Cricket x 2

At India Gate today... This is India's version of the Arc de Triomphe or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A lot of the names on the arch were British soldiers in Indian regiments. There are dogs asleep everywhere here. They are all healthy and well-fed by the cabbies.

We played cricket with two little boys

And another little girl named Anoob gave me a henna drawing (which took 2 hours to dry!)

I was feeling so much better after the doctor and having the right food. We went to a Hindu temple called Shree Lakshmi Narayan Mandir. A billionaire industrialist named R.D. Birla commissioned the temple and Gandhi consecrated it in 1938. It was one of the first temples to be open to everyone, regardless of caste. The Birla's are still one of India's most prominent families. We walked barefoot across the cold marble floors, trying to walk on the darker inlaid marble because it remained the warmest on the cold and windy day.

Learning about the religions here makes me want to go back and watch "A Secret Garden". Melissa remembered one scene in the movie where Sarah imagines herself surrounded by a circle. And we saw a similar scene in this temple!! 

Men outside temples sell marigolds to leave on the altars

Last, we visited the Lodi Gardens. It's a relic of the British Empire with amusing rules are oft broken.

Our group played cricket with another family...

There were these amazing architectural ruins in the gardenu from the Lodi and Mughul Empires

Dr. Gawande said when he was young at university here, the gardens were known as a romantic place to walk with someone you love. I found this graffiti inside one of the ruins...

 

The other professor, Dr. Goswami said this message was significant because looking at the names, you can tell it was a Muslim guy with a Hindi girl. Even though Indian society is remarkably religiously tolerant, it's clear there are still some taboos.

Today, we're off to school at JNU. The campus is only for graduate students studying the political and social sciences. It is like a little city inside the city... there are hostels for students, restaurants and bookshops.