Afternoon in Old Delhi
After a morning in Sanskriti School, we took a taxi to Old Delhi, and a street crowded with cycle-rickshaws (as well as cars and people), where our driver transferred us to the care of a rickshaw driver. It was end of school time, and the other rickshaws were each crowded with children and toddlers – all beaming and waving. Police stopped us from going down the famous bazaar street – a political demonstration, we think – but our rickshaw took us on a terrifying ride through the traffic around the Red Fort. Not sure why it was so frightening: he drove perfectly safely through the honking chaos, but I felt precariously perched, and clung so tightly to the bar that my neck and shoulder ached.
The end of the rickshaw ride coincided with the entrance to what the taxi driver assured us was a very good store – and I think it was. Anyway, I ordered a silk kurta suit, which would be made up over night and delivered to the hotel first thing in the morning, and bought some silk for my friend Esther’s wonderful felting projects.
Wendy Orr is a Canadian-born Australian writer. Her books for children and adults have been published in 27 countries and won awards around the world. Nim’s Island and Nim at Sea have also become feature films, starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin (Nim’s Island) and Bindi Irwin (Return to Nim’s Island.) Her latest book is Cuckoo’s Flight, a companion to the highly acclaimed Bronze Age novels Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance. Read full bio
