It’s been more than twenty years since I visited India. I had scheduled in a day or two for acclimatisation and boy did I need it. I don’t mean the weather: daytime temperatures are around 30, dropping to pleasant low 20s in the evenings, much like an Australian summer. But Delhi’s unique brand of urban chaos takes a little while to navigate.
I probably didn’t help matters by choosing a hotel in a busy part of town – the Paharganj district near Delhi railway station. The day after I arrived there was a big celebration at the Ramakrishna Ashram about a block away from my hotel. Cue 15 hours of chanting and singing, from early morning to late evening, amplified by a decent sound system and punctuated by the never-ending horn orchestra from the Main Bazaar street nearby. I confess that I resorted to noise-cancelling ear plugs that night.

Street life is challenging for any tourist in Delhi, but even more confronting as a woman travelling alone. I got hassled by four different men in the course of a short walk on my first morning; each of them walking alongside me uninvited, insisting that they were just making sure I was safe, telling me where to walk and where not to walk, where to go and where not to go. One of them even circled back later, and started questioning me as I had told him I was meeting friends. I looked him dead in the eye and said yes, I was lying to you before because I do not want to talk to you. He just nodded and walked away.
Later that day I found myself nearby again (it’s a busy shopping and dining district) and was dumbfounded when he approached me for a third time! By then I’d really found my voice and I won’t spell out the colourful language I used to dismiss him.
Next day I’d rediscovered my India equilibrium, acquainted myself with the Delhi Metro system, and enjoyed a lovely morning of sightseeing. I knew I had rediscovered my comfort levels when I found myself standing in the middle of a side street that night, surrounded by six tuk tuk drivers, haggling with them all at once. “Look. Who’s taking me to the station for fifty rupees. Fifty, no ride sharing!”

My homework continues as I prepare for my first in-person meetings. I’ve been gripped by the recently published report “Truth, Trust & Democracy” from 2023 Churchill Fellow and ABC journalist, Michelle Ainsworth, who chose a podcast format. I highly recommend listening to this fantastic piece of work: it is a key foundational piece for my project.