In what feels like both an instant and a lifetime, a week has passed since arriving in India, and the days have unfolded with an intensity that is difficult to capture in a single account. From the outset, the scale, pace, and depth of this country have been impossible to ignore — each experience layered with history, ambition, and a quiet sense of continuity between the ancient and the modern.
Our time in Delhi offered an immediate immersion into this duality. Visiting the Lotus Temple introduced us to the Baháʼí faith and its emphasis on unity, a theme that seemed to resonate throughout the journey. This was echoed at the National Museum, where ancient Hindu and Buddhist relics stood as tangible reminders of civilisations that continue to shape thought, culture, and identity today.
A striking contrast came with our visit to IIT Delhi, where innovation and entrepreneurship take centre stage. Seeing the startup ecosystem embedded within one of India’s leading institutions highlighted the country’s forward momentum — an energy that became even more palpable during National Startup Week. Being in the same space as Prime Minister Modi, and hearing directly about India’s economic vision alongside speakers such as Aman Gupta and Ritesh Agarwal, offered a rare, ground-level perspective on how ambition is being actively cultivated at a national scale.
Jaipur brought yet another shift in rhythm. Exploring the city revealed layers of history woven into everyday life, from grand architecture to quiet streets away from the crowds. The Jaipur Literature Festival added intellectual vibrancy to this setting, with speakers like Vir Das offering moments of insight, humour, and reflection that lingered long after the sessions ended.
Our visit to Old Delhi was perhaps the most sensory of all. Walking through Chandni Chowk — amid the crowds, colours, and constant motion — provided a visceral understanding of the city’s artistic and commercial heritage, and of a way of life that thrives on proximity, negotiation, and shared space.
Taken together, this past week has been more than a sequence of destinations. It has been an ongoing lesson in contrast and coexistence — where ancient philosophies sit comfortably beside modern ambition, and where every street, institution, and conversation seems to tell a story. India does not reveal itself all at once, but it leaves an impression quickly, and one that I suspect will continue to unfold long after the journey moves on.
