Here in Delhi on the last stop of this tour and revisiting after about six years I am not just impressed but astounded by the city. Our exposure in this first twenty four hours has been from the airport and into New Delhi and the city of the British Raj and the seat of the present government. The new domestic air terminal is beautiful and works. There is space and no crowding nor hassle. From there wide straight roads that are well landscaped and frequently bordered by expansive open green spaces lead into the centre. The traffic moves too slowly in the rush hour but is orderly and mostly free of the incessant honking typical of the other Indian cities we have been in.
My travel research had informed me of several negative matters to be considered. The pollution in Delhi ranks as one of the worst in the world. As our flight descended the city did disappear in haze but the next day, on the ground and with a pleasant breeze, we could see blue sky and roadside electronic pollution scoreboards reported low levels. No foul and pestilent congregation of vapours today.
Delhi has a world beating level of urban dengue fever (not to mention also a rising incidence of swine flu as well) and we did not leave the hotel without long sleeves and what skin was still exposed liberally smeared with mosquito repellent bought locally and not the subtle creams we are more familiar with at home. Apart from a few flies we saw no bugs of any sort and our guides said the problems were limited to the crowded outer suburbs.
Humayun's Tomb is one of the World Cultural Treasures and in the past six years has been totally refreshed with restoration still continuing. The many acres of gardens of the site have been re-landscaped and the water courses flow with water kept clear and fresh by dozens of gardeners and other male and female staff. The several kilometres of surrounding and internal garden walls and arches are all repaired and if the tomb itself does not sparkle like the Taj Mahal in Agra it is still a forceful and beautifully executed memorial commissioned by the wife (he had more than one) of Humayun.
Old Delhi remains a vivid contrast. Five lane roads lead us to it and the busses are mostly modern when compared with the uniformly decrepit trams and busses in Kolkata.
Chandri Chowk and its surrounding areas of Bazaars and spice markets is a central point established by the earliest Moghul Rulers and leads away from the Red Fort. Our guide may have not regarded the British highly or perhaps felt free to to comment honestly to a Kiwi and a Peruvian. At the Town Hall built at the time of the Raj "Queen Victoria erected a statue of herself but it was taken down immediately on Independence" I am not sure Victoria actually knew where Delhi was. In one of the crowded and cluttered lanes our bicycle rickshaw tour took us into our puller got into an unpleasant confrontation with one trying to move in the opposite direction. A crowd of maybe fifty, mostly men, soon became involved with a lot of shouting and some forceful pushing. We sat still, looking down on this scene. We were ignored and never part of the aggression, which soon enough melted away as movement was reestablished.
Age constraints meant that this third visit of mine to India was planned around moving between the best hotels in each city with booked transfers as well. This will have taken out a lot of the stress encountered by younger and more adventurous travellers but I have been there in that situation on previous visits. India's advance into the Twenty-first century has continued, with a long way still to go. Bureaucratic logjams still frustrate the Western tourist and getting onto a flight involves frequent scans of papers along the way from the front door of the airport terminal to the aircraft door by both police and airline. The new Prime Minister recognises that paperwork, chits, stamps and too many levels of encountered authority is a problem for his population so maybe the winds of change will start to blow and speed planning for the future.
In Mumbai as we gazed at the High Court we were told that there were only two judges and the backlog of cases stretched back years. Other courts too delay hearings for ever.
The new Prime Minister's constituency is Varanasi, the city of learning and burning. The people there are hoping that he will bring some greater prosperity. Some roadworks along the 25k from the new airport terminal into town would be a start. The bone shaking scary road is a tough introduction to one of India's important and well known cities.
Kolkata is a city of great contrasts. Its name reverted from Calcutta not so long ago but the Municipal busses still bear the old name. The city neglected its grand architectural treasures for years but is now working to preserve them. Public transport looks ancient. The last flakes of paint wore off the trams years ago and rusting and dented shabby metal boxes trundle through the streets. The busses have not fared much better. The taxi fleet is largely India's own ancient Hindustan Ambassador car, here in huge numbers. They look smart in their yellow and black livery.
Kolkata has a poor reputation for tourists who are discouraged by stories of poverty, dirt, civic neglect and its faded charm since the capital was moved to Delhi in 1911. All that does need to be dealt with but it is still a grand city with huge and pleasing green open spaces and a remarkable history, particularly of that time when the British Raj was in the ascendency.

Love your reflections. India is on my bucket list...high up at the top.

india has come a long way in the last 6 years & i think the city to have improved the most is delhi....however, none of this improvement is to do with the current governments, either at the center or in the city....there are a lot of expectations however from them both & i hope they deliver on these promises....

the new prime minister has not been in power long enough to deliver on the promises he made during the election campaign, neither to the city of varanasi nor the country....the last year has been a bit of a disappointment based on those promises but the hope & expectations are there for him to come good....i personally hope for a better performance over the next 4 years....

while it is true that there is a huge backlog of cases, it is untrue that there are only 2 judges at the mumbai high court....there are in fact 65 judges at present....

also, it is not the courts that delay hearings for ever but the lawyers who manage to delay cases based on their & their client's personal interests....i will admit that while i have seen an improvement over the years, it still takes time for cases to finish....

Do not use online translation for "bucket list"

I like the reflections of india from yours. Its a country of huge diversities but have a great amour for everyone.