Week Ending May 5

Its getting pretty hot in Delhi, topping 100 F every day!  My morning walks are still cool and pleasant though.  This week I have been on the lookout for beautiful things along my path.  Generally I walk with Sister Toone, the mission secretary between 5:45 and 7:15 in the Aravalli Biodiversity Park just down the street.   Here are some of the things I saw this week.

This beautiful wildflower was blooming all alone along the path.  

Invaders!

Grant and I went out together one morning to the Vasant Vihar DDA Park behind Pryia Market and watched the sun come up over this beautiful Lodi Era (1451-1526) Tomb

The same from a different side.  Delhi has been compared to Rome for its abundance of ruins.  Here they are a little harder to find, often tucked into parks or incorporated into later buildings.

We are beginning to see mangoes again in the markets in North India.  We are glad they are back!

Like everything else, Indian muskmelons have more pattern and color than the American version.

We talked with the Udayan girls about bullying this week.  They traced their hand and wrote the name of five people they could turn to for help, one for each finger.  Arti decorated her hand beautifully.

We were supposed to travel to Kolkata for the weekend but we canceled our plans because of Cyclone Fani.  As it turned out, the storm skirted the city although it did slam into the coastal area to the south.  Congratulations to India for great storm tracking and preparedness which saved many lives.

The change of plans meant that we could participate in "Finding Friday" with the young missionaries.  I had a wonderful time with Sisters Srinivasan and Meenakshi.  The highlight of the day was a visit with Harry Singh, an 83 year old Punjabi with a big mustachio, thin as a rail but fit as a fiddle, who swore by a diet of just one chapati a day (eaten at 2 p.m.).  He was a little belligerent at first as we visited at his gate but we kept talking and eventually his loneliness got the better of him and he invited us in for a drink of water.  His son, a Delhi Police Officer, came home while we were talking and joined in the conversation.  He had lost his wife about a month ago and was happy to hear our message of a loving Savior and eternal families.  He invited the Sisters to come back anytime.  It was really a sweet experience.

Grant went out with Elders Middleton and Millett.  They came across this Texas Cowboy in Lajpat.

Saturday we returned to the National Museum to resume our exploration of its many treasures.  This temple pillar reminded me of the Renaissance grotesques in the Boboli Gardens in Florence.

We enjoyed a special exhibit of Patachitra art from Bengal.  Patachitra is a unique folk tradition of visual storytelling accompanied by songs performed by the Patuas.  The stories are painted on cloth scrolls which the Patuas gradually unfurl while narrating the story through songs.  The songs are known as "Pater Gaan" and are passed down orally through generations. They deal with myths, folktales and these days even contemporary issues.  This is a detail from a scroll called "Fish Marriage" painted in West Medinpiur, West Bengal with natural pigments made from fruits and vegetables.

This ornate reliquary is one of the most important items in the museum.  It contains sacred bone relics believed to be those of Lord Buddah found in Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh, his supposed birthplace.  We admired it in silence as there were several devotees meditating nearby.

The Pitampura Branch meets in a hotel as they have been turned out of their rented chapel.  Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School are held in a banquet hall in the basement.  Primary is held in room 403.  We had one child in Primary this Sunday, eleven year old Aksra Mahana.  She and her family had just returned from Hong Kong where they were sealed in the temple.  We had a wonderful time hearing about her experience there.  The Primary President, Lovely, is sitting on the right.  

 

These beautiful young adults came over for dinner after choir practice at the Stake Center on Sunday evening.  Lovely is standing to the right at the head of the table.  The young man in the lower right corner, Deepanshu Yadav, has just received a call to serve in the India Bangalore Mission.  Malati Sarkar, the beautiful girl in the green and white dress has a call to serve in the Fiji, Suva Mission.  After dinner we gathered for a spiritual thought, some on the couch and some on the floor.  When I complained that I could not cross my legs very easily, someone asked very sincerely, "Then how can you meditate?"  I love the blend of Gospel and Indian Culture.