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| The New China |
| Saturday October 3, 2009 |
| Beijing, 8 am local time, Saturday 3rd Oct: Friday was the day with the "day after" feeling. After the hectic and chaotic October 1, which really tested one's endurance and patience, Friday was relatively smooth. The city was in a holiday mood. Thousands of Chinese families, some Beijing residents, but mostly from outside the capital, were crowding the streets and the malls, clearly content and happy, citizens of a nation that knows it has substantially reduced poverty and given better life to millions. As I saw some old 1950s vintage black and white photographs that showed Beijing of the old, it was clear that today's China has no resemblance to the country of the yore. After looking at Beijing's sparkling appearance now, you are left wondering: How did the Chinese manage to do this in just under 30 years? Will India be ever be able to create cities that have proper infrastructure that does not crumble after just one large downpour, as it often happens in Delhi? Am not so sure. But to get back to October 2, it began with a tribute to the Mahatma at the Indian Embassy where local Chinese students, accompanied by two Indian music teachers on the tabla and the harmonium, sang "Vaishnav Jan ko," and "Raghupati Raghav Rajaram," two of Gandhiji's favourite bhajans as we all joined in impromptu. That was a perfect start to the day since we had lined up several interesting shoots--an Indian-Chinese couple, an Indian family which was part of the National parade, a Chinese Hindi teacher. And the day went off exactly as planned. The day's shoot has given us enough material to work on a longish feature on "little India in Beijing." The day ended with a visit to local street food market where the locals were happily munching on an fried eel, a roasted snake and a grilled scorpion!! I thought I had seen enough heidious sights at local markets in India's north-east--beheaded deers, buffaloes and dogs for instance kept for sale--but this was something else! It has been tiring but fulfilling week so far. I have had several new insights into New China--which happens every time one comes here. Now, however, its time to head back home, which is later tonight. In Pics: China's new, big weapons In Pics: Celebration parade China at 60: Live blogs from Beijing |
A student of conflicts, insurgencies and wars, Nitin Gokhale has spent 26 years reporting on military and militants from various hostile fields like India's north-east, Kashmir valley, the Kargil war, China and Sri Lanka, among others. He's currently NDTV's Defence and Strategic Affairs Editor.
