The Quietest Day in Delhi

I have never heard Delhi as quiet as it is today. This is because today is Republic Day and there's a major parade in Central Delhi around India Gate. Roads within a several kilometer radius of the parade route are also closed. Almost no cars are on the streets, just a handful of rickshaws and bicycles. And you hear almost no car horns, a truly amazing thing anywhere in India.

How do I know all of this? I discovered it all during my foiled attempt to go to the New Delhi train station to catch a 10:50am train. I knew some roads would be closed, but I hopped in a rickshaw anyway and assumed the driver would be able to manueover around the road closures. He tried, but failed. Then I decided to take the metro to the train station, but soon discovered that it too was closed. Accepting defeat, I headed back to my apartment, where I then learned that there weren't even any trains running in the morning because of the parade!

And with all of this running around, I also missed my chance to watch the parade, which I really wanted to see. I had been warned that the crowds on Republic Day are tremendous, so I even developed a master plan that would allow me to see the parade AND avoid the crowds. Through a friend, I got a ticket to the full dress rehearsal of the parade on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, I failed to heed the advice of my Indian friends and I took my cell phone with me. With ticket in hand, I was turned away at the security gate. No phones, no cameras, almost nothing is allowed in.

So, after two failed attempts to watch the parade live, I'm now watching it on TV (and the special guest of honor is Vladimir Putin - scary). Currently, there is a group of young school girls with bows in their hair dancing and jumping rope on the screen. I'm waiting patiently for the "fly-past" by the Indian Air Force, which I assume is what I would call a flyover. This is one of the most talked about highlights of the parade. I hope it's half as exciting as everyone has made it out to be.

Happy Republic Day!