I arrived in New Delhi on December 11, flying in from Washington, DC via Frankfurt. on United, since we need to adhere to the Fly American Act.  The spanking new IGI airport was impressive, the entry was efficient, my extra luggage came quickly and the customs clearance was smooth.  Exiting to the outside, I was so surprised to be hit with the cold air. I was coming in from Washington, where even though the weather had been unseasonably warm, it was still cool by Indian standards and I had jacket, scarf and sweater with me. So it was surprising to find it was colder in Delhi than it had been in Washington, DC!

Outside the airport arrivals hall, I found a smiling young man, sharply dressed in suit and tie, bearing a placard with my name, assigned by USIEF to pick me up from the airport and drop me to Vandana’s Bed and Breakfast. The Vandana is a wonderful little place, run by a very friendly staff. When I got in, it was 3am – so I rested but my jet lagged head and body refused to sleep.  So checked e-mail, read a bit and then showered, had a quick breakfast, and headed to the Lodhi Gardens.

There, I was able to walk in beautifully landscaped grounds and pathways, admire some ancient structures and buildings and loosen up my mind and limbs from the stricture of the aluminium tube and the narrow seats I had just spent over fifteen hours in. I even came across a gaggle of Japanese business-type tourists, of all places in a beautiful bonsai garden.

I had a little time for a late lunch, before heading back to the Vandana for the pick-up from USIEF for my scheduled orientation meeting. There I met all the USIEF Delhi office staff including the Executive Director. I had been in e-mail correspondence to all, so it was wonderful to put smiling faces to each of the names I only knew through my in-box.  The staff quickly and efficiently went through details of the grant, emphasizing the various additional benefits including being able to pay for research assistance and the opportunity to extend my grant period through a no-cost extension request. The staff also helped me register with the consulate. Following that, I had a great chat with the Executive Director.  In the end, I was also told that they would like to see me “blog”.

Well, I am not a blogger. I have of course heard about it, even been sent links to several “blogs”, some of which I even clicked on! As I started to write this Fulbright-Nehru blog, I had to look up exactly what “to blog” means; the answer was simple enough – to keep an on-line journal. Now, I’m from a generation that used to keep journals and diaries, but those were for the writer’s eyes only!  They usually contained quite personal thoughts and observations - including how much one hated this, how one loved that, how excited one was about this and how crazy or mean so and so was. Not to be posted, neither snail mail and most certainly not for public dissemination. Like on the world-wide web! But it appears times have changed. The personal has become the public in ways that make me shudder.  And since USEIF “requires” a blog, here goes. We’ll follow the rules, go with the guidelines and hope to deliver!

Before leaving for Kochi, had time for an excursion to Neemrana fort. How beautiful!

Beautifully lit up at night!

And a great set of classical dance performances

As well as appropriate water technologies from oh so long ago!