India New Delhi Feb 1994

I had several projects in New Delhi The craziest being creating a French Restaurant in a big hotel. The huge rooftop dining room was a Chinese Restaurant complete with appropriate decor. (Indian people love Chinese food-go figure!) On the ground floor was a tiny Indian Restaurant where of course all the tourists wanted to eat. Then there was this crazy Hotel Association rule that to get the 5 stars you had to have a French Restaurant. So complete with huge pictures of the Eiffel Tower hand-painted on glass, Uncomfortable French Provincial furniture, and a menu in French the empty French Restaurant sat. Nightly I dined with the -French of course- executive chef on rich French food, the sole occupants but the hotel owner was ecstatic - he got his coveted 5 stars and be dammed with the cost.

On Women’s Day a few years ago I was the keynote speaker at a Women In development conference in New Delhi India.
As I gazed out at the audience all dressed in a colourful Sari, and all endlessly fussing with their scarves, they reminded me of a flock of butterflies in flight.
In a city where there is an ultrasound
Clinic on every corner (girls get aborted, the boy child is king) I wondered what their future held.
I can’t remember what I talked about that day but I will never forget the energy, the enthusiasm, the sparkling brown eyes, and yes the endless fussing with their scarves.
 
Barb Delhi
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