83rd

Lodi gardens for morning walk, here I come!

Edit: now that was far more successful. I finally got all of my movies from Kruttika and didn't get too scammed on the autos. However, I am now already a quarter of an hour late for our office meal to celebrate finishing Dancescapes. And am nowhere near the restaurant.

I finally feel like I can be excited about Goa. Alka has decided that it doesn't matter if I complete the whole essay because I've done so much and she's got so many ideas. Naturally I feel bad as it's not completely finished, but I could plausibly finish it in these last two days.
I also very almost got the money from her to go to Paris for the exhibition that the K S text is for, and that's very exciting!

Edit: am on the way to the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Noida. I've never seen a city being built before. It's quite amazing!

Edit: just went to a stimulating feminist discussion centring around a piece called Record/Resist by Sheba Chharchhi. A few of the people who spoke seemed yo want to reminisce but since the piece was made from photos of protests over twenty years ago, I suppose that is inevitable. The artist made it quite an open discussion by seating us in a circle and asking people to speak at random. Most of these people were feminists invited by her, but the guy next to me who was just a young student was asked, so I became very worried that I would be asked as I had no contribution. As soon as it looked like I wouldn't be asked I immediately thought of some things to add. For instance: that Delhi seems to be an ideal site for feminism as the traditional people who come from the country to the city are brought up so differently to the urban population that it throws up questions as to how the movement can successfully educate despite diversity. Also that things like the separating of women in the metro seems to be reactionary as by splitting up men and women it divides rather than unites the sexes through forced genial interaction. Having a female coach seems to say that women need to be protected by the state as they're not strong enough to look after themselves.

PHOTO EDIT:

Pedestrian bridges in Delhi

The building of Noida

Alka's new house in Noida

Beautiful spiral staircase

The servant's quarters.. crazy.

68th

I just got passed a very strange message from an Indian man, complete with actions.

I don't know if I should pass it on or just feel blessed:

*Pointing to the sky while holding my hand* "99, 99!"
*Pointing to my heart* "Seven nine"
*Pointing back to the sky then to me* "99! Seven nine!"
*Touching his head on my wrist* "99!"

Before this incident occurred, the same man had just borrowed another man's flute and played a jaunty little morning tune on it.

The Messiah!

EDIT: I've been in the Spring Fever gazebo most of the day despite it not being completely finished. It's only the furnishings though, so I've not been getting in the way too much. There are lots of books and they had these opium den style mats and pillows out, but they've replaced them now with a lesser, more practical version. Still, we will probably be here all evening as there is a cocktail reception for the opening and the speaker seems pretty interesting. Her name is Shobhaa Dé (not to be confused with the woman whose photography show I'm helping to curate - Shobha Deepak Singh) and she is a very famous columnist and novelist. AND then there's going to be a band.

Just after 'the message' had been passed on to me, Lodi Road

The finished Spring Fever gazebo, with impractical soft furnishings

So much bloody reading

53rd

Photos to come.

Today is hot hot hot.
I have just come back from lunch in Lodi gardens with Izzy and am melting.

18th - Photos

A quick photo dump from the past three days.

Over-exposed ghost bedroom photo

Lunchtime card sharks

Little pup I spotted on the way to work this morning

That's an electric wire just hanging into the road, not a branch

I think these massive arches are on the side of housing estates. Imagine the same in England

Road crossing hazards

Hindu statutory in Shobha's house

PLUS these are two photos that Saumya just sent me:

12th day

16th day

Third day continued

As I said earlier, I got up very late today and, as such, didn't have many hours of day light in which to explore. I went back to Connaught place and had some amazing chilli sweet corn and then rode the metro to JLN stadium to see how close it was to the Habitat Centre. Not very is the answer. I bought the Delhi equivalent of an oyster card which costs all of a pound and comes with 50p on it. This is roughly enough to do five quite long trips.
On my walk back to Jor Bagh metro I went back into Lodi gardens to look at the mosque and have a read. It really is beautiful. I wish I could upload photos on this thing but they'll have to come later.
It feels like its heating up but as nice as this is I can't imagine being in the heat on the metro when it is as packed as it was today. Jesus, I thought the tube was bad. The carriages are bigger so more people are onboard and there isn't really a concept of 'full'. I would have taken a photo but I couldn't move my arms from my side.