The Trip of a Lifetime: 100 Member Youth Delegation (Part III)

There we were sitting inside this enormous hall room, after being escorted inside the Presidential House- the Rashtrapati Bhawan, in Delhi, India. It was then that the feeling of being a part of the 100 Member Bangladesh Youth Delegation began to sink in, how prestigious it is to be selected began to sink in. While being in a euphoric state, the announcement began- "The president of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, will now enter the building." And we all rose. 

The ceremony began with one of the delegates, violinist Ishrat Jahan Mumu, presenting a memento on behalf of the delegation to the President- a golden Rickshaw. The speeches then commenced, beginning with dance director and founder of Turongomi, Srimonti Sengupta Pooja's English speech, where she spoke about this experience becoming a memory to cherish for a lifetime. Next, Miss Heritage Bangladesh, Ishrat Payel spoke, in Bengali speech, about the misconceptions about each other and how we play a vital role in building up this historic friendship between the two nations. 

Then came the President -- Shri Pranab Mukherjee, a soft spoken man of a humble stature, warmly welcomed the youth delegation. He spoke about the common history and the deep friendship that India and Bangladesh share, their shared culture and struggle against British imperialism. He congratulated Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian High Commission in Dhaka for this initiative.  "Such an exchange helps people of both countries, and our youth especially, to know each other more intimately and share their thoughts, beliefs and faith," he said.  He also said he was sure that the spirit of love, affection and understanding which will be the result of this exchange programme will create a unifying bridge between the two countries. "People of the two countries should move and work together," the president added.

Agra Fort, Photo- BYDG16, Photo: Naziba Basher

After the moving speeches, we took the official photograph of the delegation with the President, with assigned seats. 'What an experience, we were treated like royalty!' all the delegates shared a common thought. 

The next two days were of historic enthrallment. We went from one landmark to another before we bid adieu to what to me was the best place in the trip- New Delhi. This was where the closest of friendships were set for the rest of the days to come. We witnessed the greatness of the Taj Mahal together, and the gorgeous Quranic inscriptions at the gate. Just to stand in front of it and take it all in was something you would want to feel more than once. We were split in groups, and I walked with mine all around the place learning about how the Mahal glows under the moon, the history, how it was actually Mumtaz Mahal, and more. But at one point, I wandered off on my own, sat by the stairs alone and watched the grandeur of it all- that was the best part. This was also where our team leader, Mohiuddin Fayaz acquired a police whistle, to keep us 'in line'. A whistle with the most annoying noise in the world, that would soon become one of the best, most cherished parts of the trip. 

The tall and mighty Qutb Minar. Photo: Naziba Basher

Before the thought of standing in front of history sunk in, we were taken to the Agra Fort. A collective gasp! "Is this…is this…could it be more beautiful than the Taj Mahal?" and there was silent agreement. The Agra Fort was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty till 1638, when Mughal capital was shifted from Agra to Red Fort in Delhi. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city- it was large beyond imagination. People have been known to get lost inside it, and the tour has been cut to cover only 20 percent of the area- and even that we couldn't cover! 

The next day we went to the beautiful ruins of the tall and mighty Qutb minar. Qutb Minar, at 73 meters, is the tallest brick minaret in the world. It and the ancient and medieval monuments surrounding it, form the Qutb complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tower is located in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, India and was built by the Ghori (Mamluk) Dynasty. Made of red sandstone and marble, Qutb Minar is a 73-metres (240 feet) tall tapering tower with a diameter measuring 14.3 meters (47 feet) at the base and 2.7 meters (9 feet) at the peak. Inside the tower, a circular staircase with 379 steps leads to the top. 

Quranic Verses on the gate of the Taj Mahal. Photos: Naziba Basher

While discovering architectural beauty in a whole new way, I had switched my bus to Sarzina's for some 'adda' and it remained like that from thereon. We got incredibly close to our travel agents- Ruchi Kaushal and Anuj Mukhopadhyay from Jahnavi Travels, the latter being the founder of the agency. Bonding with Anuj da was talking about politics, culture and music, while leaving Ruchi di behind in Delhi was, like I had mentioned to her, leaving behind the coolest part of the trip. Our bonds were those of sisters who just discovered sisterhood.

In the early hours of the 5th day, we were off to our next destination- Ahmadabad. New place, new adventures, new people, and some Garba! Stay tuned to next week's Star Weekend to find out what happened in the final days of the 100 Member Youth Delegation from Bangladesh to India, 2016.



To be continued…