Picto Diary - 25 December 2015 - Christmas Day in Delhi

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