b'JONATHAN VAN BILSENTHE NORTHERN HALFPART 1India is a country that was never on my bucket list, but when I had an opportunity to visit, I was eager to take advantage. There is so much to tell about this beautiful country, that I will also cover it in a second article next month.I had two options for routing: thewas a directpeople at Friday prayer sessions. Amusingly, I watchedrstseveralpeople,workingnon-stop,tokeeptheareaight to Delhi; the second included a two-hour layover in Zurich. I chose the latter, because not only was it withclean and free from pigeon debris. Air Canada, but I have done a few long hauls, andndDelhi is divided into new and old, and a visit to the the plane gets quite messy after 10 or so hours. Hav- famous Red Fort in the old city is a must. Built in 1639, it ing said that, I have just booked a 14-hour, non-stop totook nine years to complete and was the seat of Mughal Korea, so we will see. power until 1857, when the last Mughal Emperor was Delhi was quite spectacular, and you have to appre- dethroned and exiled.ciate a city with twenty million inhabitants can be quiteAnotherinterestingsitewasHumayunsTomb, disordered. Munna, my driver, navigated the roads withtherestingplaceofthesecondMughalemperor, skill, because driving anywhere in India is chaotic. where nests of bees cover the ceilings. Authorities are I visited the typical tourist sites in Delhi, includingafraid to remove them, for fear of damaging the art Raisina Hill, once the home of the Viceroy of India. It isunderneath.now the residence of the president, and is an architec-I came across an amazing iron pillar, which was tural remnant of British colonial rule. forged in the 4th century as a tribute to Indian metal-A monument, visible from many different vantagelurgy. Mysteriously, in 1700 years, it has never rusted, points, is the India Gate. It is an iconic, commemorativeand no one knows why.structure, dedicated to the Indian and British soldiers My next stop was Varanasi, the holiest city in In-who died in World War I. It loosely resembles the Arc dedia, and bathing in the Ganges at sunrise is a ritual Triomphe, in Paris, and has an air of stillness amid theperformed by thousands of Hindu worshippers. In the hustle of the city around it. Hindu religion, tradition dictates that each person must AsItravelledthroughDelhi,Icontinuedtofast during the night, and bathe before breaking be amazed by the traf c and seemingly lackthe fast. Hindu priests stand on platforms, and of rules. Life in this vast metropolis was aoffer prayers on behalf of the people.culture shock, and it took me a few days toMost forms of Hinduism worship a single acclimatize.deity, known as Brahman, but still recog-WedrovetoOldDelhitovisitthenize 35,000+ gods and goddesses. Con-famousmosqueofJamaMasjid,con- sequently, there are thousands of temples structed in 1656. It is hard to imagine thelocated throughout the country.courtyard accommodates up to 20,000Please turn to page 56Raisin Hill in Delhi is the residence of the president.FOCUS - APRIL 202255'