I'm back at school! I missed everyone over break and it was so nice to catch up this past week. I'm settling into all my classes and hopefully this semester will be even more eventful than the last. As I heard about everyone's Chrismas and New Year's Eve stories, I couldn't help but think back to last year's "winter break" in India. It was the first Christmas/New Year's Eve I had spent away from home and my parents so I was fully prepared to do something bold and have a ball but it didn't quite end up that way.
A few days before my cousin and I were set to leave for our "winter" holiday, a young girl was gangraped in Delhi and the news had spread outrage across India. The rape and abuse culture in India is high, and traveling alone - especially for girls - is not the best idea. As it is I was travelling by myself for the most part, to and from the city of Bangalore and around Chennai. But this was my first trip up north so my parents weren't thrilled that my cousin and I were about to meander the streets of Delhi by ourselves - despite getting the best and safest accomodations.
While touring the Rashtrapathi Bhavan (the president's house), a riot broke out just outside between civilians and policemen. People were protesting against the government for lack of action and complete apathy towards the rape case. There were tear gas and water cannons, people screaming and overturning vehicles. I instantly pulled out my camera and wanted to capture history in the making but was ushered away into a cab and driven to safety (much to my dismay). As we were driving through a parallel road, I stuck my head out the window to get a better look at the madness going on. Call me crazy but I wanted an inside look at the action. When we got back to the room later that day, the incident was all over the news. What started as a peaceful protest broke out into a disaster with the police beating and arresting civilians while people caused havoc and tried to fight back. I know I'm crazy but I had such a burning desire to be there. It was a golden opportunity to get a million dollar picture and I totally missed it.
We then left Delhi for a few days to do sightseeing in nearby cities and came back for New Year's Eve. People were talking about a New Year's Eve protest and candle light vigil across the city. I insisted on going but of course, my parents called in from across the world and forbid me to go anywhere. I think they also blackmailed my cousin into keeping me on house arrest because he wouldn't let me go either. Thousands of miles away and my parents still manage to have a leash around me. The entire city was outside marching and lighting candles for the poor girl who died from her brutal injuries and we were cooped up in our room watching VH1 Top Hits of 2013.
It wasn't how I pictured New Year's Eve to be but despite all the commotion, I did have a great time going around Delhi. A lot of the roads were blocked due to the protests, we walked some sketchy streets and ran into issues with the police once or twice, but what's an adventure without a little thrill, right?
**This was not meant to scare people away from visiting, because you definitely should! The culture, history and especially the food are well worth the visit!**
A few days before my cousin and I were set to leave for our "winter" holiday, a young girl was gangraped in Delhi and the news had spread outrage across India. The rape and abuse culture in India is high, and traveling alone - especially for girls - is not the best idea. As it is I was travelling by myself for the most part, to and from the city of Bangalore and around Chennai. But this was my first trip up north so my parents weren't thrilled that my cousin and I were about to meander the streets of Delhi by ourselves - despite getting the best and safest accomodations.
While touring the Rashtrapathi Bhavan (the president's house), a riot broke out just outside between civilians and policemen. People were protesting against the government for lack of action and complete apathy towards the rape case. There were tear gas and water cannons, people screaming and overturning vehicles. I instantly pulled out my camera and wanted to capture history in the making but was ushered away into a cab and driven to safety (much to my dismay). As we were driving through a parallel road, I stuck my head out the window to get a better look at the madness going on. Call me crazy but I wanted an inside look at the action. When we got back to the room later that day, the incident was all over the news. What started as a peaceful protest broke out into a disaster with the police beating and arresting civilians while people caused havoc and tried to fight back. I know I'm crazy but I had such a burning desire to be there. It was a golden opportunity to get a million dollar picture and I totally missed it.
We then left Delhi for a few days to do sightseeing in nearby cities and came back for New Year's Eve. People were talking about a New Year's Eve protest and candle light vigil across the city. I insisted on going but of course, my parents called in from across the world and forbid me to go anywhere. I think they also blackmailed my cousin into keeping me on house arrest because he wouldn't let me go either. Thousands of miles away and my parents still manage to have a leash around me. The entire city was outside marching and lighting candles for the poor girl who died from her brutal injuries and we were cooped up in our room watching VH1 Top Hits of 2013.
It wasn't how I pictured New Year's Eve to be but despite all the commotion, I did have a great time going around Delhi. A lot of the roads were blocked due to the protests, we walked some sketchy streets and ran into issues with the police once or twice, but what's an adventure without a little thrill, right?
**This was not meant to scare people away from visiting, because you definitely should! The culture, history and especially the food are well worth the visit!**
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