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these "hand fans" are made of Palmyra leaf and are very popular during power-cut situations. this old man has come from "diamond harbour" in "charak mela" to sell these fans....
govindpuri slum colony, south delhi
navjivan (or new life) camp in govindpuri, south delhi. 500 families without any regular supply of water or sanitation facilities. the delhi jal board sends one or two water tankers of 15,000 litres each every day. on sundays and national holidays the water tanker doesn't come. residents use the water for drinking, bathing, washing clothes and utensils. life in this small colony revolves around water, or the paucity of it: in the 10 by 12 feet rooms that an average family stays, buckets occupy a quarter of the space; morning onwards people prepare themselves for the tanker which empties in no more than 6 minutes... kids barely 7 or 8 years old move around draped in colorful containers and winding pipes ready for the water express; water spilling out of the tanker makes for a quick bath with clothes on, peace descends once the tanker leaves all and sundry soaked ... a near surreal experience.
the photo was taken in september 2009. on my recent visit i found that things haven't changed since then.
This was shot in a random little shop on the corner of a very small village in the South of India. He mainly sells tobacco leaves and candy. I took this shot because I was really amazed at how the light was falling in him.
A view of the shelter of homeless at the ghats of the Ganga.
A poster of Shiva Vishnu and Krishna on the pillar.
School children are going around Jallianwala National Monument.
Jallianwala Bagh the National Memorial had become a place of pilgrimage for Indians even before the Independence .Situated just few hundred meters from sacred Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), this memorial is reminder of massacre of hundreds of unarmed, defenseless Indians by a senior British military officer Brigadier -General Dyer on 13 April 1919 in the heart of Amritsar, the holiest city of the Sikhs, on a day sacred to them as the birth anniversary of the Khalsa.
Recapitulating briefly the history of this unfortunate incident during British Raj, Brigadier-General Dyer incharge of Amritsar had, issued a proclamation prohibiting meetings and processions in the town. Jallianwala Bagh was an open enclosure with tall buildings on all the four sides with a narrow passage which led into it. It is said that about 25000 men, women and children had gathered to participate in a protest meeting against Rowlatt Act. They included Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. General Dyer appeared on the scene with his armed troops and without any warning ordered firing, aimed at dispersing the crowd though he had blocked the only exit of enclosure. With escape route unavailable, there was a general stampede. Old men, women and children got crushed under those who trying to escape firing. To escape bullets many jumped to death in an open well now known as Martyr’s well.120dead bodies were later recovered from this well.General. Dyer left the ghastly scene along with his troops after they had exhausted their ammunition. Far from attending to the wounded, there was none to offer even water to the dying. According to the official version, 379 people were killed on the spot and thrice as many wounded to die later. The unofficial number of the dead runs into four figures.
A little barber shop in a super tiny village in the South of India. I walked in and started shooting. The whole neighborhood came looking and was very amused by my appearance.
The mother - a girl, really - already has all the responsibilities of
bringing up a child when she should be enjoying the carefree days of
school.
So Grown up,So early.
Still the benign and caring expression on her face, along with
the matching saffron caught my eye.
Ballika Vadhu of 20th generation,isn't it sad?
"charak" is the year ending festival of bengali people.. The festival is devoted to the deities Shiva and Sakti. Charak Puja starts with the fasting period. The devotees keep fasts for one complete month before performing the rituals. During this period the devotees live strictly on fruits and do their daily worship. The "Charak" is tied with a hook (Borshi) at his back and then he is moved round around a bar with a long rope. Charak Puja is one way to reach salvation, so is believed by these men and women.
Although Ram Jhula is at a higher level then Haridwar, it was still a lot warmer here, eclaved by mountains, sheltering it from a cold wind. The sun could hardly penentrate the mist but lightened the place up in a different way. The bridge, build in 1929, was painted this year, part of all the works here going on, enlarging the ghats.
a baiga woman works as a daily wager for the forest department in ghursibehera village in balaghat district of madhya pradesh, india.
one of india's 'primitive' tribal communities, the baiga's had a high level of dependence on forest resources for self consumption. over the years they have been pushed out of the forests and into the mainstream economy. they now depend on wage labor under the government employment guarantee schemes and those provided by the forest department.
this village ghursibehera was relocated from inside the 'critical tiger habitat' of Kanha National Park way back in the 1970s. with displacement they had not only lost their access to the forest but also a part of their culture and traditions.
"Tsuglagkhang" or "Tsuglag Khang", the Dalai Lama's temple is the most important place for Tibetan people in Mcleodganj.
The special dress code of these Monks are robes, comes from the idea of wearing cheap clothes just to protect the body from weather and climate. They shall not be made from one piece of cloth, but mended together from several pieces. Since dark red was the cheapest colour in Kashmir, the Tibetan tradition has red robes. In the south, yellow played the same role, though the color of saffron also had cultural associations in India.
The MAHABHAARATHAM depicts, the younger brother of Emperor Yudhistiran and also the foremost celebrity of the bow and arrow named as Arjunan once embarked a highly thorny THAPASS ( traditional practice like worship, praying ) to gratify Bhagavaan Sivan ( one of the trinities of Hindu culture ) for getting a highly pungent sanctified ASTHRAM ( arrow ) known as PAASUPATHAASTRAM.
The THAPASS went on for years. Surveillance of all these concentrated devotion, Bhagavaan Sivan comprehended his time to bless Arjunan has arrived. He decided to transform into a VEETTAKKAARAN ( hunter ) to assess the ability of Arjunan before hallowing him.
In short, the VEETTAKKARAN provoked Arjunan. Without realizing that the VEETTKKAARAN in front of him is Bhagavaan Sivan, started the combat. In the end, Bhagavaan became happy by the adroitness shown by his aficionado. VEETTAKKARAN appeared in his original form and presented the PAASHUPATHAASTHRAM.When Bhagavaan Sivan was in the form of VEETTAKKAARAN, Paarvathi Devi ( spouse of the former ) also transformed into a VEETTAKKAARI ( hunter ). A son was born to them at that time, who is renowned as VEETTAKKORUMAKAN. The VEETTAKKORUMAKAN Theyyam is predominantly contemplated as the PARADEVATHA ( family god ) of the superior castes like Nairs, Nambiars, Kurups.
Long ago, a KOTTA ( fort ) at Balussery belonged to one Nair family was enmeshed by KURUMBRATHIRI also known as KURUMBRANAAD VAZHUNNOR. He was beseeched to switchback the castle to it's previous possessors. KURUMBRATHIRI acquiesced to handle back the KOTTA ( fort ) by suggesting an unfeasible mission for a little boy called as KAAROLA KIDAAV of that Nair family to confiscate the shells of 21,600 coconuts in a very terse time of closing and opening of an eye.
At that moment there footed a man with an incredible guise. It was none other than the Vettakkorumakan. With the colossal vigor and verve of this giant, KIDAAV ( the small boy ) completed the task proposed to him by KURUMBRATHIRI. As the foe won, KURUMBRATHIRI has no other way. He handled the fort back to it's owners. Thus the Vettakkorumakan was idolized as the PARADEVATHA ( chief god of a family ) of the Nair castes.
(Story From Theyyam.org)
Hand pulled Rickshaws are not a common site at Kolkata now -a-days, but at some portions of the city they are still present. This is April and quite hot here. One of the Rickshaw puller taking a nap at 7:30 in the morning!
A street shot from West Bengal.
Mumbai, India
Driving through the city is never dull. It's one of the only places that I've visited where getting somewhere becomes an adventure. The combination of people, cars, two / three wheelers, trucks, carts and animals creates this chaotic (but wonderful) layer to the society. It simply buzzes with life.
Here you can see a slum development that has started building on top of itself. Its actually going vertical due to the land constraints. Just amazing to see how people adapt to the changing city - the level of improvisation is truly amazing.
Another extraordinary and beautiful woman.
Betel Nut trees grow well in South India, and all parts are used in various ways. India sets an example in not only use of product but also reuse and recycling of products.
Betel nuts are chewed for the feelings of well-being and euphoria that it produces. Chewing produces a red liquid in the mouth and ultimately will stain the mouth and teeth. In some areas, chewing betel nut was/is a social practice.
There is a story that when the Portuguese landed in Goa, West India, they saw everyone spitting copious amounts of dark red material and were horrified that everyone suffered from TB. Not so, it was only the betel nut. :)
Recently I visited Rameswaram , a famous pilgrim centre at the south eastern tip of Tamilnadu and nearest to Sri Lanka.
What you witness above is the early morning scene of pilgrims who take a holy dip in the sea after performing vedic rites to remember and thank the souls of their parents, grand parents, great grand parents and other ancestors as per Hindu custom ! It was really a dawn to remember !!
Naga Baba's pour milk into the Ganges at the Har-ki-pauri before their ritual bath, Kumbh Mela 2010, Haridwar, originally uploaded by sanjayausta.
Naga Baba's pour milk into the Ganges at the Har-ki-pauri before their ritual bath, Kumbh Mela 2010, Haridwar
Jaïn Sadvis ( Women Sadhus) packing on their way out of the temple of Neminath, a jaïn temple on the path to the 10.000 steps high Girnar Hill in Juhagadh.
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple , is an historic Hindu temple located in the holy city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
It is dedicated to Goddess Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi) and Lord Siva. The temple houses 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities, that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The temple is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, and has been mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature, though the present structure is believed to have been built in 1600. The tallest temple tower is 51.9 metres (170 ft) high.
The most important festival associated with the temple is the Meenakshi Thirukalyanam (The divine marriage of Meenkashi) that is celebrated in April every year. During that one month period, in which most Tamil Nadu temples celebrate their annual festivals, there are a number of events including the Ther Thiruvizhah (Chariot festival) and Theppa Thiruvizhah (Float festival) are celebrated. Ref: Wikipedia
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