President Brodhead on his first days in India:

The trip to India has been fantastic so far. The sense of magic started with seeing on the monitor that our plane was crossing into Kazakhstan, then Uzbekistan, then flying right over Kabul, and on to Delhi. We were lucky to have some chance to look around before the official events began. Spent some time wandering around the narrow streets of Old Delhi, with every inch abustle and accidents always seeming just about to happen, as pedestrians, handcarts, rickshaws, and motorbikes jam the lanes, but miraculously, then never do. A place at once amazingly crowded and amazingly good-natured, which we’ve found to be true pretty much everywhere.

Also had a chance for a flying trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal, as majestic as I could possibly have imagined. My favorite image from Agra: In the Red Fort, an intricate and magnificently beautiful structure that housed the Mughal rulers, we saw an Indian man in a battered Blue Devils hat. So you’re never far from home.

Duke parents and alums last evening were most gracious, and I’ve used every chance to learn about Indian business, higher education, politics, perspectives on the US, etc. By lucky chance, the recent issue of India Today has a collection of thoughtful pieces by leading Indian thinkers from a variety of sectors on future challenges and opportunities. Fascinating to be here at the time of the signing of the nuclear accord, the global market meltdown, and the introduction of legislation on foreign universities.

Dick Brodhead