The red fort is a massive structure that includes multiple buildings and lawns right in the middle of Old Delhi. It was built by the Mughals and Shah Jahan, the emperor in 1638. Shah Jahan had moved the capital of the Mughal Dynasty from Agra (where the Taj Mahal sits) to Delhi because of the river had dried up. Shah Jahan called Delhi Shahjahanabad. Here are some interesting facts about the old fort:
After all of us teachers got back together again (after spending 8 days with our host teachers!) we toured Old Delhi with a guide. First we had to walk through narrow alleyways and leave the bustle of the city. Once through, the land opened up and we were on gravel or dirt paths. Along the way were ancient mosques from 1200 AD. Here are a few of the highlights:
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Mahatma Gandhi spent his last 144 days in Delhi. His purpose for traveling from Kalkutta to Delhi was to help foster peace between the Hindus and Muslims in the city and country. The place where Gandhi stayed is called Gandhi Smirti (smirti meaning memorial). This space is a small house surrounded by beautiful gardens. To the left is a picture of Gandhi’s bedroom and the space where Gandhi received visitors. You can see Gandhi’s walking stick in the receiving room leaning against the farthest wall.
On January 30, 1948, Gandhi’s schedule included prayer and breakfast along with meeting with visitors. In the late afternoon, he walked to the prayer area outside the house. It was at this point that the assassin shoved Gandhi’s advisor out of the way and killed him by shooting three bullets into his chest and abdomen. The last words Gandhi said were “Hey Ram” meaning “O God”. The nation declared the mourning days afterwards time for fasting and prayer and leaders from around the world came to pay their respects. Below are pictures of the final walk Gandhi took, the prayer area where he was killed, and the peace gong that has been set up to remind all people of Gandhi’s mission of peace and unity.
Types of Schools: As a student you have several options in Delhi depending on what you want.
Grade Levels: Students attend school from Kindergarten to 10th grade. After 10th grade students can continue on at the high school in grades 10 +1 and 10 + 2. When the kindergarteners enter the school (most schools are kindergarten to 10+2) they have a welcoming ceremony (the top row of pictures) and graduation is very similar to that in the U.S. (the bottom row of pictures).
Why no passing periods? Because since there are about 40-50 students per class, the students stay in one classroom and the teachers are the ones that move. There are also no bells since the teachers move. The teacher teaches for 35 minutes and then moves to the next class. All students in Morning Session are finished by 12:30 and all Afternoon Session students attend school from 12:30-6:00pm. What session would you like to attend?
Bathrooms: Students are not allowed to leave the classroom for any reason during class time. They may go to the bathroom during lunch or before/after school. Here is what the girls' bathroom looks like: Technology available: All schools have several computer labs (mostly air conditioned!) with enough working computers for each student in the class (50 per lab). Teachers have access to white boards in most classrooms and LCD projectors in certain classrooms (depending on the particular KV school). At the Katha School, which is a public school, there was a robotics lab!
A phrase that I see often around New Delhi is: "Unity in Diversity" which means that while the Indian people are diverse: their religion, their language, their dress, etc. they are unified as one people. I love this concept and wish in the USA we could accept each other more whole-heartedly like the Indians do. Today after visiting a different KV school, we went to Lotus Temple and Iskcon. Both are temples but of different religions. Lotus Temple is a Baha'i House of Worship. The Baha'i religion invites people of all religions and races to worship the Creator of the Universe and to express the love between God and man. Everyone is welcome to pray at the temple. Poonam (our host), Jen, and I visited this afternoon and were struck by the beautiful architecture of the building: the structure looks like a lotus! When you enter the temple you must take off your shoes and be silent. There are ivory benches to sit on where people pray. It is a very peaceful place. After we left the temple, we were taking pictures outside the temple and came across an Indian family who wanted to take pictures with Jen and me! (I think because they don't see many tall, white, blonde-haired Americans). I felt like a celebrity! Suddenly a crowd surrounded us and everyone was getting pictures with us. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. After visiting Lotus Temple, we went to Iskcon, a Hindu temple. ISKCON is short for International Society for Krishna Consciousness. People come to worship Krishna and sing the Hare Krishna mantra. When we arrived, we were lucky enough to witness a service with the Pandits (priests). First we had to take off our shoes and wash our feet and hands before entering the temple. Right outside the temple was a statue of Sri Garuda Deva. When you enter into the temple, there are brightly colored pictures on each wall with three gold doors at the front of the temple. When the service began, the Pandits came out of the curtains and rang bells, sang, fanned the statues, and put sweet-smelling flowers on each statue. Another Pandit went to a table off stage and began making Panchamrita, which is a mixture of milk, honey, sugar. Followers cup their hands and the Pandit pours the Holy water into their hands for them to drink. The length of each service is up to the individual: some people stay in the temple for an hour or more, other people spend less time praying. Most Hindus visit temple on Saturday or Sunday to worship. One last note about Hinduism: since many people practice this religion in India, it is impossible to find beef in the form of a hamburger, etc. All hamburgers are buffalo meat. This is because in the Veda (the Hindu Scripture) the cow is considered the mother of all mankind by providing milk to people. Since the cow is a sacred animal, it is unthought of to slaughter this animal for food. I hope you learned something about Indian religions! These are just two of the religions that make up the diversity of the Indian people. Sikhs, Jains, Christians, and Buddhists are also represented in this diverse, but unified country! Throughout this week Jen and I have been observing at K.V. Pushp Vihar and doing some sight-seeing. Poonam, our host teacher, has taken us around to many important sites around Delhi. Here's a list of the places we have visited so far and a little bit about each monument, site, and/or temple! As you will notice, we have visited both Muslim and Hindu temples. India seems to be a land of great tolerance and acceptance: all religions are respected. When we go to a Hindu site, we see Muslims also touring the site; when we visit a Muslim site, Hindus are touring the site. There doesn't seem to be much, if any, religious tensions between groups of people!
1. Humayun's Tomb This is the tomb of Mughal Emperor Humayun and dates back to 1569. The tomb includes multiple arches, buildings, and lush gardens surrounding the buildings. India has a long and rich history that includes a Mughal dynasty. 2. Akshardham Temple This is a Hindu temple that was built in 2005 and includes several buildings, gardens, and reflecting ponds. The area is beautiful and peaceful. The intricacy on the buildings is incredibly. 3. Delhi Haat Delhi Haat is an open-air market that is permanent and includes goods from all different areas of India. Many stores include idols of important Hindu gods, hand-crafted items, and clothing. When we visited I bought a hand sewn pillow case for a throw pillow on my sofa at home. 4. Qutb Minar Qutb Minar is a Muslim temple and complex that was built in 1193 and is still an active place of worship today. This was the first mosque built in India! The most spectacular tower is here: it is detailed and tall. All other buildings surround this tower 5. Chhatarpur Temple Chhatarpur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Katyayani. While the shrine of Katyayani is in the center of this temple, other gods are also worshipped here in side rooms. These other gods include: Durga, Krishna, Ganesha, and Shiva. Today I learned that outside each Shiva temple stands a bull because that is Shiva's animal.
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AuthorHi! My name is Janna Nobleza and I'm a high school English teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. This blog records my TGC India preparation, journey, and reflections. Archives
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