.
B1B joined Mwah (sic) for a post dinner, Christmas eve cocktail at the bar.
Merry Christmas!
Addendum:
Get used to it, it happens!
Lianne,
Miami, FL
Wants to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and hope that 2016 will bring you joy and happiness. It is Christmas Eve and 84 degrees here. No danger of a white Christmas.
Bridge,
Palm Beach, FL
Saw the last 4 minutes – UNBELEIVABLE!
Joe, Sydney, Australia
Bishop,
Stihl and I skied Deer Valley today, 50 plus inches of snow here in the last 48 hours, we got first tracks this morning when they opened the Sultan lift for the first time this year. We missed you.
Our best to you and the family. We hope you have a very Merry Christmas.
Travel safe.
Golf,
Chicago, IL
Above: B1B, snake charmer, and cobra. Ghandi Memorial. New Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
Above: Montana and TIMDT on bicycle rickshaw. Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
Above: Swastika symbol. Sjevtambar Jain Temple. Naughaha, Old Delhi. 25 December 2015.
In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, swastika means "well-being". The symbol has been used by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains for millennia and is commonly assumed to be an Indian sign. Hitler co-opted the symbol after which the swastika has had a different connotation in the minds of post WWII people.
Above: Vegetable walla. Old Delhi, 25 December 2015.
Above: Adherents on steps of Jama Masjid Mosque. Old Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
As it was Friday, Muslim Sabbath, we were unable to enter the mosque. Thousands of adherents were arriving for prayers. According to V.J., our guide, the top Imam of India was slated to be at the mosque today. This, he said, accounted for the large number of police carrying automatic weapons surrounding the mosque today.
18% of India's population is Muslim, making India the second largest Muslim country in the world. First is Indonesia.
Broadly speaking, India has been one of the more successful countries to live with multiculturalism. Its constitution is secular and tolerant of all religions.
Notwithstanding, communal violence has reared its head from time to time.
When India was partitioned into India and Pakistan in 1948, over a half million people lost their lives.
In 1992, members of the current ruling party, BJP, destroyed the 430 year old Babri Mosque in Ayodha. It was claimed by the Hindus that the mosque was built over the birthplace of the ancient deity Rama (and a 2010 Allahabad court ruled that the site was indeed a Hindu monument before the mosque was built there, based on evidence submitted by the Archaeological Survey of India. This action allegedly caused humiliation to the Muslim community. The resulting religious riots caused at least 1200 deaths. Since then the Government of India has blocked off or heavily increased security at these disputed sites while encouraging attempts to resolve these disputes through court cases and negotiations.
The BJP party, which long ran second to the Indian National Congress Party, won national elections in 2014 elevating Narendra Modi to the Prime Minister role. While Modi was elected in the wake of successful economic reforms he made while governor of the state of Gujurat, the BJP has not lost its reputation as being a Hindu nationalist party and fears have been rising recently that sectarian violence, Hindus against Muslims, will break out once again.
Above: Dates for sale. Near Jamah Masjid mosque. Old Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
Above: Three wheeler auto rickshaws. Old Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
After our tour of Old Delhi via bicycle rick-shaw, we dined at Char Bazarre, in the Broadway Hotel.
Above: B1B, FeeBee, Drums and Cat. Qutub Minar, New Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
Above: Cat, K, and Drums. Qutub Minar. New Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
Above: Iron pillar dating to 400 AD. Qutub Minar. New Delhi, India. 25 December 2015.
The inscription on the pillar is in Sanscrit, written in Gupta-period Brahmi script.
It remains a mystery how the makers of this pillar refined the iron to such a level of purity that it has not rusted away over the centuries.
The pillar weighs over 6,000 kilograms and is thought to have originally been erected in what is no Udayagiri by one of the Gupta monarchs in approximately 402 CE.
Merry Christmas from the Taylors
Above: Margaret and Steve. Raj Ghat, Mahatma Ghandi's cremation site, New Delhi, India. Christmas Day. 25 December 2015.
Though Ghandi was not a god, like Christ he was a martyred figure whose legacy has lived long after his death. Ghandi's message, accomplishing political change through peaceful non violence, dove tails nicely with the Christian message of "peace on earth goodwill toward men."
We hope that these messages will resonate amongst mankind in the coming years.
We wish you a most joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Margaret and Steve Taylor
Addendum
Thanks for sharing Merry Christmas from [LaDoc and LaPsy].
Los Angeles, CA
thanks Steve.
Brand,
Venice, CA
Above: K, Drums, Cat. Radisson Hotel lobby. Guwahati, Assam, India. 26 December 2015.
Today was a transit day. Shift from Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi to Diphlu River Lodge in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, northeast India. Two hour AM flight by Jet Airways from Delhi to Guwahati, lunch at Radisson (see image above), and 5 hour drive, north on national route 37 to Kaziranga.
With good friend Espresso I visited Kaziranga 42 years ago. Riding elephants into the grasslands to see the rare, endangered white rhino, has always been "up there" as a memorable experience for me. I wanted the kids and grand-kids to see it.
Back to the above image. The ubiquity of Christmas, as seen here in the hotel Christmas tree display, in predominantly Hindu India, continues to astound. Assam... no less.
On to Kaziranga!
(Sorry about lighting. Only angle I could get)!
Addendum:
Thanks for sharing this Steve! Have a grand New Year!
Best wishes,
Patrick,
London, England
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Steve. Looks like you are having fun.
The skiing has been wonderful, travel safe.
Golf,
Chicago, IL
Above: Elephants make their way to loading station. 6:30 AM. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. northeast India. 27 December 2015.
Drums, FeeBee, and Cat look on.
Above: First selfie ever while riding an elephant. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. northeast India. 27 December 2015.
Above: Mahout, Cat, B1B, FeeBee, and OBGYN on Jumbo. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. northeastern India. 27 December 2015.
Eerie, quiet, early AM atmospherics. Only sounds were rider whispers and elephant steps plodding in the wet grass and mud.
Memories of doing this elephant walk with Espresso 42 years ago came rushing back.
It was a thrill to me seeing the joy on the kids' faces as they participated in this special experience.
Above: The Bishop back at Kaziranga after 42 years, this time not with Espresso, but, with TIMDT and Mahout. Kaziranga National Park, Assam, northeast India. 27 December 2015.
Baby elephant is Joy. Mahout allowed Joy to suckle her mother a couple of times during our ride to see the rhinos.
Above: Rhinos, with elephant spectator beyond. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. northeastern India. 27 December 2015.
Rhinos are not bothered by elephants who can get quite close to the rhinos without spooking them.
Above: Mahout, K, Drums, and GP. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. Northeastern India. 27 December 2015.
Above: Joy. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. Northeastern India. 27 December 2015.
Image captured by Mwah (sic) from atop Joy's mother.
Above: OBGYN, FeeBee, B1B, Cat and Mahout. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. Northeastern India, 27 December 2015.
No one could stop taking images of the animals.
Above: Wild Boar. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. Northeastern India. 27 December 2015.
Above: Elephant poses with Mahout, K, Drums and GP. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. Northeastern India. 27 December 2015.
Above: Big boy rhino. Kaziranga National Park. Assam, northeastern India. 27 November 2015.
Image taken by Mwah (sic) from elephant.
Rinos eat grass all day. The grasslands of Kaziranga are known for their elephant grass, which reaches 14 feet in height.
There are about 100 Bengal tigers in the park... but, sightings are not frequent because of the proliferation of grass.
Our naturalist, Bumani, discovered a tiger track on one of the dirt roads.
In any case, the tigers would have been a bonus... as the principle reason to visit the park is the elephant ride to see the rhinos.
Above: OBGYN, FeeBee, B1B, Cat, and Mahout. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. Northeastern India. 27 December 2015.
Above: Swamp Deer with elephant observer. Kaziranga National Park. Assam. Eastern India. 27 December 2017.
Kaziranga Big Five:
Swamp Deer
Elephant
Indian Water Buffalo
Rhinoceros
Bengal Tiger
We would see four of the five.... missing the Tiger.
The elephant ride to see the rhinos is the main reason to visit the park in any case.