The respective psychological states of Tom and Delhi: a comparison

I've been in a bit of a daze for the last few days. It's pretty hard to describe, but I'd classify it as a mix of restlessness and lack of motivation. Most likely they're complimenting each other, due to the fact that they probably originate from the fact that I only have about 2 weeks left in my undergraduate career. So close, but yet still so far: two essays to write in English, along with three exams within the same number of days. It's kind of driving me crazy, and consequently I've found it hard to sit down and firmly commit to getting things done as of late - kind of like a "fit of indecisiveness".

Luckily, this weekend was relatively free on my schedule, and I was able to experience a change of scenery via a trip to Delhi with Jared and John. We've only been here for a day (took a night train and arrived at 6:30 AM), but already I've recieved a good deal of consolation from this city with regards to my recently-emerged character traits, as previously described. You see, just as I've been unable to settle down and make up my mind as to what I'm going to do to be productive, I feel that Delhi is a place that is equally scatter-brained as to its purpose within the country of India, and in the world as a whole.

I think that throughout history, people (very scholarly individuals, I'm sure) seem to have had a tendency to associate human qualities to cities (personification). OK, so maybe Frank Sinatra's referral to New York as the "city that never sleeps" hardly qualifies as a literary device worth of a Nobel Prize in Literature, but you get my point. Well, in light of my recent mental state, I've been inspired to classify Delhi as a city with a touch of schizophrenia, that just can't seem to get it's own identity straight. On one hand, it's a place where people are thought to have lived for thousands of years - most notably, the Islamic occupants of India used it as their capital for the better part of 500 years, firmly establishing it as a place of political centrality and importance. Culturally, however, it's always been a place of diversity, with a number of religious and thought systems being interchangeably dominant over the centuries. For example, Hindu religion and culture, while being the dominant philosophy in the area up to the 12th century AD, was somewhat superseded by the Muslim and British hegemonies that controlled the area in the following 900-year period.

Independence in 1947 firmly re-established Delhi's place at the centre of Indian politics, culture and society as a whole. As far as I can see, it continues to maintain it's traditional role as a political centre in 2008 - in this sense, it's identity is confident and established. However, as I toured the city with my friends on foot and in rickshaw, I noticed that Western culture had gained a firmer foothold here than in any other place I've seen in India so far. Whether you look at the GQ-esque styles that youths are modelling, or the American magazines on display in high-end boutique plazas, it seems that Delhi's definitive role as a centre of Indian culture is disintegrating. Alternatively, maybe it never was a place where a distinct Indian culture was showcased - perhaps it was the stronghold of a type of syncretism, where different traditions from different places came and synthesized into the closest thing that this country has ever had to it's own definitive identity. Either way, Delhi, like myself, is unsure of itself - political centre of one of the world's next great superpowers, sure, but cultural protector against the infringement of foreign ideals? Not quite so confident on that one.

Anways, enough of that philosophizing; I'm not going to edit the past few paragraphs in any way, shape, or form, out of fear that they will make absolutely no sense, and thus represent a half hour totally wasted. I'd like to dedicate the last bit of this blog to a much more important subject - namely, the awesomeness of my host family in Jaipur, the Mathurs. They've been absolutely wonderful, and have made me feel at home to the extent that I feel like I've been there for the majority of the semester, and not only a mere month. Not only is their house huge and beautiful, and the meals excellent, but they have treated Jared and I like sons, and have even accomodated some of our friends on occasion, whether for a single dinner or room and board for an entire weekend. Forget the Taj Mahal and Fort Jodhpur - the memories that I'll really retain from this trip will be of this house, and people within it (Yogesh, Delilah, Anjana, Ruchika, Cheeku, Reena, Neehal, Anita - you know who you are, please forgive my spelling!)

Increasingly bad grammar and utilization of spell check indicates that my 4 hours of sleep on the train last night is losing it's ability to sustain my consciousness; therefore, I'm gonna jet. As I said earlier, exams are coming up quickly, so I may only get one more post in before I leave for Thailand on April 14th. Although it may be a short post, I'll try to get up my itinerary for the next couple months, in the very least.

Cheers everyone,
Tom