In 2019, we passed through Dehli, enroute to the Holi Festival. At that time, we stayed in the Old City and took a culinary tour tasting the Indian Street foods at hole in the wall eateries where much of the food was deep fried. On this current photographic scouting tour with Mehmet and his Fantastic Photo Tours, we had a chance to explore a number of other landmarks in Dehli. Humayum’s Tomb, a mausaleum belonging to Isa Khan, and a mosque with an ancient minaret where the women in pink was gracious to pose walking between the columns.

We had a chance to explore the Jama Mosque, seen above. It was fun photographing the Indian people as they welcomed us taking their photos. The family brought bird seeds to feed the pigeons, and the mom asked if we could photograph her and her 3 kids (upper right). At the mosque, we were required to take off both shoes and socks, so walking on the pebbly hard kernels of corn and bird seed ached. Capturing shadows across archways (upper left) and capturing reflections (top-middle) enhanced the experience.

Before sunset, we photographed the Sikh temple known as Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. Sikhism, which has influences from Hinduism, became a separate religion 500 years ago. Only a small portion of the Sikh live in Dehli with the majority living in Punjab. What is special about the Sikh is their generosity and universal acceptance of all humanity, regardless of religion or lack of religious belief.

At the Blue Hour (an hour after sunset), we had a chance to photograph the India Gate (to commemorate fallen British soldiers from 1914-1919). There is also a canopy where the statue of King George V, a deceased Emperor of India, is on display. As with many national monuments, there are rules about not allowing photographers to use their tripods. Part of being on scouting tours is that the rules aren’t known until a government official chews you out. On this long day, we ended with more than 25,000 steps and we were sore the following day.