26/10/2011
As an Englishman arriving in India for the first time, there exists a certain misty-eyedness about what may lie in wait; perhaps delusions about what I would expect in a country so famous for its rich traditions and past, yet one becoming equally renowned for its optimism for the future. India already boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the world and, according to some reports, it is predicted to become the world’s fastest growing economy as soon as 2013 - this is a country going places.
Arriving into Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport on Tuesday evening, my visions of spending the following evenings sitting back on my hotel balcony sipping a gin and tonic whilst watching the sun set were quickly doused as I learned that the journey from the Buddh International Circuit to the hotel would be quite a lengthy one each day. That, I would find out on Thursday when I venture to the track for the very first time.
For now, I was content with taking in an array of new scenery which took me from the airport to the hotel (which lies equidistant between the track and the airport). Ramshackle roads, crossing cattle, endless lines of street stalls, stray dogs, hooting horns and anything-goes traffic light etiquette were among the things I was able to take in on the drive to the hotel. Fortunately, we had our very own bit of local nous to guide my colleagues and I along this journey. During the course of the season, I’ve become accustomed to the need to throw oneself in the deep end (stepping off a 20 hour+ flight to Australia, getting behind the wheel of a hire car and having the Melbourne trams to contend with was my a good season-opener in this respect). Getting behind the wheel of a car in Delhi would have been, well, brave to say the least.
My arrival was made all the more surreal by the fact that it was Diwali eve. Known as the ‘festival of lights’, Diwali is to India what Christmas is to us back in England. For Hindus particularly, Diwali is considered one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families up and down the country. It is an official holiday in not just India but Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia too. All round, it’s a fairly big deal and we had just arrived on the cusp of the big-time celebrations. From what I could see, Diwali conspired to mean a lot of lights – everywhere! It also involves a lot of sweet sharing (our hotel in Delhi has brought around a plate of sweet-looking delicacies to every room).
To top off this celebratory time of year in India, the country’s national cricket side has just thumped England in the one-day series by five matches to the tourists’ none. This week really is a cause for Indian celebration. And, if the country pulls off a successful Grand Prix this weekend, there will be even greater jubliation. The eyes of the sporting world are now transfixed on India.
Credit: Lotus Renault GP (www.lotusrenaultgp.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment