New Delhi Here I Am!

My first day in New Delhi was great! When Isis and I arrived in the city, we couldn't believe our eyes. The city is a whirlwind mix of modern and ancient, of colors and smells. After living in the immense city of Cairo, which in itself is simply overwhelming, Isis was not affected drastically by the city, but it is true that she has never been anywhere outside of Egypt before. My short time in Cairo, on the other hand, was not enough to prepare me for this strange city. As we pushed our way through the clogged, overcrowded streets, my nose itching in the wafting smells of Indian cooking and hard labor, Isis lead the way to the house of my Uncle Skip's friend, Musquat'i. Musquat'i and his family would be caring for Isis and I. Before I left on my journeys, Skip had carefully printed the adress of this man's house on a scrap of paper; the scrap of paper that Isis was now peering closely at in the dim light. As I watched the dark turbaned passerby, I was vividly struck with an image of a black and white cookie, when all of the white but a tiny speck has been bitten off. I was the little speck.

"Here it is." Isis said, stopping by a large stone brick structure. The house was big, but the outside was a mess, with small piles of bricks for the careless observer to trip over. "You ready?" She asked, taking my hand. I nodded, and she knocked on the stout wooden door that would have swung gently, ajar, if there had been a breeze. There was a moment's pause when I could hear someone walking on the other side of the door, and then I was knocked clean off my feet by two little dark balls of energy. In the confusion, a large stolid man dressed rather stoicly in a dull black and brown appeared at the door, chuckling. His deep voice rumbled, and he stretched out a hand to help me up. "I see you have met my two children, Anish and Amaravati. They are two bundles of enthusiasm, are they not?" He laughed at my noncommital gesture and introduced himself. "I am Musquat'i. You must be this Colin that Skip had been telling me so much about! Welcome to my wife and I's humble abode. I must say, it is not much, but it is much more than many others'! My wife is at her friend's house right now so I'm afraid that she will not be able to...." He trailed off, having caught sight of Isis. "I'm afraid I was not aware that there would be another guest." "Is it a problem?" I asked quickly. "Of course not, of course not! It is just that I do not know this lovely lady's name!" At her mention, Isis stepped forward and said , "I am Isis, Colin's friend." She gave Musquat'i a little curtsy and he clapped the two of us on our backs. "Come in, come in!"

The inside of the house was tidy and neat, in spite of the outer appearance. "Would you like some wine?" He asked, sinking into a nearby sofa, his turban sliding down to cover his eyes. Isis accepted at once and I did as well after considerable prodding. I decided I'd only have a sip. Seeing my worry, Musquat'i got up from the sofa and handed me a glass, assuring me that the wine was not strong at all and was watered down. "So tell me," Musquat'i inquired, "how did you two young ones end up together?" As Isis and I told him the story of our meeting, Anish and Amaravati began singing in their native language and rocking their arms as if carrying a baby. I couldn't understand their language but I recognized the tune of the song and hand gesture. Isis, for once, turned pink. Musquat'i hushed them. "Musquat'i, how did my Uncle Skip and you meet? I only know that you have been friends for a long time." "That is true," he rumbled. "Your Uncle and I met when he was in college, doing research on my home country. He came and lived here for a year, and we became good friends. I remember, he was always remarking that our flag looked much like the Irish flag. I told him no! Our flag is unique!" Musquat'i smiled, reminiscing. "I always had to remind him that the emblem of India was not a coyote but really a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, around Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital was erected to symbolize ancient India's reaffirmation of its lifelong commitment to peace and worldly goodwill. The four lions symbolise pwer, courage, and confidence and rest on a circular abacus which is girded by four smaller animals: The Lion of the North, The Elephant of the East, The Horse of the South and The Bull of the West."

Anish and Amaravati started talking rapidly at this point, and Musquat'i translated for us. "Anish wants to play with you, Colin, and Amaravati likes your dress Isis." After playing until dark with Anish and Amaravati, Isis and i decided to turn in for the night. Musquat'i was not expecting an extra guest, so I slept on the sofa in the first room while Isis slept in the bedroom.

In the morning, I met Mushami, Musquat'i's wife, a woman as equally large and loud and kind as Musquat'i. As Mushami and Isis talked, Musquat'i and I talked and watched Anish and Amaravati. After breakfast, Musquat'i gave us a tour of the coolest sites in India. We visited the Red Fort, built by Shah Jahan in 1648, Humayun's Tomb, the old fort of Humanyun, and India Gate, a monument to the soldiers who died in World War 1. We had dinner back at the house and Mushami ate with us. Isis and I said good night to the two and went to bed with Anish and Amaravati. My time in India has been too short!!