Ups and Downs of Delhi

The ups and downs...

Up: Hung out with Jigar and Maulik for the second time during our journey (see right). Saw the Lal Qila (Red fort - see below, right), and spent time at the "Gandhi Samadhi", including the museum.

Down: Ekal Vidhyalay delays our village visit.

Up: Quality meeting with Sat Narain Bandhuji of Ekal Vidhyalay.

Down: During the meeting, his Hindutva tendencies are noticed, and he decides that we shouldn't do any Ekal Vidhyalay "village" visits, until we meet Swamiji or Shyaam-ji.

Up: Decided that we would use our extra time in Delhi to learn Hindi. We decided this sitting in a restaurnt, and then think,"How are we going to find a Hindi tutor?" Just then, a young white woman sits at the table next to us. She doesn't seem like the normal tourist, she seems more immersed in the cuture. We ask her if she knows of any Hindi tutors in Delhi. She says her husband is coming soon, and he is a Sanskrit professor. The husband says one of his understudies is coming and he'll ask him if he'd be interested. The understudy comes with his wife, and they both are interested in teaching us Hindi! Right then and there, they give us homework, and tell us to meet them at 2 pm the following day!

Down: 5 minutes before our first Hindi lesson, the Hindi tutor says, "We are moving to the next station, we cannot teach you. Watch Hindi movies for the next 4-5 days."

Up: We decide to stay at the Gujarati Samaj in Delhi and we end up having an experience of the lifetime, sleeping outside with 20 other Gujus on "gaadlaas". (seen below)

Down: We slept outside in the heat with bugs and 20 other Gujus.

Up: We got our own room at the Gujarati Samaj now.

Down: I'm feeling pretty sick, and really haven't been able to keep food in over the last couple days. Sampat's a little under-the-weather as well.