NEW DELHI, India — Covering political rallies in India is never peachy. The weather is gruesome, the wait is long, the music is blaring at its cacophonous best and as we experienced today, there is the chance of being caught in the midst of an excited crowd. Today’s political rally in India’s capital, New Delhi, was addressed by one of India’s most recognized youth politicians, Rahul Gandhi. 

Enthusiasm grips a crowd at a political rally in New Delhi.

Often touted as the prime minister in waiting, the young Gandhi scion swooped down in a helicopter to adoring fans, more than an hour behind his scheduled appearance. As he approached the venue, a party member encouraged the masses to keep shouting slogans. And the masses complied. When Rahul got onto the stage there was welcoming applause. I saw some familiar faces from the other rallies as they screamed and waved toward the stage. 

When Rahul starts speaking, most of the folks in the VIP section climb on top of their chairs and listen, laughing when he says a joke or clapping when he points out why his party is best suited to lead the nation. 

When the 5pm deadline approaches (the public campaign has to end at 5 p.m., Tuesday, ahead of Thursday’s phase four of India’s polls) the crowd starts surging forward. Our cameraman, Sanjiv Talreja, and I make our way to the exit as the podium goes quiet. Little did we expect to be squashed, shoved and pushed. In an effort to catch a glimpse of Rahul taking off on the helicopter, the crowd surged forward and many people rushed toward the same exit that we took. I almost lost the ladder that I was carrying and held on with all my might to the battery bag. Sanjiv, who was carrying both the camera and the tripod, was more or less knocked over. We both managed to get out without a bruise and heaved a sigh of relief! 

As we left the grounds, we could see hundreds of people standing across the open ground watching skyward. As Rahul’s chopper took to the skies, people waved enthusiastically. 

Campaigning in India is never short of drama and the colors, songs, dances and speeches are all vibrant. And no matter how often you attend a rally, there is always some new quirk to take you by surprise.

NEW DELHI, India - India's capital is sweltering and so is the rest of the country. The oppressive heat wave felt across India has sent temperatures soaring well beyond 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) in many parts of the country.

In the midst of this brutally hot weather we have been out covering political rallies.

CNN correspondent Sara Sidner gulps down water during a sweltering rally.

The latest one began at three in the afternoon, the absolute hottest part of the day. One would think this is a bad time to hold a rally but India is right in the middle of a general election.

Elections here take place once every five years. So no matter when rallies are held they are a huge draw, as people attempt to catch their favorite candidate in action.

Inevitably the politicians arrive late, which means we spend even longer at the mercy of the sun. "Under the sun," might sound very romantic for a movie title but let me tell you it’s anything but romantic in this context.

Lugging around heavy equipment, the crew sweats so much it feels like there's no liquid left in our bodies. Between the long wait for the candidate and the quest for the right shot, it is something of a small miracle that none of us have had heat stroke. Luckily water is handed out periodically.

The odd thing is the crowd seems immune to the heat. When the music plays, ladies in colorful saris dance with genuine enthusiasm. The men chant, push and shove to try and get a closer look.

Meanwhile the electric fans set up all along the huge field are not turned on and no one is complaining – well almost no one.

NEW DELHI, India – It's not every day that one gets to follow the Dalai Lama as he makes his presence felt in eight different places of prayer in Delhi as a tribute to India on the occasion of his 50 years in exile.

The Dalai Lama sits down with muslim elders at the Nizamuddin Chilla shrine.

We have the list of places that the Dalai Lama is visiting and our very first stop is the Gandhi Smriti - the place where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. 

He took his last breath on the same grounds after being assassinated while on his way to the daily prayer meeting. It's a piece of history that every Indian has read in school, myself included.

As we make our way inside the well-kept premises, devotional Indian music floats through the early morning sunlight and hazy blue skies. Despite the early hour and it being a working day, there is more than a smattering of people to witness the Dalai Lama's presence in this revered place.

The Dalai Lama's arrival creates a slight frenzy as media folks rush to capture his every move and visitors eagerly crane their neck to take a look. After paying tribute at Gandhi's memorial, he sits down on the sheet spread over the grass to enjoy a few minutes of the music.

Despite us rushing to get the right shots and the correct sound, one can't help but notice how peaceful this place feels amidst all the greenery. After the Dalai Lama graciously thanks the musicians, he heads for his next stop - an Ashram devoted to the cause of non-violence.

Meanwhile, we drive down to a Muslim shrine known as Nizamuddin Chilla located in central Delhi, the third stop on the Dalai Lama's tour. Named after a Sufi saint, this place is nestled right behind another famous monument, the Mughal emperor Humayun's tomb. Walking up the stairs the place feels lost in time, like we just stumbled back into a different century. A reminder of our current situation comes in the form of tight security.

We are frisked and our equipment is checked. As a mark of respect everyone has to remove their shoes before entering this holy place.

When the Dalai Lama arrives, he is greeted by the shrine elders and presented with the Islamic prayer cap. As the media crowds around the leaders to get a good shot, Sanjiv, our cameraman, mounts a short ladder we usually carry with our gear to get a bird's eye view.

In a sit down with all the visitors and the religious leaders, the shrine elders heap praise on the spiritual leader for promoting peace. The Dalai Lama praises Islam as an ancient religion which has much to contribute to the world. In a sit-down interview with our correspondent Sara Sidner yesterday, the Dalai Lama was quick to offer his views on the religion. Dalai Lama thanks India for 50 years in exile

Our fourth stop for the day is the Judah Hyam Synagogue. The Synagogue is crowded with worshippers and the Dalai Lama is given a warm welcome and a prayer is offered. Our next stop is the Sikh Temple, also known as the Gurudwara Rakab Ganj. Again, we leave our shoes at the entrance as a mark of respect and also cover our head with a scarf.

As we hurry to our next stop, Sara forgets to wear her shoes!  With little time left we make a dash to cover the Dalai Lama at The Cathedral church of Redemption.

Our final stop is at the Buddhist Society and the Laxmi Narayan Hindu Temple, both situated side-by-side. Security at the temple is more stringent than any of the other place of worship.

Covering the Dalai Lama as he visits different places in the city in quick succession has been tricky but we just had to make sure we made it on time, despite the Delhi traffic. No easy task.

One can't help but marvel at the Dalai Lama's energy. Watch Sara Sidner's exclusive interview with the Dalai Lama

Devotees offer prayers at a Muslim neighborhood in Mumbai.

As recently as 2002 a massive Hindu-Muslim riot in the Indian state of Gujarat caused bloodshed and political catastrophe. There have been other incidences of communal violence since then. The aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks had the right ingredients for the different communities' anger to erupt into violence. But thankfully there was no war and no bloodshed. It is inevitable that religion is bought into focus during terrorist attacks.

Our correspondent Mallika Kapur decided to find out what the Muslim mood is like in Mumbai after the terror attacks on the city.

We headed to a Muslim neighborhood in Mumbai to talk to people and ask them what they feel the city was like. As our cameraman Sanjiv Talreja hoisted his camera, policemen came rushing to us asking if we had permission to shoot in the neighborhood. We were escorted to the office that runs the ‘Dargah' (shrine), and thankfully the head person over there said he had no problem with our shooting from outside the prayer hall.

The place was bustling, with devotees constantly streaming to and fro. Both sides of the street were lined with sellers who tried to cajole visitors into buying offerings for the shrine. But beneath the relatively light mood there was a feeling of tension. We were often reminded by the police to wrap up the shooting quickly.

One man, Javed Karim, who had come to attend prayers along with two of his kids told us, "What has happened here means anything can happen anywhere." Speaking about his two sons, he added, "When I send them to school, I am a little afraid of what might happen."

Another man that we spoke to told us, India is no longer a peaceful place to stay, and there was communal tension in Mumbai.

No matter what the people felt about the city's mood, they were all unanimous in denouncing the terror attacks.

The protest vigil that was held earlier against the backdrop of "Gateway of India" saw participation from all community members. A huge Muslim group carried placards that condemned terror. Many chanted "Vande Mataram," a nationalistic slogan made popular during India's freedom struggle and which translates to "bow to thee mother."

The terrorists killed in the attack have been refused burial at all the Muslim graveyards in Mumbai. People told us what the terrorists did was against the teachings of Islam.

This attack knew no religion. People from all different communities were affected by it. Even amid the blame game with Pakistan, there was unanimity among the different communities in India: Terrorists targeted all religion.

For a country that is celebrated for its diversity in religion, language and culture, India is often challenged by its own ethos. Even as the country is being talked about as the next emerging power, there are some real issues which need to be addressed and one among them is the harmony in its diversity.

As I sit in the hotel room writing this blog, I can hear the Muslim call for prayer floating from the mosque, swirling through the high-rises of Mumbai, "Allah o Akbar, Allah..."

Watch CNN's Mumbai-based correspondent Mallika Kapur's piece about Muslims' mood in Mumbai after the terrorist attack.

MUMBAI, India — This morning in Mumbai everyone was talking about the protest rally that was going to take place at the Gateway of India, right next to the Taj Mahal hotel, one of the sites of the terror attacks that began on November 26th. There was a sense of solidarity among people.

There was also concern among others about how a large gathering is probably not safe at this time. Rallies like these are not typical to India and we expected a moderate crowd. But, we were in for a surprise! 

Our correspondent Mallika Kapur, along with cameraman Sanjiv Talreja, producer Ravi Agarwal and myself, head to the rally in the evening. 

As we close in, we see thousands of people making their way slowly into the street to the 'Gateway of India.' People carrying candles, placards, flowers and many even serving the crowd cups of tea. However what was most visible among the people today was not the candles or the flowers.

The people of Mumbai are angry and today that anger spilled out onto the street. A majority of the rally comprised of the youth population and their fury was loud and clear in the chants of slogans that roared through the evening sky of Mumbai. With fervor, nationalistic, political and anti-Pakistan slogans were chanted through the evening. One of the placards read, "I am ready for war against terror." 

As the four of us thread through the crowd we are separated. Sanjiv and I lose sight of Mallika and Ravi. Our cell phones don't work and my blackberry doesn't seem to catch signal. After much painstaking searching we reunite. 

The security today was lax and there was no organized exit for the thousands of people who came in. Buses and taxis drove past milling crowds. Being caught in the throng would be nightmarish for anyone and everyone. 

It is a rally like none other that has been held in India.  It is a rally that is in many ways a testament to the spirit of the city and its people. As the candles are lighted and the people who have lost their lives are remembered, I can only wonder if these terrorist attacks will bring about a change in the security situation of India.

CHENNAI, India - This was by far one of the most difficult pieces that we have put together.

Caught short: Power supplies in Chennai are causing problems for companies.

For starters, it seemed like a simple task. Chennai, India’s fourth largest city located in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, has been facing a shortage of power for quite some time now.

Yet this bustling city has seen an overflow of investors making a beeline to set up manufacturing units. With companies like Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai and many more automotive industries setting up shop in this city, it’s no surprise that this place has often been called the Detroit of India. The big question for us was how do these businesses manage to get by with constant power shortage?

Our interest in power shortage was triggered when our Chennai-based correspondent Liz Neisloss was shown a letter addressed to one of the major car companies by the electricity board early last year.
It stated that companies would have to shut down on an assigned weekday “in order to tide over the situation on the temporary shortage of power availability”.

Liz also noticed that fathers were dropping kids to school because they were off from work due to “power holidays.”

What started as a relatively simple story to do turned into quite a challenge! Liz and I called over a dozen big businesses to try and get them to talk to us on camera about the power situation. Some gave us an emphatic no while others came up with a polite excuse. All this after they admitted that power shortage was a problem. It might seem a little wary but it is understood that the electricity board of Chennai is not going to be too happy to hear businesses complain about power cuts.

One of the small scale business managers for an auto parts industry said that one way to function with power cuts is to operate on a 24-hour shift. So when the power goes down, all is quite and you resume work only after the power is back up again. We were told that sometimes businesses are informed beforehand when power cuts are likely to happen.

After much searching we did manage to get a business owner to tell us how he functions with power cuts.
Watch Liz Neisloss' report.