Water, Stone & First Hellos

At Jama Masjid and the Red Fort in Delhi, we discovered an ingenious solution to heat management during the hot summers of the Indian subcontinent. Before electricity or any kind of cooling device, people would lift water using a saqiya, or Persian wheel, from the Yamuna River (well, no river anymore!). The water would flow through carved channels inside the palaces to cool them down.

On those channels they had carved ripples and slopes that made sound as the water flowed, mimicking the natural sound of the river for a calming effect. It was really a study of how ingenious solutions could exist before modern times to solve people’s problems — and how much creativity humans can have. Not everything smart is modern.

Then we ended the day at Sundar Nursery, which completely surprised me. My favourite part wasn’t the park itself — it was watching everyone become more connected.

Sundar Nursery is full of beautiful green spaces, birds, historic monuments and peaceful corners. People started working on their sub-themes, taking photos like real storytellers, writing notes for their blogs, and opening up to each other. I even heard two girls laughing about how they’d already become besties after only two days. To top it off, everyone came together to surprise someone celebrating their birthday. A simple moment — but it perfectly captured the feeling of today.