Much less cold today, I could actually move around the house without a sweater, the outside is obviously, less forgiving.  The itinerary today is two-fold, a ride on the Delhi metro and a visit to the Akshardham temple.

 Uncle’s office is a stone throw away from a metro station called Rajendra Place, so we accompany him to office, then walk down to the metro station having armed ourselves with a short travel route which is long enough and contains atleast one transition to give a taste of traveling on the metro. Having reached station, 2 tickets are bought for Central Secretariat. However, for some contrived reason, we had to get off at a certain Rajiv chowk. I asked dad twice over what the point is getting off here if our tickets are till Central Secretariat only to receive responses like “Maybe both are the same”. Nevertheless, that is how it was meant to go, the “tickets” which are actually smart tokens (I’m supposing RFID) were bought, instructions were received at the automatic gates as to where the token had to be placed to gain access. After referring to the written instructions, a platform was determined and the wait began. It was barely a minute later that a train pulled in. Sleek, clean and stylish. Yup, it was impressive, no doubt. A little crowded, no doubt, but amazing. Screens and announcements inside keep you updated of which station is coming up and which side it will come on. We deboard (the metro people use this word, I know it doesn’t exist) at Rajiv chowk. Then it dawns that the Central Secretariat is on a different line, the yellow line to be precise, while our current path was on the blue line. Levels must be changed to get to the yellow line and such is done. This time the train is empty, but unfortunately being underground, all that is there to see is murky darkness! So be it. Having reached Central Secretariat, we exit the station, purchase fresh tickets, for return tickets do not exist on the metro, and follow the same path back home. The whole thing takes under an hour. Its been a good experience, I wonder when Mumbai will have it. There were shouts of Mumbai deserving the metro more than Delhi, but hats off to the Delhi folks who have kept the metro virtually spotless even after 2+ years of operation. Wonder if Mumbaikars will ever be capable of doing the same…

 The second visit was to Akshardham temple, the title inspired by that very visit. We went in style, having had uncle’s chauffer driven car at our service. The temple complex is fairly big, having a theme of some ten gates each signifying different things. The only one I ended seeing was Bhakti dwaar which was the first gate. Aargh! First things first.

 So we reached and entered the main premises. Here we had to deposit any and all items we had from a list with no discernible end. This included the likes of weapons, scissors, Swiss knifes (all mentioned in the same breath), the usual suspects cameras, cell phones, electronic diaries, regular diaries (??), all foods and beverages (except good ol’ water), and all nasheele padaarth, including all tobacco products and alcohol. They missed narcotic substances. But not allowing a regular diary? I mean h-u-llllll-ooooooo! Do you think some terrorist is actually going to sit in the temple complex and make notes of how to go about it? Or that he might make a map sitting right there in the premises? I wonder why the banned list fails to contain easels, canvas, paintbrushes, palette and colours. I mean, a guy could walk in with these weapons of mass destruction and actually paint something, thereby bypassing the need to photograph and succeeding in his mission. All said, that is the way they want it, and that is the way it must be done. So all items having been deposited (2 cell phones, 2 cameras), we went ahead hoping that all that remained was a little frisking. But the paranoia doesn’t end. Up ahead, while females can simply walk through, guys are given plastic trays in which they must take off everything except clothing (phew!), meaning belt, watch, wallet, pens, anything that is on your person besides a shirt, a pant and a sweater. Then you walk through with these in your hands and wait to be frisked thrice. Not an entirely pleasing experience to be touched all over, unmentionables included, by three different guys. No offence intended, but I swear these guys are horny homophiles who are actually paying money to be doing this. Having cleared all these layers, one is now into the real temple. The temple is incredible, the stone work will leave you agape. Its been nicely made, the main temple parikrama tells you the story of Shri. Swaminarayan via a number of paintings. Some of his (putative) belongings are also kept there. There are some really beautiful domes, some ornate woodwork as well. We see a bit, then decide to leave. The catch here is that you don’t go straight out from where you came in. It is mandatory to walk three times that distance, all around the premises, before you can exit. This has the dual effect of forcing you to walk along the parikrama as well as making you watch some of the attractions including a garden shaped as a lotus, a canteen and a souvenir shop. Most of the offered services including cloakroom, entry and shoe house are for free, contrary to my initial perception that these guys were out to make a killing. The paid services include a medium format movie show, an abhishek ritual, food and memoirs. Most of the work is done by volunteers. Satisfying to see that commercialization of such a landmark is not total so far at least.

 The thought then shifts this time (alliteration!) around to two things. First, for all our faith in the omnipotence of God, it is a telling blow that he needs so much protection from us. Second, where does the paranoia of security stop ruining our daily living experience. Where must the line be drawn between a long and horrendous living experience, to a possibly short, more fulfilling one. Let’s keep these for later when I have nothing to write about!

Next up: Episode 2- Gatecrashers!