Street kids and temples

Street kids and temples
Delhi, India

Delhi, India


We set off today to visit a shelter where street kids can come to get food, shelter, medical attention and education. We had a tour by a 20 year old who was previously in the shelter, and now works there to raise money and do tours for the likes of us. We walked through streets lined with piles of rubbish, rats running from one burrow and into another, crows scavenging for food. This particular shelter was for boys 6-12. They were lovely, playing hand clapping games and thumb wars, and wanting to shake hands and talk. One young one just wanted a hug. I picked him up and turned him upside down and held him up like my dad did with me. So sad that these boys had suffered abuse and resorted to huffing to escape the memories. Apparently runaway girls usually ended up in prostitution. They would have shelter, unlike the boys, but they would have no other ways to earn money, the job opportunities only available for men. Next to Jama Masjid, a mosque complex. We had to take our shoes off at the entrance, and pay a fee if you wanted to bring a camera in. Almost all of us were accosted by a guy who wrapped us in robes, and saris for the men to cover us up. The arches and curves of the architecture are amazing. The lack of shoes was a bit of a problem in the hot sun though. The red stone courtyard was baking hot. They had laid out fabric in long trails crisscrossing the expanse, which meant the whole group was single file following the path, gaining a few strange looks. I’m still not used to the stares. When we were getting a group photo, we had a couple of locals on their phones and cameras. Plus with the heat, we were jumping foot to foot, yelling at the photographer to hurry and take the bloody photo already. We then went to a Sikh temple, where we had to cover our heads. The Sikh men wear turbans, and the people attending either wore a scarf or a bandana thing to go inside. There was a foot bath before you entered, but most people also sprinkled water on their heads, and washed their hands and arms. They also touched the steps as the entered and left. Our guide told us Sikh men have beards, long hair and wear boxers….in case in the middle of the night they could still go into battle. I’m not entirely clear on why that might still be an issue, but y’know… The temple also provided food for anyone that needed it. They had huge woks of curry, and a machine that churned out hundreds of chapati. They also had a tourist station to roll out chapatis by hand if you wanted to try it, with a couple of ladies helping (mostly laughing at our efforts). After sampling some of the chapatis we were starving. We walked to a cafeteria type place that served desserts on the bottom floor and lunch care upstairs. Our guide recommended a South India dish called dosa, which is a type of bread made from lentil and rice flour, and stuffed with potatoes and veges and served with a spicy chutney. Paired with a lassi, deliciousness! I also had a dessert called a manchali, which was decorated like a birds nest. The “eggs” were little syrup soaked dumplings. We then went to the main centre of the city, where the brand name shops were. It still wasn’t pristine, but it was better than the streets of other areas. After walking around for a bit, I headed back to the room before our group dinner.