Picto Diary - 14 December 2019 - In Transit. Lucknow to Delhi

Above: Flutist. Lobby, Taj Mahal Hotel. Lucknow, India. 14 December 2019.

Tabla recording accompaniment via tiny, but resonant, smart phone speaker (on flutist's lap) enhances hauntingly Hindu, ancient flute melodies reverberating in the cavernous hotel lobby.

This is a fabulous metaphor for India, where state of the art technology combines with the arcane to secure tradition's place in the face of massive technological, economic and social progress.

I love coming to India...where extreme contrasts abound, around every corner. Anything, and everything, can happen in India.

Speaking of smart phones, there are 800 million of 'em in India. 800 million people, theoretically, can sign up for Stanford professor John Taylor's on line economics 101 course. The potential, given modern technology, for an explosion of learning in India, where most people have an aspirational view of life, undergirded by palpable spirituality, is staggering.

Above: Taj Mahal Hotel grounds. Lucknow, India. 14 December 2019.

Three of the top eleven Conde Nast Traveler Hotels in the World are in India. This is not one of them. But, The Taj Mahal Lucknow is testimony of how high the bar has to be to get to the top.

Indian five star hotels. Combine a surfeit of well trained, eager, earnest, selfless staff, top chefs, and a Swiss to manage it all, and viola.

Above: Gingerbread House. Hotel Oberoi Gurgaon. Gurgaon, India. 14 December 2019.

Christmas decor has been ubiquitous during our India trip.

While the majority of Indians are Hindus, India, like the United States is a secular democracy, which affords protections for freedom of religion, including Christianity.

Not only does India afford religious freedom to all creeds, all Indians love to celebrate festivals of religions not their own.

Above: Fruit Plate. 360 Restaurant. Oberoi Gurgaon Hotel. Gurgaon, India.

Order fruit. Get an art piece.

Addendum:

These photos are so fascinating. I greatly appreciate the glimpse into this amazing culture Steve!

DrummerJ,
Lehi, UT