Crazy Day

This couldn't wait until Mumbai....

Found out about the Delhi bombings on saturday night. It isn't the nicest feeling to know that the next day you'll be going to a city that just had three bombs go off in crowded markets.

So, without fail, I got on a local bus to Delhi on Sunday morning, equipped with channa puri (garbonzo beans in masala gravy and deep-fried chapati) and a newspaper detailing events of the blast. In a small box on the front page there was the following item:

"The police chief of Haryana says that buses heading from Chandigarh and Panchkula to Delhi are likely targets for terrorists."

I just happened to be on a local bus heading to Delhi...what luck. The bus ride was largely uneventful, except for the dead guy I saw on the side of the road. It looked as though he had been either it by a truck or was the driver of the truck. In any case, it was the first dead person I've ever seen.

Then it started to get smoky. To the left and right, everybody was burning grass and other organic matter. Endless columns of smoke could be seen and it gave the seen a deep red colour. My lungs were literally aching from the onslaught of suspended particles entering them. If there is one word to describe it all, it was "suffocating."

We got to Delhi at about 6:30 and the police presence could be felt immediately. Had to go through a security check to get into the bus station, another to get out of the bus station, one to get into the metro station, one to get to my platform, one to get out of the metro station, and one to get into the train station. All the markets had platoons of men stationed at the entrances and exits. The army and police were just everywhere...never seen anything like it.

I had to go to the airport to meet my sister next. That all was straighforward, except for the ride back. As part of the 85 rupee deal with the rickshaw driver, he let me drive. So for about 10 km, I got to drive a rickshaw on the streets of Delhi. It was so cool and I had guys on motorbikes riding by giving me the thumbs up and telling me "nice driving." I'm thinking of just giving up university and becoming a rickshaw driver full-time. Good career move or not?

I wouldn't be surprised if more stuff happened yesterday that I'm not remembering at the moment. Needless to say, it was an excellent change from the routinous life that is living in Chandigarh.