Bahá’í temple and Mahamta Gandhi museum

Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi, alias the Lotus temple.  June 17, 2012

I woke early with no plans for the weekend and decided that I should go for a walk in the morning before it got hot. The Lotus temple is a site in the area that was suggested to visit so I got my maps, decided on the route and off I went. Made it directly there without any wrong turns!  I must be learning how to read the maps and understand the streets.   The temple is surrounded by a gate to keep the area peaceful and clean.  Waited in line for the gate to open at 9 (it was 8:30 when I arrived) with many locals waiting to do their morning prayers. One must remove their shoes before walking up the steps towards Baha'i temple. The thought is that shoes are generally dirty, so one takes them off so they do not make the house of God dirty (respect). Traditional concept was to purify completely by taking a bath. Most temples still have a pond for this purpose just beside the temple; though no one was allowed to get into these water pools surrounding the lotus temple. It was very peaceful and expansive inside.  No talking is allowed.

!                                                   On left is overhead shot of the temple lifted from Internet. It is beautiful!  It's a shame that a tourist cannot see the architectural  beauty from the ground.

Administering Polio Vaccine.  A table was set up with two nurses, on the table was a cold box that was written polio vaccine. Here we see the Oral polio vaccine being given to children by a drop of the vaccine on their tongue - painless.  I have heard about polio immunization days but to see it in action was really great. Polio was supposed to be eradicated from the world by 2000.  This has not happened BUT the number of cases of poliomyelitis has decreased to a few hundred cases worldwide.

Eternal Gandhi Multimedia Museum: - The Museum presents historical records of Gandhi’s life through tools of information technology. It revives the values by which India obtained freedom and redefines them to animate modern products and design. The museum was very interactive, had a nice doll exhibition and very life like images as seen in the picture of Gandhi and his wife.  Gandhi wanted to spread the message of truth and non violence. Ironically he was killed by a man who worked actively for the eradication of Hindus untouchable and the caste system.  Gandhi also shared that same goal. 

I went to the museum in the afternoon with Melinda and her co-worker Kristin.  I had not planned on going out during the day, but I couldn't miss the invitation to be with others.    Most of my friends know me as being very independent, often, when I do get out with other Indian colleagues I find that I would rather be on my own.  But at the same time if I go out by myself I sometimes wish I had someone else with me...

When I returned home I wondered  why someone wanted to kill Mahatma Gandhi.  Below is my summary that I found on the internet:

Nathuram Godse, the assassinator, thought Gandhi harmed Hindu's by preaching non-violence and naively ignoring the violence that was occurring in the country at the time.  In fact, honour, duty and love of one's own kin and country might often compel us to disregard non-violence and to use force. Many thought that Gandhi's politics were irrational but Gandhi had great followers as he lived a most severe austerity of life with ceaseless work for peace. During In 1946 the Muslims were massacring Hindus and Hindus were not retaliating because of Gandhi's politics.  Godse believed and risked his life to release governing Hindu leaders from Gandhi's spell of non-violence whose policy and action had brought ruin and destruction to millions of Hindus.

Interesting.  I guess we are all entitled to our own opinion.....