The Day I Forgot Something and What I Did Then

I left the house today to stretch my bones and walk to the local market, Malcha Marg. Getting a cup of chai is always the first order of business. Gently holding the very top rim of the thin, small purple plastic cup containing the scalding brew, I look at it and smile. This is my Starbucks...my feel good drink. I take a few cautionary sips until I know it is cool enough to handle and then begin to watch the chaiwala make another batch in his large dented sauce pan. He hurriedly scrapes the old bits from the upper part of the pan with a spoon, returning them to the flavorful froth. Two whole cardamons are beaten once with a rock and thrown in the pot...I take note of this for the next time I attempt to make chai. After a minute, I put my hand on my hip and move a bit closer to inspect the action...as it seems like the right thing to do according to the crowd of 8 around the man. The scene resembled how guys watch a friend repair a car engine or construction workers watching the one guy dig the hole. This chaiwala is good...no one offered suggestions.

Beyond drinking chai, there was not much of an agenda for me this morning. I had my camera and all morning free. What to do? The bustling streets and alleys of Old Delhi tend to be my go to spot for aimless roaming. It never disappoints photographically. I look around for an auto rickshaw and see one with feet hanging out the back with toes aimed skyward. I walk up to the newly painted green and yellow machine and the driver looks from around his newspaper. I told him I wanted to go to Central Secretariat Metro Station and he nodded OK...I think. After a quick negotiation we settled on a fairly reasonable price of 60 rupees to go to the station. I hopped in the auto and we sped off.

TIP: The metro is a great way to get to Old Delhi as there are two stops right in the middle of the action, Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazar, both on the yellow central line.

Three minutes into the ride, I double check my bag to make sure I have an extra battery for my Fuji x100s. Nope. Maybe it's in one of my plethora of pant pockets. Nope x 12. Damn Tim! I had left it in my other bag that I decided to swap out right before leaving the house. The situation has now changed. Should I go back home to get the battery? I hate backtracking. I can't go to Old Delhi with this camera and one battery...it's bound to run out the second I step foot onto Chandni Chowk. Side note...The Fuji batteries have as much life in them as an 85 year-old man and they certainly don't give you much warning before they croak. I finally decided to continue on to the metro station that happens to be next to Rajpath, the stretch of road that links the Presidential Palace to India Gate.

It was a windy day and rain clouds were quickly moving overhead. I somehow remember some photos I've seen years ago of monsoon clouds over India Gate. That will be my objective for the morning...walk the length of Rajpath to India Gate and see what comes about. Below are some photos from the day.

The birds were out this morning...I've never seen this scene here before. TIP: if you are walking along this road and don't want to get harassed by every passing rickshaw driver, walk on the grass along the side of the opposing traffic....far enough away from the road that the drivers will have to think twice before shouting the usual stuff..."hello sir, auto? 10 rupees India Gate sir, Where are you from?" Some eager guys might pull over, park, and walk over to you and try to persuade you to go shopping at the government emporium or some other special bazar that is happening that day. There was a driver standing behind me when I took this photo. He said he was a famous rickshaw driver. Through trial and error, I've found that telling them that I have a driver and pointing somewhere ahead of me gets them off my case quickly...they don't seem to care where I am from them. HINDI LESSON: "Mere paas driver hai" - I have a driver (while pointing ahead).

I didn't think much of this shot when I took it, but I'm glad I did when I converted it to B&W.

They secretly wanted to get my camera soaked. I have fast reflexes.

I was experimenting with different angles and shooting locations. I didn't think this would come about until I put my ass on the ground...wish I got the ladies face completely in one of the squares.