India

Your Lean, Clean Flying Machine is Ready - Indigo Airlines Tagline. Delhi Airport.

March 05, 2023

Our final day of our travels took us back to Delhi. We had unfinished business - the Lodi Colony district. At the beginning of our trip it had been closed off so this was the perfect way to spend our last day. The temperature has hit mid 20s and the sun was shining.

With the help of various groups, including the residents of Lodhi Colony, Asian Paints and St+Art India the town mural concept was inspired by the sights, sounds and smells of the Lodhi Colony, a residential area which has now become an open art gallery for all, with its enormous murals painted by both Indian and international artists.

The otherwise dull, plain walls of buildings in the colony have been beautifully transformed into a creative ensemble as part of the annual Lodhi Street Art Festival.

Each triple-storey government-owned building features a central arched doorway and four windows where the archway offers a glimpse inside to a courtyard.

In some buildings, the archways frame the trees spilling out into the street.

I loved the way both the new and old trees of Lodhi dynamically became part of each art piece.

Lodhi Art District is home to over 54 murals that take on various themes, from social issues to environmental issues, marginalised and vulnerable communities like LGBTQ to Indian Culture and values. Many of them have been inspired by the residents and visitors of the Lodhi Colony.

Here art isn’t limited to a museum or art gallery or to the elite. It reflects an age of a generation of artists that hold the power to delivering their messages through street art.

Carnatic Cafe provided us with our final meal - the best Dosas and Sambar ever. The perfect ending as we savoured our last sights of New Delhi.

Well that’s it. Our bags are packed and it’s time to head back home to England.

Our final unexpected treat was from our plane window as we began to head home - crossing the mountain range over K2 to Kazakstan.

Its been an interesting trip to say the least, full of unexpected twists and turns and very different to our last visit to India.

Our next adventure begins in a couple of months… I hope you will join me.

How many hens will it take to kill an elephant ? Hunch advert bus stop. Chandigarh

March 03, 2023

In the north of India, on the foothills of the Himalayan mountains is a modernist’s raw concrete city from another time. Which is exactly the reason we found ourselves here in Chandigarh. Our final destination.

Following Indian Partition in 1947, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wished for a new state capital for Punjab since Lahore went to Pakistan. So the Swiss born modernist architect Le Corbusier spent the 1950s bringing concrete to Chandigarh to create "the City Beautiful”. A utopian city for both Punjab and Haryana.

Original drawings seen in museum

A city designed from scratch to resemble a living organism, complete with head, heart, limbs and circulatory system.

Chandigarh's regimented grid layout, comprising numbered rectangular "superblocks" measuring 800m wide by 1,200m long, contrasts sharply with the chaotic feel of India's traditional cities. Roads, bike lanes, green spaces, houses, public utilities all laid out in a systematic ordered way.

Le Corbusier’s cousin Pierre Jeanneret and the English architects Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew were brought in to design numerous buildings under Le Corbusier's direction. He himself took charge of the Capitol Complex, the state administrative hub located in the northernmost "Sector 1", which represents the city's conceptual "head".

We were staying in Sector 17, So off we set on our Brutalist adventure and discovered the grid system in reality comprised of some very, very long roads.

The shaded tree-lined, wide roads are lined with crumbling brutalist government and police buildings. The pavements, we’ve not seen many of those in India, have various obstacles you have to navigate around and are crumbling away.

The side roads were filled with plush, suburban, modernist, Californian style highly-secured Advocate homes and offices.

To get near, let alone inside Le Corbusier’s Capital Complex, we had to navigate a series of administrative hurdles. Initially, thanks to google maps we found our way to the High Court back-door premises which was really interesting with lawyers and barristers buzzing around and court papers being transported here and there. We were swiftly escorted off the premises by the police and sent to the tourism office to arrange an official escort. Didn’t you see the signs?????

Having previously experienced India's famous bureaucratic nightmares we thought we were on a hide to nothing.

However, after presenting photos of our passports we were assigned security guards, army guards and tourism officials to escort us to the showpiece - Capital Complex - the head, the brain of Le Corbusier’s creation. This is where the government headquarters and administrative offices are. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, is made up of The Secretariat Building, The High Court of Justice and The Palace of Assembly.

The visit was a whirlwind and due to court being in session we were unable to go inside or even near the signs forbidding you to go within a stones throw. Barristers meanwhile pace the grounds in-between sessions

The Open Hand Sculpture stands 26 meters high. The lower assembly area has no echo and a person speaking can be heard without the need of a microphone. The hand moves indicating the wind direction. The city's motto is "Open to give, open to receive", symbolised by Le Corbusier's Open Hand monument.

We managed to arrange a second visit a couple of days later, this involved another round of paperwork, another set of security measures and finally we were allowed a little closer to the Capital Complex buildings and even inside the Palace of Assembly and inside the Punjab Assembly room. Not without handing over bags, phones and cameras and being scanned. The inside is a glorious celebration of modernist interior design and furniture. The escorted lightening tour unfortunately didn’t include getting any closer to The Secretariat.

This sculpture is an experiment with how to get light in a building but not the heat. It’s certainly is a lot colder when you walk round the other side.

What we have witnessed is a utopian city showing more than just a few cracks. Some areas have a distinct distopian look. Many of Le Corbusier’s most emblematic concrete buildings have fared badly in the Indian summer heat and monsoon seasons. Restoration campaigns have attempted to restore some of the buildings in the city but Le Corbusier’s vision and “raw concrete” aesthetic is being gradually eroded in the process.

This is a a quiet city thanks to the no horn policy but its deafening in its overbearing signage. There is also a huge police presence. To us, as non-indian visitors it doesn’t feel like the happiest Indian city it claims to be, but we don’t live here.

It’s always worth popping into the Indian Coffee Shop - if you can get a table.

Chandigarh has apparently become India’s wealthiest city per capita. However on the other side of the coin the city now faces the challenge of overpopulation. Initially designed to accommodate 500,000 inhabitants, it’s expected to be home to 1.6 million inhabitants by 2031. Slums, as we witnessed in an unofficial taxi ride back to the airport, continues to expand outside the city, the very opposite to Le Corbusier’s dream.

Listen to your heart Spirit Speaks - Om Cafe slogan, Varanasi

February 16, 2023

Behind the ghats in the old, wonky, interlaced narrow alleys, the shops have been hit hard by covid and some traders are struggling to rebuild their lives. So many closed factories have killed the shopkeepers’ supply chains. Many have had to try and create new businesses. During Lockdown, some alleys have been brightly decorated. Building works are plentiful, the machinery isn’t.

If you don’t have a cow, milk is delivered straight to your jug - with a smile.

Some of the ghats are quieter and are a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by.

Our final evening in Varanasi had to be spent on the water again, this time we wanted to see the other side of the Ganges…

This has to be the biggest change we have seen here. We were shocked when we arrived to see what has become ‘the elephant in the room’ to the locals - Tent City, built by The Yogi Government over the other side of the river Ganges. What an empty, expensive eyesore. Created to cash in on the luxury end of the tourist industry and was inaugurated by PM Modi on the 13th Jan 2023. The tent city that resembles the sand dunes in Jaisalmer and Rann of Kutch in Gujarat apparently will showcase products from the East.

Apparently according to a newspaper ‘Tent City will add a new chapter to the tourism industry of the eastern UP and will bring financial benefits to the local people. The Tent City on the banks of the river Ganges will be a new chapter in the confluence of religion, spirituality and culture’.

I’m not wholly convinced. When I witness the numerous local boatsmen working so hard to make a living being overshadowed by huge Tent City party boats almost bullying them off the water, it doesn’t really enhance the culture or the spirituality of the place.

The locals still bathe, pray and play over this side but they are kept well away from Tent City. It is also where the families give up the cremated ashes to the holy river.

As we bid farewell to Varanasi, we spent our last evening on the water again with a local boatman. It gave us an opportunity to see the banks on other side of the Ganges.

We’ve tried hard to peel back a few more layers of this complicated city. It is breathtaking, frustrating, unique, chaotic and mesmerising and I doubt it will ever really face up to modernity.

Goodbye Varanasi, we have a plane to catch…

After a Full Belly, All is Poetry - Slogan stitched on fabric handbag, Varanasi Market.

February 15, 2023

From what I can see, Varanasi appears a little cleaner and tidier. The more populated ghats now have bins. They are empty, but it’s a positive move nevertheless.

There are less sacred cows wandering around the alleys. I miss the cows and their noon chapati snack-time. Less cows are on the main roads which obviously helps the flow of traffic and is safer for all involved. Apparently they have been rounded up and many are kept in cow shelters.

Unfortunately the domestic cows used for milk remain tethered on a short rope unable to do anything. A static, sad life for them. There seems to be many more dogs, goats and chickens wandering around, probably enjoying the chapati offerings.

A large tented area has been erected at Dashashwamedh Ghat for the homeless to have a bed for the night - this must be very welcomed.

The new pedestrianised area next to burning ghats is a very smart, clean walkway leading from the ghats up to the Golden Temple. It blends in well with its historical neighbours. It is still has a heavy police presence.

The light in Varanasi is beautiful. Together with its faded grandeur and the abundance of Indian fabrics makes for a very beautiful palette. A palette I hope to bring into my future artwork back home.

The colour orange burns especially bright in Varanasi. It shines in the marigold garlands on the dashboards of every taxi and the robes of the sadhus – the Hindu holy men.

Saffron is the most sacred colour in the Hindu religion. It signifies fire and the burning away of impurities. Sadhus can be found on the banks of the Ganges, in alleys and in public squares. Their long white beards and brightly coloured tunics, sometimes orange, sometimes bright red, make them look so photogenic, but a picture could cost you.

The city has a huge number of sadhus. Men who have given up their regular lives, homes, relationships, material goods and chosen a life of detached poverty relying only on what people offer them. Those that carry a stick are in the final quarter of their lives and have devoted it entirely to their religion. This will be their final resting place.

Varanasi, is considered to be the holiest of the seven sacred cities in the religions of Hinduism and Jainism. Hindus believe that dying in the city will bring eternal salvation and an end to the cycle of rebirth. Pilgrims come from all over to seek purification in the sacred waters. They come to cremate their kin and to spend their final days in peace

You regularly see heads being shaved along the ghats. Within the Hindu religion, ceremonial haircuts are very symbolic, occurring during certain life events. The first is a child’s first haircut, the second is during worship and pilgrimages to special temples, and the third being the haircut during the mourning of a loved one.

A child’s first haircut, which is known as a chudakarna, ideally happens when a child is 1or 3 years old. The child’s hair is fully shaved off, or a sheikh is maintained by some Hindus - a small patch is left untouched that creates a lock of hair which is left to protect the brain, as well as the area where the soul is believed to leave the body after death.

The act of tonsuring is when hair is cut for religious purposes. Tonsuring is prevalent in the temples of Varanasi. It’s an important custom in Hinduism, as the ritual of shaving one’s head allows you to be closer to God,

The final ceremonial haircut takes place when a family member dies. The Mundan is observed by the wife of the deceased, and the eldest son or male relative who is to perform the last rites. The wife is expected to keep her head permanently shaved from now on, as a symbol of her widowhood, while the male family member is to remain shaven during the mourning period only. It is seen as a symbol of grief and a mark of respect for the departed soul.

Varanasi is a cacophony of people and atmospheric activity ebbing and flowing through the course of a day.

Preachers teaching young priests in-the-making, beggars begging, sons performing last rites, braying loudspeakers, ceremonial bathers, chanting, overheated flaming pyres, black kites circling over head, bells chiming, dogs barking… all swathed in amber hues.

Small or medium you are always ‘XL’ for us. - Federal Bank Advert. Jaipur

February 07, 2023

One misty morning we headed 10 kilometres out of Jaipur’s city centre to find the Monkey Temple.

We were greeted by goats, cows and of course monkeys - in abundance.

As soon as we pitched up 2 young brothers introduced themselves and offered to be our guides and protect us from the monkeys - all for the equivalence of a pound. How could we refuse?

Rishi and Naran were good guides, they loved the monkeys and helped us avoid the Babas’ who try to rip you off. Rishi was especially good with the monkeys and wanted to be a vet, but I guess life won’t give him that chance. He told us about all the animals and birds we saw and showed us videos of leopards which they had seen on the path we walked. Thankfully we did not meet them. There is known to be 46 leopards living in the locality, they come into the temple area to hunt the dogs and monkeys.

As we climbed up we passed lots of the local children kite-flying into the mist.

There are many temples within this mountainous site and a natural spring that flows down from the hilltop. The water from the spring fills up many water tanks which are considered very sacred and the pilgrims visiting the temple bathe in the holy water.

A newly married couple were on their way to the temple to be be blessed.

The boys were clever and tricked us into buying them dinner, but for 20p we thought it was funny. Telling us we had to pay the Baba a small fee for the temple, which transpired was a small bowl of Dahl for them each.

The boys were actually working for a gang who were operating as you went in through the gate. However, they were so charming and this is all their life is right now, we were more than happy to pay them well and enjoyed their lovely company and everything they taught us. At the ages of 14 and 12 life has forced them to grow up too early.

So now it’s time to bid farewell to Jaipur and all its wildlife. We throughly enjoyed our time here.

No Bag No Homework - School Notice. Jaipur

February 03, 2023

The Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory in Jaipur, built in the early 18th century. It includes an impressive set of twenty main instruments featuring the largest sundials in the world, created predominantly from stone. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations.

Each instrument has a specific function for astronomical measurements. As the sun shines on the giant sundials it’s possible to read the time from the scales. A set of smaller stone instruments each represent the signs of the zodiac.

Some instruments were used to plot how the latitude changes over the course of a year. Each day was plotted but the shadow and read from the grid.

The Jantar Mantar was the vision of a scholarly prince showcasing his knowledge of astronomy and views on cosmology, at the end of the Mughal period.

The observatory became a meeting point for different scientific cultures and gave rise to widespread social practices linked to cosmology. It was also a symbol of royal authority, through its shear scale, it’s control of time, and its astrological forecasting capacities.

Do Not Spit Here and There - Lodhi Garden sign. New Delhi.

January 23, 2023

Two things I’m particularly drawn to in India are tuk-tuks and signage. I do love a tuk-tuk drive, except that is when you have a young hot-headed road racer with a turbo charged tuk-tuk hurtling across the Delhi roads. One white knuckle ride is probably enough. We soon realised that an older driver is a wiser driver and a lot slower. This gentleman seemed quite bemused that we adopted him as Mr Tuk-Tuk. He didn’t know the way to many places, but that was unimportant.

A visit to the beautiful Lodhi Gardens proved to be both relaxing and very informative.

Finally we found the Indo-Islamic style tombs and the garden. Apart from history and beauty, Lodhi Garden is a fitness hotspot.

I’m not surprised that everyone, including the dogs, needed a rest. This really is a bit of an oasis in an otherwise noisy, crowded, dusty city.

A walk round a lovely lake and a bit more reading to finish off.

Lodhi Estate Security

No shop yet, but a very sparkly new sign. Luckily our local shops have everything we need.

‘Drivers are requested not to urinate on the roads and walls in the colony’ - Order by DOWA

October 28, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

A tale of two cities. A whirlwind couple of days back in Delhi, this time to the Defence Colony in New Delhi. Our final stopover before Singapore. A tranquil, modern Indian suburb, quite a difference from our previous destinations. Once everyone had woken up, we hit the deafening hustle and bustle for one last time.

Delhi’s bypass is noisy, heavily polluted and home to a number of families. Home is just a tarpaulin and a campfire situated underneath the bypass. We have witnessed the poverty in India, but it wasn’t in your face. However, this bypass is desperate and dystopic. To try and make money, families attempt to sell flowers and cheap toys to the drivers, as they wait at the lights. Men, women and children go knocking on the car windows, starring at you through the glass. It breaks your heart.

Our taxi driver took a big bunch of flowers home to his wife that afternoon.

Having passed through Delhi Airport without any issues this time we felt a huge weight lift. Arriving in Singapore Airport you quickly realise that you ‘waft’ and ‘glide’ through. There is no stress in this airport. In fact there appears to be no stress anywhere.

The cars in Singapore are on the correct side of the road, travelling at a slow steady speed. it’s unnervingly quiet, no horns are beeping, no revving of engines. Its very, very calm. Not a cow, buffalo or goat to be seen.

The roads are smooth and everywhere is planted, pruned and manicured. Ugliness is hidden away or disguised. Colours are considered and harmonious. There is no chaos. Singapore looks like an advert for Utopia. There is a population of about three million people living on this tiny island. High occupancy flats and offices and yet it is so quiet and uncluttered. However, there’s no wildlife around us anymore, just an occasional dog on a lead.

Our AirBnB didn’t quite workout, infact it was disastrous, so we vacated and took a punt on a hotel downtown. As we squeezed into our super-deluxe, top of the range ‘value’ room, it dawned on us that our palatial, generous rooms in India were now a thing of the past. We would be downsizing from now on.

We also realised that food was going to become challenging, especially if your vegetarian like me. However, we preferred the challenge of the Chinese hawkers markets to the sterile city restaurants. It’s really clean here, no litter, no shoving or pushing, everyone is so polite and helpful. It’s very easy. The trains are driverless as are some cars. There is WiFi everywhere and its super fast. Everyone is on their phone, all the time.

Our first menu in Singapore was quite challenging.

Singapore is not a particularly attractive city in the daylight, its very sanitised, clinical and a bit dull, but when the night draws in it’s transformed into the city of tiny lights, millions of twinkling lights. Its stunning and magical.

And since we’re in town we brought rain. Not just any old rain, 24 hours torrential rain. John’s nickname in India was Johnny Monsoon. He’s beginning to believe it.

‘Please Do Not write on the museum walls’ - Udaipur Palace notice.

October 24, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

Udaipur, the City of Lakes - our final destination on our tour around Rajasthan. Seven lakes surround the white marble city, flanked by beautiful mountains, offering a cooler and easier climate. It is known as India’s Venice.

Udaipur has the biggest palace in India, overlooking Lake Pichola. Made of marble and granite, it took over 400 years to build. The royal family dominates life in the city, with their parties, events and soirees that help fill the 5-star luxury hotels.

Udaipur is interesting, it feels different. The economy is driven mainly by tourism, minerals and marble. It boasts 80% of its population are educated and 90% literacy. They offer free education for all, including the Untouchables (Dalits) - if they can get there. The reality is that there is still an underclass that are too poor to attend school. Although still entrenched in their caste system which dictates employment, people are now beginning to push through but only if they are successful enough in education.

These boys wont be able to go to school, they have to work.

The main high street has all the same shops we have seen before across Rajasthan and it was here that we discovered why none of the locals frequent these areas - despite the abundance of cheap clothes.

When a Hindu person dies, the families give huge donations to the deceased family, comprising of their old unwanted saris. Bags and bags are taken to be sorted through by the family. The unwanted saris are given to the Untouchables. They keep what they want and with the rest they use the material to make new clothes for the tourists. They sell them to the shops, subsequently earning themselves a living of sorts.

Our guide said the Hindus don’t wear them because they do not want to buy anything associated or linked to death.

There are many temples every few yards throughout the city. The highly ornate Jagdish Temple provides meals everyday for the poor.

‘Cut Hard Cut Deep’ - Indian Army slogan. Jaisalmer Base Camp

October 19, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

The tiny Golden City of Jaisalmer sits in the desert surrounded by military and navel bases due to its location - 150 miles from the Pakistan border. The slogan “Cut Hard Cut Deep’ visible at every camp entrance, reminding you of the tensions within this country. No longer benefitting from the silk route taxes, Jaisalmer has fallen in importance and has succumbed to the tourist trade. I don’t have a problem with this if it is done well. Unfortunately it’s the same shops, same products over and over again.

The splendour of the golden sandcastle-like fort is incredible. I have never seen a living fort before and was stunned by the complex carvings and quiet beauty of the sandstone dwellings. The harsh bright sunlight does not do them justice, it is the buttery glow of the late afternoon sun and the evening lights that shows this fort at its best.

Due to the open sewers and large volume of water used in the fort-town the foundation walls are crumbling away below. Ideally the government would like all the Brahmin residents to give up their houses and let the fort become a monument and tourist shopping arcade. They are standing their ground, determined to stay in their beautifully sculptured, cool and peaceful dwellings. It’s a catch-22 situation.

The Jain Temples are physically beautiful, completely different to any others we have seen. I’m well aware of the dress codes for entrance to some temples and holy places in India and I respect and abide by those rules. However, the notice outside this particular temple I think is unacceptable, insulting and derogatory.

All religions have their strange idiosyncratic rules and ways of doing things, but publicly making an issue out of nothing in order to restrict a sex is backwards in a modern world. I cannot believe this has remained unchallenged.

The heat is searing. Each morning we saw the lake reduce in size to the point the Water Buffalo didn’t even bother making their morning stroll there. The local dogs are in abundance and just as adorable as in all the other cities we have been. Two litters were born when we arrived, with a loss of three during our stay. Thankfully the 8 remaining pups appeared to be getting stronger by the end of our stay. Despite the casualties, the animals here look healthy and happy.

Away from the trappings of tourism, the base of the town is interesting for people watching. There are no women working here at all. The only female presence is in the homes and the downtown food markets.

Now well and truly entrenched in the desert, We arranged a jeep and guide to take us to see desert life. We were promised temples, ruins, sand dunes and a sunset dinner specially prepared for us.

We got a beaten-up car, a driver who couldn’t drive and a box of pre-made food.

At our first stop, Bada Bagh Cenotaphs, we were greeted with the message ‘Your life, Your risk ‘ - little did I know it was a warning of what was to come.

Whizzing through the landscape of Sam Dunes at breakneck speed we passed a variety of English Wine and Beer shops and desert camps complete with camels, coaches and dancers.

After three near head-on collisions with lorries, and speeds of over 80mph, irrelevant of pot-holes, speed bumps and cows, I had to get out. Our lives weren’t worth the risk.

We decided to leave Jaisalmer, there was nothing more to be seen.

‘Making One Enjoy Divine Bliss Round the Clock’ - Jesus Comforter Slogan

October 17, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

Although I really like Jodhpur, it was raising issues that I cant quite get my head round.

Evening meals spent on beautiful rooftops were accompanied by incessant loudspeaker scripture readings and chanting transmitted across the city. This continued hourly throughout the night until dawn. Every night. Without the loudspeaker, this could be a melodic, enchanting sound. But loudspeaker, Really ? Throughout the night? Noise is not considered an imposition, despite a noise abatement order preventing loudspeakers after 10.00pm.

Our visit to the great Fort didn’t go undisturbed. About half way round, we were told we had to separate - women and children took the parapet route and men took the bottom route. After quite a trek which ended in the temple, I was completely lost. I informed the guards this was wholly unacceptable to separate people without warning and they needed to get me back to the entrance. Finally, when I managed to retrace my steps, John was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, having been shown a picture of the ‘missing person’, a widespread search for John was underway by the guards. When found, a bemused John had a police escort through the fort, into the Maharaja’s private lift and down to the entrance.

We were finally reunited, much to the delight of the crowd and all the guards involved who were very pleased with their work in solving the case.

The Blue City district of Jodhpur is another maze of hidden lanes nestled into the hill below the mighty fort. They were easy to drift through, cool and safe from traffic. Providing momentary glimpses into people’s lives and incredible views across the city. There are many theories why the buildings are blue - to keep them cool, to deter termites, to indicate a higher caste (the priestly higher Brahmins) and it’s the colour related to Lord Shiva. Whatever is the reason the blue against the terracotta pink and pistachio doors is a palette worth savouring.

But, it was the evenings here that became my favourite place - the lowlight created an edginess and mysterious feel to the city, but beautiful all the same. This was the side of Jodhpur we will remember. For me, this evening was one of the most exciting and mesmerising of them all, the atmosphere was like nothing I have ever experienced.

'Fully Elastic Fully Fantastic' - Dixcy Scott Innerware slogan

October 16, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

Good morning Jodphur

Well you couldn’t get a bigger contrast to Pushkar. Jodphur is bigger, cleaner and signs of a growing cosmopolitan lifestyle. Jodphur is not on the backpackers trail and has a lot less of the cheap tourist traps and virtually no hustlers. There is a big urban regeneration programme underway, in a similar vein to Delhi and this is beginning to attract more money into the town in a positive way.

Hidden behind the clocktower is the locals shopping district, a maze of intertwining lanes, filled with people going about their daily business. Each home and shop, so small, quiet and compact, completely overshadowed by the constant beeping motorbikes and chugging engines of the Tuk-Tuks.

All businesses are run by men. The women can be found shopping, selling cheap goods in the market, sweeping the roads and sorting rubbish for recycling or at home. I have never witnessed such a male dominated society. It’s also beginning to dawn on how little I am spoken to. All questions and conversations are done through John. If I ask a question, it’s not me who receives the answer.

In complete contrast, a jeep ride into the countryside revealed an abundance of wildlife, birds and fresh air.

We met a few people from the Vishnoi Village. Vishnois are Hindu hardcore worshippers of nature, and live following 29 rules and principals. One being, they wont cut down a living tree. In the past, over 300 women and children gave up their lives to save the trees being destroyed when the great fort was built.

You can find weavers and potters dotted around the community. Recently, they have been granted aid to help fund their crafts to sell as a co-operative due to a decline in income from poor infertile land.

Growth of Opium is banned by the Government of India, but some Vishnois have special permission to do so for religious purposes. The government have allowed the religious opium tea ceremony to be a recognised tourist attraction. The master of the holy tea ceremony is allowed to take the the opium - in moderation as he is making it for the tourists. Since the opium is available he explained he also gives it to the ladies so that they can work faster in the fields in the afternoon.

Unlike other Hindus, Since the cutting of trees is completely prohibited by Vishnois, they do not burn or cremate their dead ones but instead simply bury them. The burning of blue clothes is not allowed in the village as acquiring the blue colour for them requires the cutting down of a large number of shrubs.

'16 Years of Wisdom' - School Advert, Ajmer Tuk Tuk

October 13, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

One area, three places, three different views:

Pushkar Town - with its bored shopkeepers, touts and tourists.

The periphery of the Thar Desert - a refreshing change with clean, fresh air. So many birds and wildlife and people hidden amongst the undergrowth farming the land. The countryside looks surprisingly lush with crops thanks to the monsoon. It will only be a few weeks before that all changes. This is the main area for growing roses for rose water, and an abundance of marigolds for funerals and festivals amongst an array of vegetables.

We saw the early arrival of Pushkar camel festival in November, already setting up their plots. 100,000 people will be attending the event.

The few people we met were very lovely including an eighty year old shepherd who came running out of the wilderness and jumped onto our jeep for a lift - he was off to buy medicines for his goat. He left running down the sand track, looking fitter than most 50 year olds.

80 year old shepherd hitched a ride with us.

The city of Ajmer, based around the artificial Ana Sagar Lake is real-life, it’s gritty and it’s very, very noisy. This town has a genuine, friendly and honest feel to it, although a little squashed sometimes.

The requests to have our photograph taken and the looks of curiosity we receive takes quite a bit of getting used to. We met a 90 year old apothecary, who was still working and very proud of his surgery and finally we found ourselves in the middle of a festival that could have been straight out of a Bollywood film set with a cast of hundreds.

That’s the end of our time in Pushkar, next stop Jodphur.

'IMD failed to predict that the monsoon would be this strong this year.' - India News

October 09, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

The monsoon had apparently been quite tame this year UNTIL we decided to pitch up! Varanasi was showery for the first couple of days, then literally underwater after a 48 hour deluge. The lovely area of Shiwala and beyond by this morning was waist height in dirty flood water cascading through the town and this was the morning we had to get to the airport. Luckily a group of locals came to our rescue with a rickshaw and shear manpower - they literally pushed and dragged us and our luggage through the gushing waters which got deeper and deeper with each lane we were pushed through. We must have looked a sight, the locals thought it was hilarious. I wish I could have videoed it but I was hanging on for dear life- juggling luggage, shoes and umbrella (where did that emerge from?) whilst John prevented me from slipping into the water.

Having just seen the news, it appears the rain we encountered in Varanasi was just the beginning of extreme flooding, throughout Utar Pradesh. The monsoon was in full force.

All I had was my phone to capture some of the atmosphere as we made our journey to the airport. The roads was so flooded, the taxi driver decided it was safer to drive the wrong way up a duel carriageway into the oncoming traffic. He beeped his horn continuously just to be on the safe side. It was then the sharp left turn across the traffic that was slightly more alarming. We couldn’t open the taxi windows in case the water came in. But we made it, the driver was brilliant- I hope his car has dried out.

'If you dont like Pani Puri you don't deserve to be called an Indian' - Food poster slogan.

October 07, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

Good morning Varanasi

Varanasi promised us sun, Ghats, evening Arti’s and gentle boat rides down the Ganges. Unfortunately this was not to be. The weather was changeable, finally developing into full scale monsoon, the Ghats were submerged, the Arti’s were constricted to a rooftop unless rained off and all boats were banned from the Ganges due to the speed it was travelling.

So we explored Varanasi Town. The Southern section of the city is primarily the Weavers Quarters and home to many temples. The lanes are filled with cows who are fed milk and chapatis on paper plates by the locals. Both the dogs and the cows appear well nourished. Many houses have patterns painted around their doors - an informal invite to an imminent wedding.

We found a wrestling school, where the boys were busy training using traditional apparatus, likes lumps of concrete on wood sticks. How they swung that round their heads I have no idea.

The Weavers Quarters is a mixture of hand and machine loom weaving. The Muslim weavers live and work in their own homes and sell their fabrics through a local co-operative, this looks far better than the sweat houses that we saw in Delhi. The dark homes provide a cool shelter from the humid heat, the wooden looms lit by a single bulb. The high-quality silk saris and pashminas are stunning, the colours so vibrant, they literally glowed in the dim light. Each weaver had their music on and took pride in their work. Each item takes about 2 weeks to create with their complex patterns and multitude of colours. The old wooden looms are either manual or have been semi-automated with the addition of punch hole cards to create the patterns.

Stretching the silk to make it as thin as possible ready for weaving.

The finished silk saris’ hang out to dry.

Time for Chai.

'Either I will find a way, or I will make one' - Philip Sidley. Quote found in my teabag wrapper

October 05, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

Through an organisation called PETE, we gained access into a textile factory, located in a working class area in Delhi. Like many of the factories here, the workers live in fear of losing their jobs because their bosses wont pay their taxes. These sorts of factories are always under threat should an inspector call. Bribes are paid to the officials to turn a blind eye, if not, they instantly close and the workers disappear and all evidence of the factory is gone in an instant.

The factory bosses pay no tax, officials gain healthy bribes and so it appears everyone wins - except the workers of course.

Machinist Room with new young apprentice learning how to sew shirts.

Lunchtime, only one person remains - ironing.

No Spitting, No Standing, No Parking - Delhi Street Sign

October 03, 2019 in Photographic Travelogue

Sunday mornings at Chandri Chowk are the complete antithesis to the rest of the week. Sunday is for washing, cleaning, chilling out, praying and dressing up in your best attire. We enjoyed seeing the contrast of Old Delhi within 24 hours.