Tuesday, November 7 Metro Red Line, Indian Circus

Today was a weird day. I spent the morning at the study center uploading photos, Facebooking, calling travel agents, and faxing documents so that I can obtain a foreigners’ license to go to Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal. Then I took the Metro to Kashmere Gate, and for the first time ever, changed to the Red Line, and rode it to Netaji Subhash Place, in NW Old Delhi. The Red Line runs on a completely elevated track, and the views of Delhi are superb. It runs through a bunch of dense residential areas, where streets are only meters wide at points, and are enclosed by five-story peach, beige, or light blue concrete cubic buildings. Black water tanks sit on rooftops, and laundry hangs from every balcony. We passed a series of polluted black rivers, their banks lined with garbage, pigs, men peeing, and squatter slums built of mud and scrap metal. Netaji Subhash was an outpost of affluence in this otherwise destitute area. I waited for a lunch thali for over 40 minutes, so I got mad and demanded a refund at some restaurant called the Red Tomato. I walked over to the big open dirt space to watch the Amar Circus. It cost 150 Rs for the 3-hour program, and was well worth the money, not eating because of, and taking the Red Line to get to. I love circuses; always have and always will. I really like watching people do amazing things that I can’t do, watching crazy animals do tricks, and of course, circus freaks. Basically it was the Indian version of a really fun American circus. All the performers were Indian (and many looked like they were from the Northeast States) except for the really good ones, who were Russian. A large team of 20 young guys were the rigging crew, who basically did all the stage setup for the whole time. First they had a parade with camels, horses, and all the performers dressed up in skimpy costumes while cheesy music live music played. A bunch of trapeze artists (40 year-old men and women in tights) swung from four flying trapezes and caught each other, etc. Between each act they have entertainment, mostly midgets and clowns. The clown was supposed to be a freak with a high-pitched voice; instead, he was just an Asian man whose voice sounded like a mix between a Vietnamese woman and Chris Tucker. The midgets kept hitting each other and meeting kids. There was one skit where the midget was getting a haircut, and they were making fun of his size by have a huge pair of scissors and razor. And then he asked where he was from, and the midget replied “Chandni Chowk”, known in Delhi for being just pure pandemonium. It was really un-PC, but kind of funny. Then they had a bunch of female gymnasts twirling plates on sticks, walking on tightropes, riding unicycles, balancing on balls, and doing crazy stretches, that looked like erotic poses. I was mesmerized by one gymnast in particular, who was incredibly small and flexible, and extremely attractive. Then I realized she looks exactly like Ronoch, and then it was kind of awkward. This one guy drank at least 30 glasses of water, and then spit it all out in one long stream. I was thoroughly impressed. Dogs were riding bicycles, horses were kissing, and parrots were going down slides. Gymnasts did all sorts of flips, and a woman caught cups and saucers on her head. Daredevils went off jumps on motorcycles and Jeeps, and a pair rode around in a sphere on motorcycles, barely missing each other with each pass. But these were chump change compared to the Russians. The hula-hoop lady must have been twirling 30 hoops at a time. A man was holding up a lady and little girl, and twirling them around like figure skaters. A guy juggled and breathed torches of fire, then juggled a huge water pipe with his feet. An acrobat woman was doing flips and crazy poses on the high trapeze. The male gymnast was doing all sorts of gymnastics on 2 strings hanging from the ceiling. How are the Russians always so good in gymnastics? Do they just teach everyone how to do this stuff? I was a happy camper after that. I went back home for a little while before getting a bite to eat at Khana Unlimited because I was starving, and ate my 121 Rs worth.