New Delhi-The City of Rallies

I had the opportunity to fly to New Delhi on 7^th September 2018. It was my longest flight ever then and had, due to urgency and circumstances booked business class with the Ethiopian Airlines. So my flight was really enjoyable and comfortable throughout. Social media works, I had recommendations for this airline by Facebook friends. My flight was from JKIA to, Indira Gandhi Airport, New Delhi. We connected through Addis Ababa.

Why was I flying to New Delhi?

It happened we didn’t have the equipment and facilities to carry out the research I was working on. I spent weeks of contacting (and visiting) several institutions in Kenya but no help was in sight. My work was focusing on transformer oil analysis and we didn’t have the facilities in Kenya to carry out all the tests required for new ester oils. After months of search globally, I settled with Sigma Research and Test Centre who were quick to accommodate my requirements.

I left JKIA at 11.30am on 7^th September 2018, Friday and arrived at Indira Gandhi Airport at 1.20am on Saturday.

As advised by my hosts, I immediately bought an Airtel Sim-card and loaded it with unlimited data. Since I wanted to really immerse myself into the community, I had decided to use Airbnb for accommodation instead of the typical hotel accommodation. My hosts were Avinash and his friend Jignesh. I thank God I made the decision. These guys proved to be extremely helpful. They took my around the city, the parks, the markets and were even instrumental in helping me purchase some research materials. These guys took me to every possible tourist attraction. We visited the temples, the Indian gate, the Japanese park, etc. Given the opportunity I will always use Airbnb.

Sigma Research and Test Centre is located in Mangolpuri, and I was staying in Rohini sector 6. Uber came in handy. It was 20-30 minutes’ drive. Experimental work started at 9am and ended at 6pm. Had only 30 minutes of lunch break. I still keep in touch with my friends at Sigma, especially Chandrakesh ,Dharam Raj and Vibusha.

My impressions of the city and its people.

The citizens are generally friendly and welcoming. My hosts were extremely and the staff at research centre were also welcoming. The staff at the research centre were kind and helpful and I surely made some friends who I keep in touch with even today.
They have developed infrastructure at least as compared to Nairobi. They have electrified city metros.
Street food is chilly and tasty.
Other modes of transport include Rickshaw (both electric and fuel based), Motorbikes.
Some streets have street children just as Nairobi has.
They have good work ethic, as far as I observed. Though, they may not be good time keepers. But they are better.
The city is heavily polluted by smog.
Temperatures reach 32⁰c in summer. You can’t survive without air conditioning.
Single phase electricity is at 230V, 50Hz.
Sockets used are of the C, D and M type. Generally the three round prongs.

As mentioned, I stayed in Rohini sector 15, and as I could observe, I was the only African in the suburb. As expected, I got some curious looks. My Indian friends took the time to take me around the city. We visited the main market, the famous temples, parks as well as the famous Indian gate.

We had super conversations about our countries, philosophy, culture, business, food, art etc. I got to read their books. I am fan of their former late president APJ Abdul Kalam and I bought a hardcopy of his book, “Transcendence”. I also got to read the “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” by Rashmi Bansal.

It was a radical decision to surely fly to India but it was worth it. I would not have done my research as fast as I did. This has proved profitable. The experience was also priceless, my view about India and Indians changed drastically.

Travelling to India?