Every time I hear Coolio's Gangster's Paradise, it instantly transports me back to my freshman year of high school, putting on football pads in a humid, sweat-soaked locker room. When iTunes randomly surprises me with Big Pun's Still Not a Player, BOOM, I am back in college on a Thursday night, dancing in a dense crowd at the Lighthouse (Tavern). When a bit of peace is in order, I "travel back" to Nepal and listen to the Buddhist chant, Om Mani Padme Hum.
Old Delhi has a never ending soundtrack. It has distinct instruments, be it a gas burner blazing up a pot of chai, heavy cart wheels rumbling along the pavement, manly conversations around the paan wala, or a simple ring of a bicycle going by. Of course there are plenty of motorcycle horns, but they magically drift away when you walk deep into a quiet gali.
Here is a sound clip from Old Delhi. For those that have been to the ancient city, or pretty much any city in India, this might conjure up a few memories. If you haven't, lay back, listen and let your imagination run wild. See if you can notice when you leave the main road.
Below are a few photos taken around Chawri Bazar where the audio was recorded. Some of these people and automobiles might be in the recording. All photos taken with a Fuji X-Pro1 and 10-24mm.
