I had had the kind of utterly shitty day at work that makes you want to quit and move somewhere in Himachal where you can live on 300 rupees a day and stay stoned 24/7/365. Nor could I blame it on my boss or anyone else- I had avoided checking my messages the previous day for the Eid holiday, and work had piled up enough to put me in a state of overwhelming stress.
Mallika knew what to do. Somehow, even Delhi has its places of tranquility, and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib must be among the best. It has an atmosphere of total openness and spirituality. This, coupled with the gradual process of entry- removing and storage of shoes, tying of head coverings, walking through water, buying food and offering part of it back to the temple, and finally sitting inside as old men sing and hundreds of others walk barefoot on the carpeted floors- puts the visitor in a frame of mind that allows for a higher perspective.
The work day disappeared pretty fast, replaced with thoughts about love. It was a special experience in a special place.
Visiting the Gurudwara, along with the sunset over Hauz Khas tank from the office roof, and the metro rides, and the relentlessly good eating, stood out to me as building blocks of a good life here. As we look forward to moving from Dakar to Delhi sometime down the road, these are the impressions I’ll hold onto.