Delhi Street Scene

Our weather has been so unremittingly dark and wet lately that I've really been longing for some sunshine and warmth. As I result I present today for "Somewhere Saturday" a street scene I snapped in Delhi a couple of years ago because it's full of sunshine and the relaxed attitudes that are expressive of life in a warm environment. It's also got lots of nice details that I like - such as the bicycle rickshaw man coming up over the hill, the ice cream and popsicle seller, the glorious bush of bouganvillea and the perfectly relaxed attitude of the seated man in the lower left. Delhi is noisy and hectic but I always find when I slow down and walk around there are lots of little islands of peace like this.

Mahatma Gandhi and I

This is a "Somewhere Saturday" post when I take a break from Victoria and look at some of the other places where I have dwelt or visited. One of the highlights of my visit to India in the spring was to have lunch at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi. Above is the imposing entrance to the hotel and to the left is one of the marble-floored hallways in this most luxurious of 5 star hotels. The dining room was superb and the lunch was a memorable meal. As we were leaving the maitre d' approached me and asked if I was aware of the history of the table where we had dined. When I said no he went on to tell me that discussions for the partition of India between Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah and Mountbatten were held at this hotel. After the day's negotiations the men often sat in the chairs and dined around the very table where we had just lunched. It still gives me a little thrill to think I sat in a chair that once may have held Mahatma Gandhi.

Jama Masjid

Those of you who visit here regularly will know that I traveled during March and early April of this year. Today for "Somewhere Saturday" here are a few photos from Delhi, India, one of the cities that I visited. One of the most imposing buildings in Delhi is in what is called "Old Delhi" and was built by the same Mughal emperor who built the famous Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan. The building pictured here is the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. It was built in about 1650, roughly the same period that saw the construction of some of the great Christian cathedrals in Europe. Above is the stairway proceeding to the entrance. The knot of people to the right at the top of the stairs are visitors removing their shoes before entering the great courtyard that lies in front of the mosque (left). On Fridays this courtyard holds as many as 25,000 worshippers while many more pray inside. Below is a view of the outside wall of the courtyard looking towards the famed Red Fort, whose towers are faintly visible through the trees. April in Delhi is HOT - it was 32°C (90°F) during our visit to the mosque.

Somewhere Saturday - Delhi, India

For Somewhere Saturday this week here's a trio of shots from my trip to India last spring. All these photos were taken at the seat of government in Delhi, the capital of India, and show where the main government offices and ministries are located. Just to the left of the photo is the Ministry of Defense and shortly after I clicked the shutter both of the uniformed men on the left came towards me and informed me that it was illegal to take photos of the Ministry of Defense. However, they were very nice about it and I was impressed with their politeness. The photo below was taken looking in the opposite direction, towards the India Gate. As you can see, Delhi was quite smoggy that day.

Gyarah Murti

On this Remembrance Day weekend I've been thinking about Gandhi and the Salt March he led in 1930 and how, thanks to Gandhi, civil disobedience has become an increasingly popular and effective way of effecting social change. The group of statues above depicts Gandhi at the head of the Salt March. I photographed it in Delhi in April of this year.

Humayun's Tomb

For this "Somewhere Saturday" here's another of the sights to see in Delhi, Humayun's Tomb. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well worth a visit if you are in India. I took this photo during my trip there in March of this year. Below is the text of a plaque at the entrance to the tomb.

Humayun's Tomb
1565-72 A.D.
Hamida Banu Begum, his grieving widow, built Emperor Humayun's mausoleum. Precursor to the Taj Mahal, it stands on a platform of 12,000 square meters and reaches a height of 47 meters. The earliest example of Persian influence in Indian architecture, the tomb has within it over 100 graves, earning it the name, 'Dormitory of the Mughals'. Built of rubble masonry, the structure is the first to use red sandstone and white marble in such great quantities. The small canopies on the terrace were originally covered in glazed blue tiles and the brass finial over the white marble dome is itself 6 meters high.

Humayun's Tomb

I intended today to begin to catalog all the spring changes that have been bursting out during my absence but have not made it out to any of my favorite locations yet. It's raining and I have a little cold so here's another from India. Who could resist the framing provided by these wonderful arches? Beyond the arch is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun's Tomb, in Delhi. Humayun was a Mughal emperor. The tomb was erected in 1565 by Humayun's grieving widow, Hamida Banu Begum. It is generally agreed to have been the precursor of the more famous Taj Mahal, erected about 67 years later.

Lodi Gardens, Delhi, India

Greetings! Here I am back in Victoria after a quick jaunt to India. It wasn't a photographic excursion so I don't have many pictures to share. However the one above nicely encapsulates some of the outstanding aspects of my trip — beautiful sights and wonderful traveling companions. They are seated on the steps leading to the Bara Gumbad and looking towards the Sheesh Gumbad, two examples of 16th century Pashtun architecture found in the Lodi Gardens in Delhi, the capitol of India.

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I've just been looking through the photos posted while I've been away and am glad I decided to arrange to let you see Victoria through another lens. My daugher, Fern Long, is a gifted photographer and artist and I am looking forward to seeing more of her work here. Thank you, Fern.