For our second Aussie BBQ show, the four remaining bands – Jinja Safari, The Aston Shuffle, Big Scary and Sheppard – along with myself and the BBQ crew headed onto Delhi. Flying with IndiGO airways, we got off to a shaky start with us, collectively, sitting 130 kilos over the limit in terms of baggage. This resulted in a fairly lengthy procedure to get the some 30 members of the travelling circus onto the plane – especially given we were running reasonably late to the airport to begin with. Thankfully, we all made it on and it was a comfortable flight to Delhi and our first stop in the city: SoundSchool.
SoundSchool is an initiative set up by a few Australians, which has a very simple initiative: provide kids in orphanages around the world with the gift of music: instruments and the education that comes along with it. You can learn more about the project at http://www.soundschool.com.au/
On our way to the orphanage, it would be fair to say that madness had started to kick in. For some, Delhi Belly had well and truly hit days before and their bodies were feeling quite worse for wear. For others, a lack of sleep and any food other than Indian curry just made brains not. work. so. very. good. At one point on the plane ride, one member was reduced to speaking in incomplete sentences that reduced the rest of us to a fit of laughter.
Oh yes, we had come to THAT part of the tour. And you couldn’t help but be humoured by now at “Indian time” – the idea that it takes five times (at least) the normal time to get anywhere. Leaving the airport, I daresay we would have arrived at our destination faster by walking, with roads often turned into car parks thanks in part of animal driven vehicles moving through traffic in the opposite direction.
One of the main reasons we were stuck in traffic. One of the many reasons, rather.
Organised chaos suddenly started to forgo the requirement of its first word.
But once we all arrived at Sound School, part of the Salaam Baalak Trust DMRC – Childrens Home – in Delhi, all this exhaustion, stress and/or madness was quickly alleviated and we were reminded of why we were here in the first place. To bring music to the region. It was an absolute joy for all of us to engage with these bubbly kids, if not exhausting in its own right!
We were treated to a performance from the School’s own band when we arrived, a bit of Chai tea and then the Aussies got their own chance to perform. With Big Scary’s Tom already at the hotel with a foot infection, Jo was left to her own devices and took to give the kids a demonstration on the drums. Given this was an all boy orphanage; it is easy to understand that this was rather exciting for all involved.
Sheppard were no exception to this, with the girls in the band getting plenty of attention, and they gave the kids a treat by playing a couple of songs. The Aston Shuffle – who I should point out had the idea to head here in the first place, gave the kids some T-shirts, and even the Aussie BBQ’s own Glenn Dickie got on the drums (check out his band The Goldhearted!). These moments would usually result in a group of the kids getting up and dancing with the band members as they performed. Certainly a sight to behold and their enthusiasm was contagious to say the least!
Our big mistake, however, was trying to give out Tim Tam chocolates. Lesson be learned: never introduce sugar into a situation like this. This ended with Glenn falling to the floors thanks to swarm of children; the chocolate bouncing around the room that was once in his hands, which was now being fought over by all the kids. Everyone got up with a smile on their face, thankfully, and we know what NOT to do next time. You can see the photo in the header taken at the moment the Tim Tams went flying…
I think for everyone in attendance at SoundSchool, we were reminded about the power of music and how it’s not our right to enjoy or play music; it’s certainly a privilege. And this is something that is very easy to forget. Seeing the kids enjoy the experience as much as they did is not something I’ll soon forget, and I’ll be announcing a project I’m setting up very soon which I hope will help the SoundSchool cause further, so please stay tuned for that!
By the time we checked into our hotel, the day was just about over. We made tracks to get some dinner – which I, and many others, mistakenly chose to be some food of the faster variety and was never quite the same from there on out. The next day was a painful one to say the least, as I joined members of a few of the bands for a walk around the ruins of Delhi’s past. A beautiful experience, but one that could have used a few more available toilets from one stop to the next.
The author at the Dadi-Poti’s Tombs in Delhi.
How beautiful is this! This is part of the Hauz Khas Complex in Delhi.
With the BBQ not happening until quite late that evening, after that journey we had just enough time to jump in our cars and head out to Red Fort, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Delhi. This was where Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the man responsible for the Taj Mahal, lived while he ruled. It was an incredible fortress indeed, but given our tight deadline, myself and The Aston Shuffle were given a whole 30 minutes in the area by the time we managed to arrive.
But still, it was more than enough time to run through, watch the sun set, grab a few trinkets from the markets (no haggling here – for the most part) and see a man not wearing pants – or underwear – bleeding from his ear near the entry to the fort. Though no one seemed willing to do anything about it – including security guards nearby – even the locals were keeping their distance. Perhaps it’s best this isn’t an acceptable norm. But still an odd thing to witness as we darted away from the arguably lesser known tourist spot.
We headed straight for the venue, at which point I was kindly invited to dine with a few local members of DFAT, as well as the people behind the BBQ, at a nearby restaurant. For whatever reason – maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the lack of Western food consumed in the days leading up to this point, but I actually had one of the best lasagnas I’d ever eaten tonight. And stuffed with Lamb no less!
I was lucky enough, too, to be granted a small break from the music side of things, and had a chance to enjoy another part of the travelling OzFest – the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow, being held at the same venue as the restaurant, Blue Frog. The first thing to note was the design of the building, with the guests planted in pod-like booths – a futuristic approach that also made up the venue the Aussie BBQ was held in the same night (Shroom).
MC’d by Dave Callan, the event was a blend of traditional Australian humour, along with plenty of jokes about life as an Australian travelling around India. One could say I related wholeheartedly, and it was fantastic to get a good laugh into the mix of adventures we were having around the country. OzFest definitely had a great deal of activity happening around the region, and will continue to do so until early next year. Even Gotye is popping over!
VIEW THE OTHER NINE PARTS OF THIS SERIES HERE.
