Delhi- beginning of the greatest xperience!!

"Its good that the youth of the country are taking an initiative, its your job to see that the prejudices are eliminated. You are in a way ambassadors of your country and you are going to represent India in Pakistan." As these words were spoken by the First Seceratary of Pakistan embassy Mr. Arif Khan, four of us listened in rapt attention. Me, A, Y, and J almost felt surreal. Its not a commonplace thing for Indians that too young students to sit in the room of First Seceretary of Pakistan and have an hour long discussion on Indo-Pak relations.

It made me completely forget the early morning Indigo flight which me and Y took in order to rush to Delhi to procure our visas. Even the general lack of sleep and food didn't matter at all at that moment. Days of long calls and moments of tense anxiety had finally paid off and that moment for which we all had been groping all this while in dark had finally come to light. As i lay my hands on my passport which had the pakistan visa stamped, it felt absolutely euphoric. That moment of unbound joy was followed by a big surprise. As it turned out the chair of the conference Rishubh Chopra also procured his visa at the same time as us and as a result the "big secret" of AIESEC confernce was let out and we knew who the chair was! For the record he was one helluva guy, 25 countries at the age of 24 along with a member of AIESEC international and as a result, an experience of managing 30000 people in over 105 countries!! After purchasing the tickets, four of us headed off to Karim's located opposite the Jama Masjid. It is when we reached there that the true colours of Delhi came into view. Narrow strrets swarmed with lots of people along with roadside vendors selling stuff used by quacks to meat to handicrafts all welcomed us into the true heart of Delhi which painted a picture of the city in complete contrast to the one which we saw in the embassy and political area of Chankyapuri. It was truly a city within a city, a city which was unplanned, didn't possess the beautiful facade of South Delhi yet was achingly stunning at the same time. It represented the remains of a glorious bygone era and was still largely untouched by the modern age. The crowded 'gullis' had ensconced in them this little haunt called Karim's which is supposed to serve the best kebabs in Asia.

After the sumptuous meal, we paid a visit to the Jama Masjid. No words can adequately do justice on my sense of wonder as i lay my eyes on this magnificient monument. The arches, domes and the scale of this monument is truly humongous. Its one of the places which completely mesmerises a person and makes one forget all our religious and communal divides, making one feel proud to be an Indian and one can't help but get a sense of ownership towards this spellbounding monument.

Another major highlight of my stay in Delhi would be the visit to what i consider my true intellectual calling, St. Stephens. It was a really special moment when i entered its campus, felt those brick walls, leanes against those pillars gazing at out to into the open azure blue sky with a view of its red walls. Couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness as i reflected on the possiblities if i was actually a student of this place. These thoughts continued to roll in my mind as i sipped my drink in their cafeteria and as i discussed with J, this hallowed institution. All the while i had a strong strong urge to study here but obviously i guess i wasn't good enough in my boards so this would just be a dream for me. Still the trip was a really satisfying one for me as i finally stepped into this college after dreaming about it for like years. Maybe i would have liked to enter this college in capacity of being a Stphenian but i guess thats life, it closes one door and opens others.

Its given me amazing experiences uptill now and i eagerly look forward to see whats in store for me ahead..............

ugs