Chapter 20, Entering India (Part 2)
Delhi, the capital of India, is actually divided into two cities: New Delhi and Old Delhi. Old Delhi is the ancient capital of India. As early as 1,200 BC, according to the records of the famous Indian epic "Mahabharata", there was already ancient India. The state once established its capital here. Later, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Dynasty also established their capitals here. New Delhi, the capital of modern India, is a brand-new artificial city designed and constructed before the British left. It was still an empty wasteland at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was not until 1911 that construction began. The famous India Gate, as well as the Congress and the Presidential Palace , the Central Government Building and other central government agencies of India, as well as a series of five-star hotels that receive foreign tourists, are located here. The two twin cities of New Delhi and Old Delhi are separated by a Delhi Gate and bounded by the famous Ramlila Square. To the south of the square is New Delhi, and to the north of the square is Old Delhi.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport where Wang Qiu and others got off the plane is located further south in New Delhi. Originally, they could directly enter the city center of New Delhi without passing through the Old City of Delhi. However, since a large block in front was occupied by demonstrations, There was a traffic jam, so we had to take a detour from Old Delhi.
So, under the curses of Bai Quanyi, the health attaché of the embassy, and the helpless eye rolls of Wang Qiu, Li Wei, and Marikawa Shizuka, the half-old Mazda car turned around with difficulty in the traffic, and slowly left the traffic jam. The main road on the road started to go into the small road, preparing to drive to the suburbs first, and then find a way to go around the city... Then, Wang Qiu saw more chaotic scenes in the Indian capital.
On the way out from the airport, although the two sides were a bit dirty and there were more homeless people, they were all modern houses anyway. The road is a relatively spacious four-lane, and there are street lights and green belts on both sides of the road. Let’s not mention the software for the moment. In terms of hardware, it already has the appearance of a modern metropolis (I later learned that that area is already New Delhi) wealthy and middle-class areas).
However, at the urban-suburban junction near Old Delhi, the scene is completely similar to the scene in the old photos of the Republic of China before the liberation of China - the roads are all narrow two-lane or even one-way roads, or simply dirt roads, with roadside It is a dilapidated building with a height of two or three stories. Bullock carts, bicycles, and electric cars are crowded in the side streets and narrow alleys, crawling as slowly as turtles, not even as fast as the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk next to it. The crowds of people and vehicles are so crowded that they are almost shoulder to shoulder. There are small vendors selling goods everywhere on both sides of the road, doing business directly in front of other people's stores. Vendors, crowds, bullock carts, horse-drawn carriages, tricycles, and bicycles all shuttled freely through the traffic array, completely ignoring traffic regulations.
All kinds of noisy and cursing sounds came and went in the car queue, and the air was filled with countless disgusting and strange smells such as car exhaust, vegetables, garbage, animals, feces, etc. Even sitting in an air-conditioned car, there was no smell. There is no way to filter out these odors.
For Chinese drivers, the streets of this place can really make people collapse in a minute. There are beeps and beeps of horns everywhere, competing to see who is the loudest, including motorcycles, bicycles, tricycles, all kinds of weird cars, etc. There are sacred cows all crowded together. There are no traffic lights, no traffic police and urban management, no traffic rules. Cars will resolve themselves if they get into trouble... It's a miracle that the road is still passable despite this.
Well, many urban villages in China seem to look similar because they are not planned well. However, no matter how remote a rural place is, it is estimated that there will not be as many vehicles with a medieval style as in Delhi, India. Some of the car styles seem to have been manufactured before World War II. What's even more amazing is that Indian cars are like trains. The roofs and sides of the carriages are always full of people. Their acrobatic talent really amazes the Chinese - Wang Qiu saw one with his own eyes. The pickup truck carried thirty Indians doing the snail crawl.
Alas, this is India. Rape is the culture, laziness is the tradition, riding motorcycles is the spirit, and public urination is the quintessence of the country...
Moreover, Indian cars are always loaded with passengers, cattle, sheep or other cargo, and are five or six times overloaded. They also look like they were picked up from a car scrapping factory, often even with doors and hoods. If not, it goes out into the streets in tatters. Wang Qiu also encountered a "super simple version" that only had four wheels and an engine. Not even a piece of iron or glass was left in the entire car body. The driver's seat was a plastic bench and the fuel tank was replaced by a large Coke bottle filled with gasoline. "Car" - I really don't know how this car passed the inspection... Sure enough, the Indian people are so happy...
However, what really makes people feel frightened is not these overloaded vehicles with missing arms and legs, but the various animals crossing the road. Not only cattle, but all kinds of animals shuttle freely among them. Monkeys, horses, goats, and sows can be seen everywhere. Dogs crawl under the wheels. Hens and chicks forage under the big trees. Occasionally, there are large groups. Crows or pigeons suddenly land en masse in the middle of the road. There are even camels and elephants!
Of course, the ones with the largest number and the most arrogant attitude are naturally the cows. They are like local hooligans. They often lie in the middle of the road with big thorns, completely ignoring the passing vehicles blocked by them. Sometimes they are even rude when they are hungry. He walked into the store and started eating the fruits and vegetables he was going to sell. If the owner of the store saw it, they would only dare to drive the cow out with a mop or something, and they would not even dare to beat it too hard, let alone kill it.
There is no way, this cow is really noble in the eyes of Hindus. Because everyone in India worships cows as sacred animals, the number of cows in India is quite close to that of humans, reaching more than 230 million. Almost every two to three Indians can be allocated one cow on average. And most of the cattle are not penned in pastures or farms, but wander in towns like vagrants...
In addition to the sacred cows that fill the streets, there are also an astonishing number of other animals, and they are not afraid of humans at all, which is very surprising to the Chinese people.
"...This is the most interesting thing about India. Whether you are in the city or in the suburbs, you can easily encounter wild animals while walking. Cows, sheep, pigs, monkeys, all kinds of animals Wandering around in the streets, these animals are wary of humans and don't care if you have something to eat. They just come together, otherwise they go their separate ways without disturbing each other. Various travel guides strongly advise tourists not to try to drive by themselves, because not only do you have to avoid people and cars, but there are also all kinds of animals that can come out at any time. Except for local Indian drivers, none of us foreigners have this ability..."
Pointing to a monkey that had jumped onto the trunk of a car at some unknown time, Health Commissioner Bai Quanyi smiled and said casually, "...Many people in China only know that Indians worship cows. In fact, their concept is basically polytheistic. Worship, as long as it involves the gods in mythology, even flowers, trees, and livestock can become worshiped idols. Therefore, India. People not only worship cows, but also elephants, monkeys, rats, cats, dogs, cobras and many other animals. In short, India is definitely a paradise for animals. I saw it on the trees several times. The squirrels are almost too fat to walk, but the poor, beggars and ascetics under the trees are basically as thin as humans..."
After hearing this, Wang Qiu turned around and looked at the beggars on the roadside. He found that no matter whether they were old or young, male or female, everyone was skinny and naked, with only a rag wrapped around their body. No one paid attention to him lying on the roadside. Looking from a distance, he didn't know whether he was alive or dead.
"...Well, since these poor Indians are so hungry, why not catch these animals and roast them?"
Wang Qiu asked curiously, "...I remember that at the end of the last century, Chinese people went to Australia to work. They wanted to save as much as possible so that they could send money back to their hometowns, but they couldn't help but want to have their teeth shaved as a memorial. As a result, they left a park in Sydney's urban area The pigeons were secretly caught and eaten. I saw them sleeping on the roadside, looking like they were about to starve to death. The animals here are not afraid of people at all, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to catch them! Will the police take care of this? Are there any police in Zhongpo? ”
"...There is no need for police control at all! Most Indians are extremely devout vegetarians! They would rather starve to death than eat meat!"
Bai Quanyi curled his lips and seemed to be very disdainful of this, "...Everyone knows that Buddhism requires everyone not to kill animals and only eat vegetarian food, right? In fact, Hinduism is the same, and it is more strict! At most, Chinese monks do not eat meat , devout Hindus even taboo radishes and potatoes!”
"...Huh? You can't eat radishes and potatoes?" Wang Qiu felt a little stupid. "...What kind of commandment is this?"
"...Because radishes and potatoes grow under the soil... How should I put it? This is a very complicated concept."
Bai Quanyi explained, "...I listened to several lectures by religious people, and then found that Hindu fasting, vegetarianism and opposition to killing are not completely consistent with our modern humanitarian concepts, but are based on a primitive religious concept. Belief, or animism. In ancient Indian thought, all things must absorb the essence of heaven and earth, so everything in the world, from cattle and horses to grass and trees, to mountains and rivers, is life.
As the source of all life, the earth has been given female characteristics by Indians, called Dagala, which is the same concept as what we call Mother Earth. In Indian mythology and religion, everything that comes into contact with the ground is the hair and skin of Mother Earth, such as animals such as cattle and sheep, and the roots of plants. If you hurt them, you will hurt Mother Earth Dagala, and killing them will cause harm to Mother Earth. The more deforestation occurs, the more vitality Mother Earth loses. Eventually, all things will die, and the humans who rely on them will also perish. For this reason, humans must be abstinent and temperate in order to achieve sustainable development.
The above logic is easy to understand! Following this logic, for strict Hindu vegetarians, not only beef, sheep, fish and shrimp cannot be eaten, but also plants that grow underground such as potatoes and carrots cannot be eaten, because they are born in the "skin" of Mother Earth. Next, in order to obtain these crops, one has to cut open the mother's skin, which is a treasonous thing! ”
"...This logic...is really amazing!" Levi interjected, "...but this can't be moved, and that can't be moved, what should they eat?"
"...According to the logic of these Hindu believers, humans can eat leaves and grains because they are not directly connected to Mother Earth, but are gifts from Mother Earth that grow to feed humans. However, stems connected to the earth still need to be considered. .”
Bai Quanyi said with relish, "... Therefore, according to their degree of piety to Hinduism, they can probably be divided into several levels. First, a very small number of Indians are influenced by modern ideas. In addition to often going to temples to worship, they basically It’s no different from us, you can still eat wine and meat. Next, most of them. Ordinary Indians don't eat meat, but they can eat eggs and drink milk. Buddha Sakyamuni was such a person. When he was starved to death after enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, he was rescued by being fed a bowl of milk. ——It can only be regarded as the average level in India in terms of vegetarianism.
Indians, who are more pious than Buddha Sakyamuni, do not eat meat, eggs, or drink milk, and are completely vegetarian. There are also some more devout Indians who are not allowed to eat meat, eggs, milk, or even crops that grow underground such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
If you want to be more pious, then not only do you not eat root crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, but you also cannot eat strong-tasting foods such as peppers and candies, because the pungent taste will bring about desire, and Hinduism The purpose is abstinence... But this is not the most devout believer. The most devout believer is not only strict with himself, but also educates all living beings-not only does he not eat meat, but he also does not let others around him eat meat. If you are such a guy, once you see someone killing chickens or pigs, you should stop him; once you find that your business partner is producing slaughtering equipment, you would rather break the contract and lose money than do business with him; once a friend joins the army and becomes a killer, We must break up with him immediately..."
"...This and this...all sound like fundamentalists from the Arab side!" Wang Qiuzha said.
"...Yes, these are Hindu fundamentalists, but their symbol is not human explosives, but non-violent non-cooperation, the practices I just mentioned. The non-violent non-cooperation movement and vegetarianism are the most implemented. Thoroughly, a branch of Hinduism, Jain Religion. The place with the largest number of Jain believers is in the state of Gujarat in today's India. Mahatma Gandhi was born in Gujarat, and his mother was a Jain believer - so you can understand why Gandhi launched the non-violent non-cooperation movement. Well..."
Bai Quanyi raised her eyebrows, "...So, on the streets of India today, animals are extremely fat, but people are extremely thin..."
"...But this is too ridiculous. Chinese people also eat fast and chant Buddha's name, but if they are really hungry, they will stuff all kinds of birds, animals, bark, grass roots into their stomachs, so how can they care about their beliefs and precepts! "Wang Qiu shook his head and sighed.
"...but Indians are not Chinese, and their level of religious piety cannot be compared to that of the Chinese. Let's put it this way! Chinese culture has been centered on the secular world since ancient times, and has no power to deal with supernatural beings such as ghosts and gods. Naturally, I have to pay my respects when the time comes. If the living people are about to starve to death, , then no one would bother to burn incense in the temple. However, Indian culture is centered on the afterlife, believing that the present world is false, and the destination of the soul after death is real. The test of all kinds of suffering, death is happiness and relief..."
Bai Quanyi replied, "...So, since ancient times, Indians have been very pious, very docile, and very easy to rule. Moreover, they regard starvation as a kind of spiritual practice and think it is a very decent and glorious thing. Peacock The first emperor of the dynasty, the one who was like Alexander the Great The great emperors who have fought have voluntarily starved themselves to death because of their devout beliefs. Modern Indian farmers who cannot pay back their land rents commit suicide in hundreds instead of hunting birds and animals to fill their stomachs. As for those who go up the mountain to rebel..."
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On the other hand, although Indians are so self-disciplined and have no desires when it comes to eating, Indians seem to be equally tough when driving. Unless the car is so overloaded that you can't even get up even if you want to go faster. Otherwise, even Indian drivers who have always been lazy and unpunctual will often race against time very bravely as soon as they get on the steering wheel. Compared with the traffic in the suburbs of New Delhi, the capital of India, the traffic in almost any place in China can be said to be... "In order"! The cars with reflectors here are all new Japanese and Korean cars. For older cars, either the reflectors have been removed, or they seem to have never been installed! Because reflectors are almost useless on the roads here!
As long as traffic police are not visible, traffic laws are ineffective. When an Indian driver wants to change lanes when driving, he changes lanes when someone behind him honks his horn, and when no one honks his horn, he changes lanes! The distance between cars when parking and changing lanes is surprisingly small, it's almost door to door and bumper to bumper. In such road conditions, Indians can actually drive out of two lanes into six lanes, while speeding along a road with a speed limit of 40 kilometers at a speed of more than 60 kilometers!
——When the Indian driver driving the embassy's Mazda was surrounded by a group of large trucks and had to drive at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, Wang Qiu and others in the car were all so nervous that they couldn't help but My legs are shaking...
However, even though this low-caste driver drove at such a thrilling speed, his destination was still far away - after driving for more than an hour, he still seemed to be circling at the junction of urban and suburban areas... Finally, at Baiquanyi Sanitation Under the commissioner's glare, the dark-skinned young driver admitted with a simple smile: He didn't even know where he had driven, which meant that he was lost now!
——This young driver is not a native of New Delhi, but just half a year ago he went from his hometown in the countryside of West Bengal to the capital New Delhi to explore the world. Then he left for unknown reasons and got a job driving for the Chinese Embassy. Work. Nowadays, he is quite familiar with the roads in New Delhi, but he can only look at the map of Old Delhi... What's even worse is that because he didn't expect to go to Old Delhi today, he didn't bring a map of Old Delhi with him at all, and there was no map of Old Delhi with him in the car. I don’t have a GPS navigation installed, so I can only make do with the impressions in my head... The results are predictable...
This discovery made Wang Qiu and others almost disappointed when their feet were numb after sitting in the car. But now that the matter had come to this, they had no choice but to try their best to remedy the situation. At first, Bai Quanyi, the health specialist, told the Indian driver to find a way to ask for directions, but unexpectedly he encountered encountered an incredible trouble: language barrier!
Wait, Indian drivers don’t understand the language even in the capital of their own country? That's right? Is he Indian?
But this is the fact. Although the official language of India is Hindi, about 60% of the people in the country cannot speak it!
Because there are more than thirty states in India, each state has its own official language. This is not a Chinese dialect like Cantonese or Shanghainese, but a completely different language from writing to grammar! In order to indicate the denomination, Indian banknotes are printed in twenty-three major languages. This does not include the many small languages in each state. If added together, there are more than 300 languages in India.
Of course, there are different dialects within various languages. Even Hindi, which is the official language, has five main dialects in India. The differences between them are no smaller than Cantonese and Mandarin. It is quite difficult to understand each other. Not easy.
What kind of trouble will this language barrier cause? The first is that it will be difficult for the Indian government to eradicate illiteracy. An Indian finally learned to write in the language of his own state, but in the next state he was still illiterate! Secondly, this creates many obstacles for Indians to move and travel within the country. Some people can't even leave their own village for the rest of their lives because the language they speak is different from those in the surrounding areas!
As the capital of India, Delhi naturally speaks official Hindi. The driver is from West Bengal and speaks Bengali, so communication is naturally very difficult... Fortunately, Indians still have English left over from the British colonial era, which can connect people across the country. The young driver from West Bengal sitting in front of Wang Qiu and the others came to the capital to make a living by speaking English with an Indian accent.
But the problem is that in this country with a very high illiteracy rate, Indians who can master English only account for a very small part of the total population. The driver called more than a dozen people for help, either pretending not to hear, or he really couldn't understand... He finally found a guy who could communicate in English. Who knew that this guy wearing glasses who looked like an intellectual was just as unreliable as the driver? You can't help it, most Indians are so unreliable. If you say something to them, and then ask them if they understand or understand, they will shake their heads and express. Got it, or said confidently that it was no problem. Then the driver drove out and got lost, the server brought the wrong food, and he had to wait for several hours...
Finally, the health specialist Bai Quanyi, who was almost impatient, got out of the car and bought a map from a roadside newsstand. Then he found a pot-bellied Indian policeman and communicated with them with gestures. Finally, he found the general route to the embassy area. direction.
However, the rest of the journey is still full of ups and downs - in the eyes of strangers, all roads in Delhi look similar, forming circles with large patches of grass in the middle, where many people sit, sleep and eat. Then there are four roads extending straight out from the grass. If you drive on any of the roads, you will soon see circles one after another, with large pieces of grass in the middle, and many people sitting on them. Sleep, eat or play cards on the grass. Therefore, Wang Qiu and his car kept getting lost, lost, and lost again in Delhi...
Compared with the wildlife parks at the urban-suburban fringe, there are many fewer animals in the urban area, but there are no less troubles because there are thousands of homeless people living on both sides of Delhi's roads. All of them were thin and dirty-faced, huddled among the bushes in the green belt, and under bridges or overpasses. Cars whizzed past them while they made fires to cook, fetch water for washing, and pick lice from their hair.
These homeless people are a big problem for drivers. They never waited for the red light, but always ran across the road as they pleased, forcing the driver to brake suddenly to avoid them again and again, and causing Wang Qiu and other passengers to jolt. In short, when the car finally reached Ramlila Square, which divides the old and new Delhi, Wang Qiu and others couldn't help but burst into tears when they saw the bustling tourists in the square and the landmark Delhi Gate. ——At this point, the young driver is finally familiar with the road ahead. However, Wang Qiu and the others were already hungry, so they decided to find a place to eat nearby...