A Weekend in Delhi and Meerut

February 15, 2020

A Weekend in Delhi and Meerut

We have had a trip planned to visit Meerut, north of Delhi, to see a cricket bat factory for quite some time. The drive north from Delhi is about 3 hours, without traffic………. and Meerut is well known for the manufacture of all types of sporting goods, including cricket bats and all cricket gear, soccer balls, baseballs and much more. On the drive out of Delhi we witnessed one of the many 'massive' garbage dumping grounds that dot India, Ghazipur - it is over 70 metres high and is a massive issue for Delhi and its residents as it continues to grow.

After winding down some very unsealed roads and then narrow lanes in and around Meerut, we arrived at one of the craziest places I have ever seen. There are literally millions of timber slats piled up ready to be made in to cricket bats. Most of the timber was Kashmir willow but there was a small and secretive stash of English willow somewhere in the warehouse for handmade custom bats. The Kashmir willow is used in the mass production of cricket bats usually sold in the big sports stores like Decathlon and Go-Sports. The handles are all also mass produced and were laying in a massive pile for Max and Jack to play with !!

Going inside the factory required us to where masks, as the dust and sawdust created was definitely a health risk - funny how we were the only ones wearing masks !! Those workers must have serious health issues working in those conditions. We were not supposed to take photos inside but I grabbed a couple just for you guys - I'm such a rebel. The process of cutting down, sanding and shaping the bats was great to see, and on such a massive scale was very impressive. We also saw the production of the Carrom board - an Indian board game where the aim of the game is get as many of your men in to the nets as you can and the Queen before your opponent.

We only spent and hour or so at the factory but was fabulous to see the process of making the 'everyday' bat. The boys got to try a few out and learn all about the differences and dream of a having a handmade bat sometime in their life, maybe! Then we turned around and drove back the 3+ hours to Delhi - you cannot question our commitment to Indian adventures.

Our final day in the north had us venture out and about in Delhi. We firstly visited the Agrasen ki Baori step well - which is 51 metres deep and only 15 metres wide. Each of the many step wells I have visited in India had the same use (water storage) but were all designed in such different ways, making each visit a unique experience. This one is in the middle of the city and free to visit at any time.

We then drove to Old Delhi and had a fabulous couple of hours riding around the streets and markets in a rickshaw. We were two to a rickshaw and a couple of our drivers had it easier than ours………. This is a very common tourist thing to do and we saw many people along the way, with the same 'gob smacked' look on their faces as we did. We ended up at the famous spice market to sample some and learn more about the Indian Spices and masalas they make. A tip for doing this, is if you do have the opportunity to do it on a Sunday, it is a touch quieter, which means you won't be trapped in a rickshaw/motorbike/pushbike/person traffic jam at every turn in the market. We left with a few packets of Himalayan Salt, Tellicherry peppercorns, chilli and masala mixes. The variety of spices is simply amazing - I will miss these back in Australia.

We finished our Delhi adventure with a visit to the Indira Ghandi museum. Learning about this strong, powerful and family oriented leader was wonderful, and the museum (her home, office, and where she was assassinated) has been tastefully and well planned for visitors to learn all about her life and achievements.

Delhi - if in India, is a big, smoggy city but there is also a great amount to see, do and eat, so should be on everyone's list.