The hustle and bustle of Delhi’s markets, similar to Latin America and yet entirely different; the ease of making contacts; the street food — in his six-year stay in the Capital, Ambassador of Chile Juan Angulo can roll off the things he loves about his current home with ease.
Having arrived in Delhi in January 2019 and experiencing the deadly Covid pandemic, the 61-year-old feels he learnt a lot about India in those months.
Angulo is a career diplomat with more than 36 years of experience in the Chilean Foreign Service. After two years of studies at the Chilean Diplomatic Academy, he pursued studies at L’École Nationale d’Administration in Paris. During his career, he has served in Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Brussels and did a second tour in Paris just before coming to India.
In Chile, he has been Head of Cabinet of the Director General for Administration, Head of Cabinet of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Acting Director of the European Division, and lately Deputy Director of the Environment Division, leading the Chilean delegations to the COP at the technical level.
He is married to a former Dutch diplomat and has three children.
Angulo spoke to The Indian Express as part of a series of interviews with Ambassadors about Delhi — their home.
Edited excerpts:
How long have you been in Delhi? What is the one place you love to visit often?
I’ve been in Delhi for almost six years, I think the longest a Chilean ambassador has ever stayed here. This is in part due to the pandemic and the preparation for the visit of our President, hopefully in early April 2025.
It is difficult to pick only one place… If I want to relax, I like to walk in Lodhi Gardens or Sunder Nursery: I like the mix of a quiet stroll and the continuous buzz of groups of families and friends having a picnic or posing for Instagram reels, and the way the historical monuments are integrated into everyday life. But every time I go to Old Delhi, I love the liveliness of the streets and the ability of people to navigate the apparent chaos. It… reminds me of walking the streets and shops when I was a young boy in Santiago, looking for car parts or wood for a craft project. I always have a craft project going or I need to repair something at home, so the markets in Old Delhi, Lajpat Nagar, or Kotla are a gold mine for me where I can find parts I can’t find anywhere else.
And last but not least, Nizamuddin and the holy Sufi shrine. There is a special atmosphere there that is hard to describe. I always take visitors there.
Three things that stood out during your stay here?
I think of our first visit to Old Delhi. We had just landed two days before and my wife and I took the Metro to Chandni Chowk. The main road was being repaved, and so people were being led through very narrow corridors. We got lost in the small alleys and just walked around. We discovered the Gurdwara Sis Gang, Jama Masjid, and the beautiful Jain temple hidden in the Naughara Gali among beautiful doors.
Coming from Latin America, I am used to the hustle and bustle of the market streets but there were so many things to discover here, it was unforgettable.
The pandemic lockdowns are periods I will never forget. The quiet and blue skies in the city and the race to repatriate the Chileans here were extraordinary experiences. I learned a lot about India in these months, maybe more than in the months before.
And then, most importantly, I think the many friendships we’ve made here. I was surprised to find how welcoming people are… Being far away from home, it was and is like having found a big family close by.
Does pollution bother you? How do you and your family deal with it?
Of course, the pollution bothers me, like it does everybody else. I love to play tennis (and table tennis) and jog regularly. This, of course, I cannot do when the pollution is so high. We luckily do not suffer too much from it; apart from having air purifiers in the rooms at home, we do not really take any special measures. But I am worried about the long-term effects of living in this bad air on health, especially for the people who have to work outside all day.
Anything you would suggest the administrators work on to make Delhi a better place?
Having lived in Delhi for some years, I can understand the complexity of administrating a city that has a population of a middle-sized European country. A city is not an isolated entity; it is impacted by so many aspects outside of its boundaries. Pollution is an important part of it. I know we live in a very privileged part of the city, and I think it would be great if more people could live like we lived here.
Favourite food in the city?
I think the love of food is often impacted by the people you eat it with and where you eat it. I love the dal makhani we eat at home… My wife still talks about a haleem she ate in 2020, is willing to make a significant detour for palak patta chaat, and eats everything with paneer. I remember a delicious paan kulfi a chef had prepared once at an event in our residence…
My wife and I love to cook so we do not order a lot but I have very good memories of the street food I ate in Old Delhi where a good friend took us several times to eat Mughali food. I’ve also gone to other places like Karim’s or the restaurant at the Dharampura Haveli, a beautifully restored haveli, near the Jama Masjid. And in different parts of town, Olive, Guppy, or Indian Accent in New Friends Colony where we once had a wonderful gastronomical menu of 11 small but incredibly delicious Indian dishes.
I like to discover beautiful places that are full of history, and in that category, the Kwality restaurant in Connaught Place is among my favourites. Also, and although I did not try them all, it is always nice to eat at the restaurants in the houses representing the different states of India in Delhi. The food is so different but always good.
Memories from Delhi that will stay with you for always?
It’s difficult to choose. I suppose the Gandhi Smriti is a place where I really felt emotional about being in a historical place. The presentation of the credentials in the beautiful Durbar Hall in the Rashtrapati Bhavan to then President (Ram Nath) Kovind, was an especially solemn event; this being my first time serving as an ambassador, I will never forget it.
I have also been to several universities here and am very impressed by the active and energetic Latin-American sections. There are so many similarities between our two regions, and so many students are eager to learn Spanish and learn more about my part of the world. I really like to talk with students and share with them some ideas about different aspects of my country and my region, its challenges and opportunities…
How would you introduce Delhi to someone back home?
I will tell them about the history, the seven or more cities that made Delhi as we see it today… and that it is so much more than many guidebooks will tell you. I will tell them about the places they should absolutely see and the books they should read to start to understand something of the richness of this city. I would tell them to see, of course, the important monuments — Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar — but to also cross the street to Nizamuddin or explore the less visited Mehrauli site. There is always so much to see in Delhi if you keep your eyes open.
Is there anything you or your family would miss once you say goodbye to this city?
Definitely the warmth of the people, the friends we made. I will also miss the many parks in the city, the proximity of the many monuments, and the history that is everywhere if you only look. And, of course, the possibility of discovering new regions in India with just a short flight from Delhi.
How is Delhi different from other major capitals or cities you have served in?
I will have to say the ease with which you can make contact here with a so wide variety of people. Although my country is quite far away, I felt immediately at home and saw so many similarities in the way you can invite people (the same day!) and the way the people celebrate. Even the Punjabi dances have the same rhythm as our music and many Indians love Latin-American music. Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam are much more formal in their ways of inviting people, I remember people taking out their agendas (before iPhones existed!) when you wanted to invite them and then started to say a date three weeks later!
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