Here - There - Nowhere - Everywhere

Experiencing India on my skin for the first time, after having been in this country for so many years. Feeling people's eyes on me, perceiving my white skin, my smell, the food I prepare and eat, the thoughts I think, the dreams I see... Realizing how different I am from the crowd that surrounds me BUT also from the Italian crowd I belong to. Who am I? Which image is the mirror reflecting?




 I cannot but see my demanding eyes staring at my pale face. Too much fear is there. Fear to be deprived of my identity, this silly idea I kept cultivating for years and years. A glimpse on the same mirror taunts me, I cannot find the mask I was use to muddle with my own self. And I feel naked, I miss that layer of make up on my skin, I hardly removed it before going to bed all alone. And here we are, learning how to touch my intimate parts, stepping out that comfort zone I knew well, going to trek in unexplored dark zones from where wild sounds come from. 

Tiredness slows me down. No energy left it seems unless I focus on that dim light which burns over there. I choose to go on, to proceed on this impervious path, step by step. Falling down doesn't mean to break my legs. I fill my lungs of fresh air, I never noticed its sweet taste before. Strange to feel alive after so long. Waking up from a long agitated sleep and see how brights are the colors of trees, sky, clouds. Becoming the master of myself and unbind those tight chains. Identity is now nowhere. And everywhere. I am tree, I am water, I am sky. I am the smell of that rose whose fragrance lovers long for. I am here and there, India thought me. And thanks to it I am getting closer and closer to Italy, the amazing country my journey started from. 

India and luxurious cars

Hi guys! Today I wanna write a bit about the shining side of Delhi, the richest one, the one whose existence you can hardly imagine unless you visit the city in the night.

While in the day time streets are congested by riksha, cars, trucks and bikes (sometimes even by cows and other kind of creatures), when the sun comes down the scene changes a bit: Sardaars ji and well-to-do Delhiites try to conquer the world -and the heart of young sexy ladies - showing off their branded new expensive cars. Which ones? Of course Italians!! The most quoted are of course Lamborghini and Ferrari, followed by Maserati and Fiat 500 that here it's a premium brand (fully imported and quite expensive).

Whenever I see these luxurious cars in the street, I cannot stop asking to myself: what's the point of having a racing car if you cannot cross the speed of 80 Km/Hs!! The traffic is so intense and disorganized that the engine keeps suffering as it has to be kept too quite and restrained in its nature :( 

Usually the owners' age of these jewels ranges between 25 and 35 years while in Europe the only people who can afford the same car models can be considered my grandfathers! This happens because only very well experienced entrepeneurs and hard working people who struggled all life to reach a certain status and position on the social ladder. 

The funniest part is the behaviour of the drivers while they sit in their millionaire cars: they keep looking left and right, checking how many eyes (and chicks) are staring at them (they think that once they drive a Lamborghini they become all in one with it, adding value to themselves as human beings!!).

Of course whoever pass by cannot avoid to admire the cars... and, it's sad to say, to the lucky one driving it.. Why? Girls start thinking about the comfortable life they can have hanging out with such a rich guy; business people and whoever runs a commercial activity identify in the owner of such a car a precious target for their business. And poor people who live under the poverty line look at both of them as the usual show off of the 10% of current Delhi population, extremely rich and insensitive of India's average situation.

Nothing else to ad: status symbol is extremely important in a country like India where it doesn't matter what you do and how good you are: you are only what you have wear and possess :( Who told that India is a spiritual country?

How many "uncommon" jobs here in Delhi

And here I am again to write about one topic which came in my mind walking from my place in Lajpat nagar till metro and then from metro station to my office in Zamrudpur village (next to N block market - GK1).

As Italian coming from a small town in South, I can say I am quite used to people who know how to survive in a creative way :) But Indians are the best in finding always a "business" which can make them earning the essential to carry on!

What I saw today on my way:

1) Pedding vendors selling One Item only: onions, bananas, garbage bags (!), cold refrigerated water (1 rupee per glass) or roasted peanuts.
2) Bhaayas who cook in the street momos, parathas, corn, sweet potatoes and other kind of oily food.
3) Ice cream vendors.
4) Paneer sellers (going around by bike): they shout "paneeeeeeer" crossing the street, usually in the morning. But whenever you see them, their bags are empty: who is going to buy all their paneer? I have an idea - my friend Jacky!!
5) Cigarette vendors: it's very common to sell single cigarettes next to metro stations and bus stops while someone else is making chay... as in Italy we are used to match coffee and cigarette, here they go for chay :)
6) Paan sellers: it's very common to see 1 meter X 1 meter stalls where Indian bhaaya seat with legs crossed preparing paan (it is a leaf with tobacco, areca nut and lime inside which you are supposed to chew.. after that you should spit the red juice your mouth is filled with... pwha!!)
7) Shoes repairer.
8)  Women/men who takes care of public toilets asking for 5 rupees (the problem is that their concept of "taking care of" is different from mine: they do not clean public services, they just seat next to the entrance and stare at people going inside!!!)
9) Security people who check bags and your body (cm after cm touching your as every time you decide to travel by metro!!): their metal detector keeps beeping but according to them "saab kuch theek hai" :)

10) Ear cleaners - very effective (I have tested their skills two times) but not hygienic at all :)
11)Watchmen or guards: they look at the gate of your building, they take care of shops, they open the door to customers... they basically get bored sitting all day outside in the could of Delhi winter or under the burning sun of April/May..
12) Barber who offer their services to customers who are in a hurry (and without an appointment which is required in a normal parlour) making them sitting on a very comfortable chair - sometimes a brick! - and using the same blade for at last 5 times :)
13) At last - but not for importance - there are all those bhaayas who don't do anything from morning till evening but watching people passing, cars crossing the streets and horning, foreigners walking or taking auto: sometimes they get lost in their thoughts, maybe they meditate about the meaning of life??? they can spend almost 20 minutes staring at the same point  (better if the point is  foreigner's face or ass!!)

For today it's all. But I will be back soon updating you with the next Strange Jobs I am going to discover :)

Chamaleonic Delhi!

Namaste Namaste! Here I am to discuss with all of you about how Delhi changed its aspect through the last few years.

I still remember my first time in India, I reached Delhi at the end of October 2005 with a friend of mine, we were two students of Indian language and culture with the idea to find exactly the spiritual and deep country our professors kept describing us.

It was 5 am in the morning when we approached Paharganj, the freak area next to New Delhi railway station. We were so sleepy so we couldn't focus so much on the images which were running in front of our eyes.

When we woke up and we stepped out of our Guest House (Ajay Guest House that is still my favourite in that area) we realized the huge gap there is between what we were been told about India and what exactly it is.

Beyond any definition, fluid as a chemical element, it is rather impossible to answer the question people who never visited India keep asking, " How is it? Do you like India?"

For the first three days it was like being in a state of dream, too many colours, smells, voices shouting and singing, too many cars and rikshaw and cows mixing up in the streets and fighting for spaces, too many hands stretching behind our nose asking for alms.. Too much chilli in the food we ate, water too cold in the shower-bucket available in the hostel.. And then slowly slowly I started waking up with a different feeling, I realized that noise was not so much disturbing, that all those people shouting in the streets and in the tiny shops were just trying to stay afloat earning for their roti and chay. And they decided to do it smiling and singing instead of complaining about poverty and difficulties :)

Walking in the busy streets and open air bazaars was scary at the beginning; but once you become part of the flow, it is normal to bargain for few rupees, to eat street food with the local bhaayas, to wear salwaar kamiz and colourful dupattas, to avoid smoking cigarettes in the streets and behaving as a firangi (foreigner).

 

And then you keep coming back to Delhi and you start realizing how many things changed in such a short span of time. You also change along with your perception of India. Instead of roaming around Paharganj and Karol Bagh, eating in small Indian restaurants and maximum allowing me to have a mediocre cappuccino in Caffe' coffee day, what am I doing? Going clubbing in exclusive hubs, eating out in expensive restaurants in Hauz Khas Village (of course not Indian food but any other cuisine), going for shopping in Select City walk (a branded shopping mall in Saket area) instead of Sarogini and Lajpat Nagar markets, drinking wine instead of Kingfisher beer and garam chay (my Italian personality is coming out!) and going for Hair spa to relax...

Oh God! Where do I am?? 

I still keep salwar kamiz in my wardrobe but I hardly wear Indian clothes... I feel not comfortable going out to places where I am the only one opting for traditional stuff between elegant foreigners and modern Delhi girls who choose Jeans, high heel shoes and Zara shirts and tops. They look at you making you feel miserable whenever you express your liking Indian traditional things!!

 

The only way to keep connection with the past- still so strongly preserved in Delhi as in any other part of India - is to visit Old Delhi (things I will do very soon), to enter in a temple or mosque, to travel by bus (now a bit risky for girls) and to eat biryani by hands (so enjoyable!).

Chaalo doston! Let's explore Delhi more!!!

I miss the images of what India represented to me sometimes back and I wanna feel it again!!!!!!!!

Winter in Delhi

Namaste guys! After a short break, here I am again writing about my daily life in Delhi.

Uhm... Delhi... India.. If you think about India as an exotic hot country where you can go around wearing slippers every single day and you need to switch on AC to sleep throughout the whole year, try to wash up your mind!! It's so fu**** cold in this country!!! First time for me to experience such a cold in India - I miss so much my winter time in Bangalore and Mumbai!!! And yes! even the winter in Italy since over there I have a proper house;)

The worst part is that there is any difference between the inside and outside temperature (5°C) since the wind is entering through bad quality windows, wooden doors and there is no central heating. How am I spending my last days? Sleeping with 2 blankets, a chinese electric hot water bag (I loove Chinese brains!) and 2 pairs of socks. And still I shiver :( My small hoover is working a lot (I will faint once I get the electricity bill...) and everytime I need to leave my warm room to go to the kitchen or bathroom... I feel like crying :( Then I convince myself that it will be like this for few days more and wearing a coat, I change room!

My office is even worse: one window is broken (repaired with a plastic panel), the main door cannot be closed properly and sitting at my desk very hard. Even there I wear a coat, 2 pullovers and 1 scarf.

Drinking hot water - I don't love tea very much and Nescafè is disgusting - is my way to pass time... I feel like an old granny!!!!!!!!!! 

The worst part is traveling by rikshaw: since the metro doesn't reach all Delhi areas, this is the only option I have to go and meet my friends and have a nice dinner around the city.. Once I reach the location, I look like a frozen shrimp!!!!!!! 

But after all this complaining, I must say that I am extremely lucky. The watchman of my building spends more than 10 hours per day outside in the cold, and He keeps smiling and singing, trying to warm his hand with a fire (lit burning plastic bags and other garbages). The same with the riksha drivers and the shopkeepers: everyday they wake up with a positive attitude, they are so strong to resist to all kind of calamities: cold, hot weather, hunger, lack of basic stuff. My maid is the same: always in a good mood, walking on bare foot in my house while cleaning, using cold water to wash dishes and the floor.. 

And the ones in the worst situations are the beggars (old men, women and small kids) who don't have neither a roof under where to sleep nor proper clothes and shoes to wear. The street is their house, the fog their shawl, the food we waste their daily meal..

Delhi winter is helping me to see things in a wider way, to penetrate human mind as the wind does with the clothes I wear. To remove one of the million layers Maya put on human eyes and to observe things with a better understanding.

Dhanyavaad Dilli!

My neightbourhood : Lajpat Nagar

Hey guys, I am back! And from now onwards I will write only in English (no more Italian) so that the majority of you can read my blog :)

Today I want to share with you how life is in Lajpat Nagar, a very busy area in South Delhi where I moved on October.

Lajpat Nagar is well-known for Central market, a crazy place where you can find any kind of stuff Indian people usually need: Sari, salwaar kameez, shawls, shoes (especially slippers), kitchen vessels, cups, carpets, etc.. The Indian flavour is very much highlighed so if you think to buy a pair of jeans and sneakers, go somewhere else ;)

The worst days to visit this market are Saturday and Sunday: the entire Indian family likes to roam around the narrow lanes of this open bazaar to bargain - more than to buy - for everything is colourful and can be accommodate in their houses! Apart from stalls, there are also few proper shops on the main road but they cannot compete with the number of visitors of the small small One- Item stalls made attractive by the loud voice of the street vendors: "Sau rupaye! Idhar aao madam! acchi cizen hain hamare paas! (only 100 INR! Come here madam! We have very good stuff!)

Visiting the market is also an occasion to try tasty and oily Indian street food: belpuri, paani puri, sweet corn, aalu tikki, guava, pinapple, and bhuna channa (roasted chickpeas): everything is extremely spicy but cheap and filling! In my case I have to carry 2 packets of tissue papers since my nose after the very first bite starts running... after 4 years in India it's a shame!!

Apart the market Lajpat Nagar hosts few good restaurants (a very good one is Chung Wa, a chinese cosy restaurant which also serves alcohool; an afghani restaurant with all kinds of kabaabs and mutton dishes) plus  two coffee day shops and the terrible american chains famous for Italian (!) pizza: Domino and Pizza Hut.

The violet metro line connects very well this area with South and Central Delhi (few stops to reach the posh Khan Market and GK1) and it really helps my daily life: less time spent in the crazy traffic of Delhi, sleeping 30 minutes more in the morning (I go to work by metro) and a good reserved coach for women in the train (less people staring at me as I were an alien!).

The best thing is that I developed a friendly relation with my neightbours: I start my day with the watchman's smile (Namaste madam ji! kaesi hai aaj?/Good morning madam! how are you today?) and I always find the same familiar faces at the metro station. I always go to buy my bread, fruit and yogurt from the same supermarket so once I step in they give me immediately a basket and sometimes 2 rupees discount :) when I need to buy cigarette they already know what I need and immediately they hand Classic Mild to me. The chemist of course knows me well (He knows all my problems and weaknesses!). The woman who irons clothes reminds me a time I have never had a chance to live (but my mum did), when nobody could afford an iron at home and there was always someone right for you to help you with daily housework.

And whenever I try my bad Hindi with riksha drivers and shopkeepers, it really helps to make them look at me in a different way: they feel I can be one of them, not 100% but at least 20!

Thanks a lot Lajpat Nagar for adopting me!!

Back to India floating in its water

Ed eccomi di nuovo a scrivere di India, o meglio di quello che l'India appare ai miei occhi!

Pur essendo tornata in "patria" da due mesi, la prospettiva di confrontarmi con la pagina bianca e di trasferire su di essa le mie emozioni e percezioni mi ha terrorizzato a tal punto da rimandare di volta in volta l'appuntamento con la scrittura!

Il tempo adesso è maturo: Welcome back to my blog that bears a new name, "India on the go!"

Vita a New Delhi, Lajpat Nagar: nuova città, nuovo lavoro, nuovi amici, nuovo modo di osservare un paese che si trasforma alla velocità della luce.

E una Manuela che osserva la sua amata India con occhi diversi, disincantati e critici ma ancor pieni di fascino. Il Paese non potrà mai suscitarmi una reazione di indifferenza, anche se alla lunga ci si trasforma insieme ad esso, dando per scontate tante cose che durante il primo viaggio avevano provocato reazioni di sgomento e forti scosse interiori. L'India fluisce come un corso d'acqua sinuoso, alternando periodi di secca e di piena e infischiandosi di coloro che vi si avvicinano per bagnarsi alle sue acque con la presunzione di poter nuotare in esso come soliti fare in un qualsiasi altro fiume o lago.

Nuotare nelle acque indiane presuppone un rodaggio piuttosto lungo ed estenuante, occorre mantenersi sempre in prossimità della riva pur tentando di tanto in tanto di virare verso il largo. 

Capita di sentirsi sprofondare, di non riuscire a galleggiare.. ma con la propria forza interiore si può ritornare a muoversi sinuosi in questo affascinante bacino dai colori vivaci anche se dalle acque non proprio cristalline :)

L'India mi sta mettendo a dura prova, è come trovarsi faccia a faccia con se stessa e notare allo specchio un'immagine di se stessi che si vuole ignorare perché scomoda ma che bisogna imparare a tollerare, accettare ed amare.

Inizio del mio viaggio!