Delhi Reinvents Itself Again — But Just Can’t Clean Up its Act
By Jawahar Malhotra NEW DELHI, India: A few days ago, on March 12, a huge Indian tricolor on a 207 foot tall pole was raised in the heart of Delhi’s commercial district by the Flag Foundation of India, with hopes that it would send a message of pride, national identity and raise the spirits of […]
Morning to Asia by Tunnel – and Back to Europe over Bridge by Evening
By Jawahar Malhotra ISTANBUL, Turkey: The haze that had descended overnight like a thick grey veil over the mouth of the Bosphorus had brought all ship traffic to a halt, with visibility over water down to nil and over land to just 400 meters, and forced many Istanbulites to make huge changes to their commuting […]
Tram Riders, Bridge Anglers and Gypsy Children in Istanbul
By Jawahar Malhotra ISTANBUL, Turkey: The tram token machine besides the back edge of the sidewalk had taken my 5TL (for Turkish Lira) note and was now asking a question in Turkish. The right button had an OK below it, the left one was more incomprehensible, so I hit ‘OK’ and guessed right. In the […]
Slow Down Awhile and Get to Know Your Neighbors in Delhi, Texas
By Jawahar Malhotra DELHI, TX: A persistent tail wind flinging sprays of intermittent rain followed me on a bitterly cold Sunday morning as the Arctic front made its way across Texas and invaded the Hill Country. I had an errand to make just north of Gonzales at the Happy Hens Farm that required taking the […]
The Hassles of Suspicious Guards Keeping a Nervous Eye on Buildings
By Jawahar Malhotra DOHA, 28 February, 2013: The Qatari security guard was indignant, pointing his walkie-talkie at me as he took hurried steps in my direction, his soft, rolling belly divided by a wide belt, and shouted in Arabic. His cherubic face with a wispy black beard was contorted into an angry scowl with menacing […]
