Sunday, June 17, 2007

Hiding Out In Little Tibet

Delhi India, January 7, 2007
This is a story from my recent Journey in India Aw and I are very thankful to Joanmarie for suggesting we begin our exploration of Delhi in 'Manjuka Tilla' or 'Tibet New Colony'. When the Chinese murdered the Tibetan people and began systematically destroying their Temples, many Tibetans were forced to flee across the border to India. Many of them came here to Delhi and were given refuge in settlements like this one. I was warned that there is very little peace in Delhi if you're looking for cheap accommodation. As we drive from the airport, we see the streets and markets packed with people and cars and cows. The city looks like a madhouse. I wanted to find a place to start this trip where Aw and I could get our bearings for a couple of days and become acclimatized to the Indian culture. If you're looking for somewhere to 'hide out', Manjuka Tilla is the place to come. This settlement is very basic and doesn't have any fancy amenities but to me it's wonderful. I have always felt a strong affinity with the Tibetan people and we enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the sense of family in this quiet community. There are a few women holding up their babies and begging. And we pass a couple of men showing their deformed limbs for sympathy, but I already expect this in India, so I don't find it particularly disturbing. We walk along the narrow main-street of this tiny village and we buy some steaming fried potatoes from a street vendor. He puts some chilies on it and we eat our piping hot treat on this cold January day, as we walk along looking in the the shops and watching the people around us.

2 comments:

Gail Is This Mutton? said...

Your travels are fascinating, please keep up the good work.

Steven said...

Thanks gail. The encouragement means a lot to me.