What is it about the female’s hair that makes the male of the human species get so wild and crazy? Going by the Islamic culture that is one of the main reasons why girls are enjoined to cover their head. But its not just a phenomenon of Islamic societies alone. When the debate first erupted after France banned the burka in public places, I realized it was a belief more closer home than I ever realized.
Jul 28, 2011 | Categories: Thoughts/ Articles | Tags: burka, burka ban, burkha ban, burkha in india, common religious triditions, covering the head, different headgear, different heargear, france ban burkha, france banning burkha, head-gear, hijab, hijab in india, islam and women, islamic culture, photographs of burkha women, photographs of women in headwear, photos of hijabi women, religious traditions, wear hijab, wearing burkha in india, wearing hijab, women and burka, women and culture, women and headwear, women and religion, women and tradition | 16 Comments »
However a lesser known and a very interesting fact about The Golden Temple is that it receives more visitors than even The Taj Mahal -making it the most visited Monument in India. Maybe the statistics have changed over the years and if anyone has the latest statistics kindly do share.
Jul 23, 2011 | Categories: Thoughts/ Articles | Tags: darbar sahib, documentary photographer india, golden temple amritsar, golden temple photographs, gurudwara amritsar, harmandir sahib amritsar, images golden temple, jatti umra village, monument golden temple, nawaz sharif village in india, photographs harmandir sahib, sacred place of sikhs, sikhs holy shrine, sikhs place of worship | Leave A Comment »
Apart from the foreigners its mostly the poor and the lower-middle class that turns up in overwhelming numbers to visit our monuments. Sometimes making long arduous journeys crammed up in train’s sleeper class for days.The upper-middle class and the glitterati are conspicuous by their absence at not only The Taj but at any other Indian Monument. Except ofcourse when a fashionable concert like Yanni’s is organised near it. But then now we have The Malls and The Multiplexes- our new monuments of our times.
Jul 20, 2011 | Categories: Thoughts/ Articles | Tags: indian monuments, monuments of india, mughal monument agra, photographs of taj mahal, reflection of taj mahal in yamuna, sevent wonder of the world, shah jahan's taj mahal, symbol of love, taj mahal at sunrise, taj mahal at suset, taj mahal images, taj mahal monument, taj mahal photos, yanni concert taj mahal | 18 Comments »
Hornbill festival like most cultural festivals is essentially manufactured exotica. It is a big draw for exotica seeking tourists and for lazy journalists like myself who get to see the shoot Naga tribes in their tribal finery all under one roof without getting into the trouble of going into the hinterland where the real tribes actually live.
That of course takes a lot of perseverance, time , sweat and given the condition in Nagaland some degree of personal risk. Unfortunately I had stomach for none
Jul 13, 2011 | Categories: Travelogues | Tags: hornbill festival in nagaland, land of the nagaa, naga dance, naga tribes, naga warriors, nagaland, nagaland insurgency, nagaland state, nagas, north east India, north east India photographs, north eastern states of India, photographs of north east India, photographs of the hornbill festival in Nagaland, rural india, rural indian in north east, seven north east states of India, state of nagaland, strife torn north east | 1 Comment »
The wealth that some of our temples have is indeed phenomenal. It is not very surprising that such unaccounted wealth is found in temple vaults. Devotees rich and poor make regular donations to temples hoping to bribe the Gods to have some of their sins forgiven. But the immense wealth of this Kerela temple took everyone by surprise. There is a big debate on whom this money really belongs. I think this money belongs not to the temple but to the people and that’s where it should be used.
Jul 05, 2011 | Categories: Thoughts/ Articles | Tags: hindu temple kerala, hindu temple trivandrum, kerala, kerala temple, lord vishnu temple india, Padmanabhaswamy temple, richest hindu temple, richest temple in the world, sri padmanabhaswamy temple, temple thiruvananthapuram, temples in south india, vishnu temple kerala | 5 Comments »