The Trip of a Lifetime: 100 Member Youth Delegation

It began with apprehension, to be honest- a hundred people, of a hundred kinds, from a hundred places. I was never much of a 'people person'. I'm not unsocial, but I enjoyed smaller crowds of people compared to, well, a hundred people. I had a couple of friends selected too for this trip, so that calmed me down. But what calmed me most was the thought that I will, for the first time, be representing my country as one of the best in my field in 2016. It was more than just an honour to be chosen as a member of the 100 Member Youth Delegation from Bangladesh, going to India upon the President of India's invitation.

At the airport, the flock of delegates moved together from check-in to immigration. The reality of it all hadn't hit us yet. "It will be a hectic journey, mind you," said one of the team leaders, and the word spread like wildfire amongst the 100 delegates. And 'hectic' was all that we had in mind. And hectic, it was.

Our first stop was in New Delhi. The airport itself took a little bit of our breath away. The walls were adorned with gorgeous metallic designs of ancient mudras of dance. It set the tone of trip very well-- as we knew we would be immersed in a world of art and culture. Upon arrival, we were fixed three buses. Three groups were made with bus leaders and team leaders, taking charge and making sure everything went according to plan. I was put in bus 2.

New Delhi Airport

Instead of going to the hotel, 'hectic' had already begun. We went for lunch at Red Fox Hotel, after which we visited the National Museum to be awestruck. The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The museum is situated on the corner of Janpath and Maulana Azad Road. The Museum has around 200,000 works of art, both of Indian and foreign origin, covering over 5,000 years. These pieces of art were initially placed in the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The collections of the National Museum cover nearly all the departments. It represents almost all disciplines of art: Archeology (Sculptures in Stone, Bronze & Terracota), Arms, Armour, Decorative Art, Jewellery, Manuscripts, Miniatures and Tanjore Paintings, Textiles, Numismatics, Epigraphy, Central Asian Antiquities, Anthropology, Pre-Columbian American and Western Art Collections. The experience at the museum left us speechless before we could prepare for what was to come next. Straight from there, we went to witness the exceptional grandeur of the India Gate. Apart from the delicious golgappas, and the thronging crowd, what struck most was the structure itself, standing tall and mighty before us. Vivid images of the movie Rang De Basanti kept coming to mind, as my friend RJ Sarzina and I hummed the tunes of 'Masti Ki Paathshala', encompassing the vibe of New Delhi. After being granted the opportunity to witness and admire the India Gate, we were then taken to the famous Delhi Metro. The hustle and bustle in the stations and inside the trains can easily remind one of Dhaka city. "This is like a preview of what will happen when Dhaka has a metro station!" uttered one delegate, "does this make you miss home too?" questioned another.  As we squeezed our way into the trains, which we had to do within 17 seconds, the journey from one station to the other consisted of laughter and gossip- the first steps towards a lifelong friendship between the delegates. With tired eyes but happy hearts, we concluded the first day of the trip. Even though it was indeed hectic, we were already anxious for what was to come in the next few days.

India Gate, New Delhi

In a series of articles, I will be sharing my experience of this once in a lifetime tour, which opened my eyes to a world of culture, possibilities and never-ending friendships- between more than a 100 people, between two nations, between two nationalities.

Photos: Nazia Basher

To be continued…