Archive for September, 2013

How I Became a Big Loafer

How I Became  a Big  Loafer

In essence every photographer worth his name is in the business of loafing or should be.

Henri Cartier Bresson one of the greatest in the profession was into it too. He was of course French and as is their wont the French elevate everything into high art. So in French a loafer is called flaneur; a far more sophisticated, respectable terminology. Balzac, another Frenchman, described the flaneur as the sort of person who is a connoisseur of the smells, the sounds, the drama of the streets he walks in and he described the activity of loafing as being a sort of ‘’gastronomy of the eye’’.


Temple Freak Show in Bikaner, Rajasthan

Temple Freak Show in Bikaner, Rajasthan

Reverence for all things living is a special trait of Hinduism. But nothing prepares you for the freak show at this temple in Rajasthan overrun by thousands of overfed rats. There are over 20,000 of them living within the temple precincts and people come from far and wide to pay them obeisance


Munich on a Bicycle, Germany

Munich on a Bicycle, Germany

The last time I rode a bicycle, I was in my 10thgrade and still wobbly. So when our guide suggested a cycling tour of Munich, I was sufficiently alarmed. Why don’t we just get onto one of those HOHO buses, I thought. We could sit comfortably in their open- air comfort and sip on the excellent Bavarian beers ( yes its legal to drink in public in Germany).
But Munich prides itself as a cycling city. Cycling in Munich is not only encouraged but most motorists complain cyclists are an overly pampered lot. Cyclists are sometimes called the ‘silent killers’ or ‘Rambo Riders’ our guide informed us , for their propensity sometimes to crash into you from behind.


Female Photojournalists in India. A No-Win Situation.

Female Photojournalists in India. A No-Win Situation.

Photojournalism takes you to places where you would not ordinarily go. Or at any rate not go alone. Female photojournalists- a tiny minority in India- have to regularly traverse these Indian male preserves and stereotypes.

Ironically however, one of the exclusive male domains remains closer home- the media’s own photo-departments where the presence of a female photographer is still greeted with cold stares and long silences.