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The Musician's Apprentice, originally uploaded by Shutterfeet.

This scene on the shore of Udaipur's Lake Pichola touched me on two levels. First, the traditionally dressed musician and his failing attempt to gather an audience for a dying regional art form. Secondly, but perhaps most encouragingly, the young boy's fascination and absolute focus with the same instrument. Perhaps there is hope......

Gangaur, Udaipur, originally uploaded by s i a m.

Gangaur is a festival of women celebrated especially in Rajasthan. It is a time for them to dress up in their best clothes and participate in the festival dedicated to the divine couple of Lord Shiva and Goddess Gauri. A vow is observed by married women for marital bliss and young girls for ideal husband. Women make clay idols of Lord Isar (Shiva) and Goddess Gauri (Parvati) and worship for 18 days. They sing bhajans or devotional songs as part of Gangaur Puja. During Gangaur festival many fairs or Jatra are celebrated in Jaipur, Udaipur, and many other towns in Rajasthan.

Mewar festival is a fair organized in Udaipur during Gangaur festival. The festival marks the beginning of spring season in the state. Gauri and Isar idols are taken out for a ceremonial procession through different parts of the city. Women carry the idols on their heads and place them on the boats of Pichola lake at Gangaur Ghat at the end. Once the religious part of the festival is over, it is time for cultural events where the rajasthani culture is portrayed through songs, dances and other festivities.

society hot, originally uploaded by Sayantan Bera.

society, the infamous calcutta theater satiating the city's thirst for pornography before the internet stepped in... once they would run a c-grade film for weeks to packed houses. its only now that dadas and babus are spoilt for choice, thanks to the 'daily change programme.' long live khajuraho ki rani and hot mashooka!

Paternal Grandmother - Kaberi, originally uploaded by goddessofxanadu (back very soon!!).

Deepak sits on the lap of his paternal grandmother in the Rajasthani evening. I spoke with his mum, Pooja, for quite a while, she spoke slowly using 'easy' Hindi and some english so I could understand her quite well.

Pooja said she had been relived in the extreme to have produced a son. She had been to the temple every day of her pregnancy to ask that it be so, and still gives thanks each day now.
She appeared a little afraid of Kaberi, and would not talk at all when she was around, just bowing her head.
Deepak was treated like a little prince she said, he would never be allowed to cry or want for attention, and although the family were poor, his needs were first and foremost. Pooja said she feared things would have been 'different' if she had a daughter. "different how?" I asked. But then she seemed to regret having said that and back pedalled.

Pooja seemed to live with a great deal of stress. Her brow was often creased with anxiety and strain. It appeared she was the family drudge. I think I was only tolerated because of the small gifts I bought. I'd met her in the market place, selling mouli, which I am very fond of. We had gotten talking, and she had invited me back to her house.

DSC_0920, originally uploaded by Vivek Sheel.

Tungnath is the highest temple in the world and is one of the five and the highest Panch Kedar temples located in the mountain range of Tunganath in the Chamoli district of Tehri Garhwal, in Uttarakhand, India. The Tunganath (literal meaning is lord of the peaks) mountains form the Mandakini and Alaknanda river valleys. Located at an altitude of 3,680 m (12,073.5 ft), the Tungnath temple is the highest Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is believed to be 1000 years old and is the second in the pecking order of the Panch Kedars. It has a rich legend linked to the Pandavas, heroes of the Mahabharata epic.

A blind encounter, originally uploaded by Night Sky Glow.

Then came the Blind girl's school..Went in not knowing what to expect..Came out with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions..

Taken at the Blind Women's School in Pune, India.

If you ever feel that God doesn't like you or you're unlucky or whatever, you HAVE to visit a school like this. It's the power of the human spirit exemplified.

At Nabhya's level, originally uploaded by goddessofxanadu (back very soon!!).

This little girl is Nabhya, looking over the shoulder of mum, Sunita, who was camera shy.They both have leprosy and need to beg for their living. Although Sunita's leprosy was advanced and no longer curable (i never saw her face,she never showed it. 'bad' she said.) Nabyha's case is still at a curable stage and I was relieved to hear that Nabhya is being treated at a free facility in Jaipur where they live. Sunita bought out her treatment card to show me, as if to emphasise that she was taking care of her daughter properly, and is a good mum. I had no doubts about that, she seemed a lovely woman.
Nabhya was gorgeous, full of curiosity and mischief, often running around mum and getting herself in to trouble. One day I saw her exploring someone's scooter, and oops- pulling it over.She was fast enough to dodge the falling bike, thankfully.

., originally uploaded by oochappan.

The Christmas mood was already present on this small festival to inaugurate the young girl as a woman ... from now on she can be married when the right partner comes along.

Merry Christmas to you all !

Tolu Bommalata, originally uploaded by Bindaas Madhavi.

Leather puppets are a popular means of rural entertainment through the ages. Leather puppet making is a craft that has carved out a niche for itself in the state. The puppets of mythological figures are used to enact shadow plays, popularly called 'Tolubommalata'.

Tolu Bommalata, the shadow puppet theatre, has been popular not only in Andhra Pradesh, but also in Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Orissa as well. While the puppets of Kerala, Maharashta, and Orissa are traditionally black and white, the Karnataka, Tamilnadu, and Andhra puppets are multi-coloured. The Andhra puppets are larger in size, with separate parts of the various limbs stitched loosely for better articulation. The earliest mass medium using coloured images, the shadow-puppet theatre has always been popular among rural folk, combining entertainment with moral instruction.

The leather puppets of Andhra Pradesh trace their origins back to around 200 B.C. They were used for shadow plays that travelled the countryside. These puppets are made of buffalo or sheep hide, they are later bleached with local paints. Gods, Horses, elephants, warriors, fruits, cows, birds, deers are the popular figures made. Dharmarao Cheruvupalli in Nellore district, Nammalakunta in Anantapur district and Narasaraopet in Guntur district are the main centres for the production of leather puppets.

A general belief is that the art of puppetry was prevalent in this part of the country even by the beginning of the Christian era. It is also believed that this art was carried from here to the South-East Asian countries where Indians had colonised.
The puppet is coloured on both sides, it can be used both ways depending upon the direction of the head required to suit a scene, especially when the character is engaged in conversation.

The Andhra puppets are the largest multi-coloured puppets in India. The usual size of a puppet ranges between 5X3 to 6X3-1/2 feet. There are even larger figures. Stories usually are depicted from Ramayana or Mahabharata.

Two heads...better than one.., originally uploaded by Lopamudra9.

A night shot during a Pushkar show where locals gathered for some late evening song and dance. These two guys with their colourful turbans stood out from the crowd.

Peepli Live, originally uploaded by Rahul N.

This pic is taken very close to where the movie Peepli live was shot. Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh, India. a very typical setup of any Indian village shop, which apart from selling stuff, also serve as local hotspot of gossip and Information exchange about the whereabouts of everyone in the village. It also acts as local GPS, you can stop by any of these shops if you are lost and help is just a word away. If it is raining, these shops also provide temporary roof with refreshing tea. so in many way, these shops are more useful than wallmart

Jama Masjid and Tomb of Salim Chishti, originally uploaded by saish746.

Jama Masjid or Jami Mosque meaning the Friday Mosque (A.D. 1571-72) as the date of its completion, with a massive entrance to the courtyard, the Buland-Darwaza

A distinguishing feature is the row of chhatri (Seen) over the sanctuary. There are three mihrabs in each of the seven bays, while the large central mihrab is covered by a dome, it is decorated with white marble inlay.

The right corner is shown with White marble building which is Tomb of Salim Chishti: A white marble encased tomb of the Sufi saint, Salim Chisti (1478–1572), within the Jama Masjid's , courtyard. It is encrusted with mother-of-pearl mosaic. Surrounding it is covered passageway for circumambulation, with carved Jalis, stone pierced screens all around with intricate geometric design.

Empower, originally uploaded by Vivek Badoni.

This photo was taken in my recent to visit to Barmer in Western Rajasthan which is about 150 km from Pakistan Border. Assignment was to make a documentary on Women and child welfare. Barmer is considered as a very backward area of the state.

I had a preconceived notion about the place and its people specially women. We had to ask and shoot some uncomfortable things..like different stages in pregnancy and benefits and help they receive from hospitals and primary health center during the process.But to my surprise they were quite receptive and open to the topic.Though they were not very comfortable talking before camera but there was certainly a general awareness about their rights and keenness to know new developments in area.

Essence of Pushkar, originally uploaded by goddessofxanadu (back very soon!!).

Man, this place is so beautiful, you can't imagine. I walk these ghats in my dreams and always have done. Its the place I like best on Earth. My little guesthouse room overlooks this beautiful view, and in the mornings I am awakened to beautiful kirtans (Hindu mantra chants) , very early. It seems like Pushkar is on another plane, part of the astral. Alas, People suffer on the astral too. The tourists come in busloads now, and just stay for a few hours to shop in the little lanes, and holy men sell heroin on the ghats, but even those things don't den't its magic, for me anyhow.

You aren't supposed to take photo's here - that pool is the bathing ghat (communal bathroom) but everything looked so right here I had to click. The girl in the foreground holding out her washing kind of makes it for me,somehow. And the single bird flying over the buildings.

Ready!, originally uploaded by Vinod Kumar TG.

THIRA
Poothan and Thira is a ritualistic art form found in South Malabar region of Kerala, usually during the festival season of Valluvanad temples from December to May. It is usually performed once or twice a year to cleanse the entire village off evil spirits

Colors, originally uploaded by Maulindu Chatterjee.

When green meets dry and barren mountains - at Losar, Spiti Valley, Himachal,India

Where life blooms, originally uploaded by oochappan.

Paraipatti - countryside
Made me think a bit at Christmas time,
the stable, the lady pregnant,
who knows, she will have her baby that time ?

crossing the Bridge, originally uploaded by Samir D.

On the bank of River Brahmaputra... a man is crossing a small canal that leads to Brahmaputra.. Guwahati, Assam..

Bharat Natyam by Prasidha Dance Repertory, originally uploaded by ramesh_lalwani.

As a part Delhi International Arts Festival an International performance was arranged in Kamani on 12th Dec.

Where are you?, originally uploaded by profoundmonkey.

At the Delhi Queer Pride Parade 2010. From the look on this girl's face, she's probably trying to spot her friends in the crowd. "You're behind the what? I can't see you!"

Food for life, originally uploaded by sanil photography/myfocuz.com.

These are people who were working in a lake for constructing a resort. in the middle of lake. However there are no facilities of motor boat or anything to take this things there. These guys move the floating pipes slowly by pulling the wooden polls piled inside the lake, it takes an hr to reach the piling ship anchored on the lake

Homage to Gandhi, originally uploaded by pallab seth.

An old local farmer grazing his goats rekindled the memories of Gandhi's simplicity and the Sabarmati Ashram.

Technology is a Democrat, originally uploaded by emmydavid.

I was at a traffic light and I noticed this young girl on the pavement of Mumbai. She had vessels to clean but was just sitting still.. I wondered why till I saw the headphones.
Technology a few years was a privilege but today it is a great leveller..

exquisite sculpture ..., originally uploaded by "TVK" SpIrIt LiEs WiThIn.

At Kailasanathar Temple, Kanchipuram.

- Inside garba gudi, there is a passage which goes around the huge siva linga, and its story goes like this - "There is a small passage entrance to the right of the shivalingam through which all devotees are asked to go around the lingam. Exit is small like the entrance...Entire going around can be done by walking. Crawl to get in, walk around and then crawl to get out by the left side of the lingam. This signifies that we crawl our initial days and then walk and grow and then crawl back again. This way Shiva ensures that there is no punarjanma or rebirth for the souls who completes this round."

- Temple also contains numerous panels showing lord Siva as Nataraja in various postures. This sculpture is one of them.

Volunteer, originally uploaded by ramesh_lalwani.

The third edition of Pride Parade Delhi took place in central Delhi on 28th November. Over 2000 gays and supporters participated in the parade which started from Barakhama Road and terminated at Jantar Mantar. A stage had been set up from where members of community addressed the gathering. Delhi Police had barricaded the area around the venue. Participants in the rally were wearing colorful masks. Some of them were seen without masks and hugging and kissing their partners. This parade was first after the Delhi High Court judgment revoking the controversial Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalized same sex relationship.
More pictures can be seen here
www.demotix.com/news/521739/pride-parade-2010-delhi