It is touted that the Umaid Bhawan Palace was built as a drought relief measure by Maharaja of Jodhpur Umaid Singh. The idea was to make a luxurious private residence for the Maharaha in order to create employment for the starving people of Jodhpur. I find it ironic. Imagine a man thinking of making a 347 room luxurious villa for himself out of the misery of the people is he supposed to serve. Surprisingly the Maharaja is glorified till this day as a philanthropist for his `noble gesture’. The moment you enter the Umaid Bhawan a large plaque informs you about this `generosity’.
Mar 20, 2012 | Categories: General | Tags: documentary photographer india, indian palace, indian photographers, jodhpur palace, maharaja of jodhpur, palaces of india, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photographs rajasthan, rajasthan india, rajasthan photos, travel photographer in India, travel photographer india, umaid bhavan palace | 1 Comment »
In my grandfather’s time, ‘good old days’ were indeed the good old days. There were no rules for love and marriage and sex was free. You met a girl at the village fair and if she was willing, you could have a roll in the hay. If you wanted something more serious you brought her home as a bride . If you didn’t get along you simply broke off because divorce was not a stigma. Not even for women. My grandfather boasted of having married 13 times in this fashion and my grandmother thrice.
Feb 12, 2012 | Categories: General | Tags: documentary photographer india, indian photographers, indian sexual mores, indian sexuality, love and sex in india, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, rules of love and sex in india, sex in india, travel photographer in India, travel photographer india, valentine day, valentine day in india | 2 Comments »
Banned books are fantastic for the obvious reasons. They question the status quo, challenge existing paradigms, question idiotic beliefs no matter how sacred, and provoke you to think anew. The very reasons the politicians and the clergy would not want you to touch them. But what is good writing if it won’t give you a fresh perspective. And what is freedom of expression without the freedom to offend. Because for how long can you read Paulo Choelho or Chetan Bhagat
Jan 27, 2012 | Categories: General | Tags: ban on books, banned books, best book of the world, blasphemous books, blasphemy in satanic verses, controversial books, documentary photographer india, indian photographers, islam and rushdie, islam and satanic verses, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, rushdie affair, salman rushdie jaipur literary festival, salman rushdie's satanic verses, travel photographer india | 8 Comments »
The `Official Santa’ is very much the Santa of my imagination. Long white undulating beard. Rose tinted rotund cheeks. And the all too familiar corpulent frame. He greets us a predictable Namastay when told we are from India. He takes turns greeting us all and asks the girls in our group if they have been good-girls in a manner and tone he would ask any naughty children visiting him. The girls play along with one of them insisting on getting a photograph shot sitting on his lap.
Dec 24, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: arctic santa claus, christian legends, christmas and santa claus, finland lapland, finland santa claus, images santa claus village, Lapland, Rovaniemi, santa claus, santa claus village | 3 Comments »
Its interesting that almost all the religions of the world decided that the best way to appease their Gods was to butcher hapless animals to them. Apart from reasons of piety, I suspect it had something to do with guilt. Taking another animals life for food may have looked a bit selfish. Therefore as in most things, men decided why not do it in the name of God? You get to eat the meat and God takes all the blame for the blood and gore.
Dec 16, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: animal sacrifices, animal sacrifices in india, animal sacrifices religion, documentary photographer india, human sacrifices temples, indian photographers, kamakhya temple assam, kamakhya temple guwahati, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, religious animal sacrifices, travel photographer in India, travel photographer india | 13 Comments »
When my father said he wanted to build a house in the orchards, I was surprised. What’s wrong with this one I said? We already had an orchard house. Though the house was a bit unplanned- with no attached toilets or modular kitchen, it was still beautiful. It was in the middle of our apple orchards . It was glazed on three sides and had a spacious lounging area around it. The kitchen was the old pahari-style, complete with a chulla where we burnt firewood to warm our hands and sometimes cook. The house had a huge gable with a spacious living room below it and an attic with splendid views of the apple orchard valley.
Sep 05, 2011 | Categories: General, Misc | Tags: apple orchards himachal, documentary photographer india, himachal pradesh, himalayas himachal, house in snow, images himachal pradesh, indian photographers, orchard house himachal, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, snow himachal pradesh, snow images himachal, travel photographer in India | 27 Comments »
I am amused by the irony of a man who claims to own nothing, zipping by in a gleaming Mercedes while those who can actually afford one, bumping along the Delhi – Agra highway in the less than comfortable bus. I try to ask the followers about this but I am scoffed at for my `ignorance’. ” You will never understand the ways of our Guru”, they concluded.
Aug 24, 2011 | Categories: General, Misc | Tags: art of living in india, art of living india, documentary photographer india, gurudev shankar, indian godman, indian godmen, indian guru sri sri ravi shankar, indian gurus, indian photographers, indian spiritual leaders, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, spriritual leader sri sri ravi shankar, spritual leader sri sri ravi shankar, sri sri, sri sri ravi shankar, sri sri ravi shankar lok pal bill, sri sri ravi shankar photos, travel photographer in India | 43 Comments »
Indian Weddings are said to be a multi-million dollar industry. But are they a big bore? Do the endless rites and rituals put you to sleep? Most importantly do the bride and groom really have any good time themselves or are they just happy to get it over with before they can head to their exotic beach honeymoon.
Aug 22, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: asian wedding photographers, documentary photographer india, india wedding photographer, indian photographers, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, kerala wedding photographer, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, wedding photographer India, wedding photographers in delhi, Wedding photographers India, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalist India | 8 Comments »
Nizamuddin’s shrine like most sufi shrines attracts not only muslims but a fair share of christians, hindus and sikhs as well. Coupled with its tradition of music Sufi shrines such as Nizamuddin are also on the radar of fanatics who feel music is against Islam.
Aug 18, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: amir khusro tomb, ataga khan tomb, documentary photographer india, images nizamuddin dargah, indian photographers, jahanara's tomb delhi, mirza ghalib tomb delhi, monuments delhi, monuments of delhi, nizamuddin dargah delhi, nizamuddin dargah photos, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, photos sufi shrines, shaikh nizamuddin auliya, sufi saint nizamuddin, sufi saints india, sufi shrines, travel photographer in India | Leave A Comment »
Anglo Arabic School is the oldest educational intuitions in Delhi and one of the oldest in India. It was established in the 1690’s by Ghaziuddin Khan the deccan commander and general of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It opened as a madrasa and took the name of its founder. Despite it ancient pedigree , it was as recent as 2002 when the very bureaucratic Archeological Survey of India declared it as a heritage monument.
Aug 15, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: ancient buildings delhi, anglo arabic school ajmeri gate, anglo arabic school delhi, anglo arabic senior secondary school, documentary photographer india, ghaziuddin khan, indian monuments, indian photographers, monuments of india, old delhi, old school, oldest college delhi, oldest educational institutions, oldest school in india, oldest schools, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, travel photographer in India, zakir hussain college delhi | 12 Comments »
But the girls did not oblige. The organisers of Slut Walk Delhi- a motley group of college students, had made it clear. This was India so no revealing outfits. The Slut Walk Delhi was christened Besharmi Morcha and the organisers were at pains to explain that the walk was not just about women’s right to wear skimpy clothes. The only skimpily clad person for miles around was a resting ascetic who sat topless bang in the middle of the Slut Walk route.
Aug 10, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: documentary photographer india, feminist movement india, feminist walk india, indian photographers, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, slut walk, slut walk delhi, slut walk delhi photos, slut walk india, slut walk photographs, slut walks india, travel photographer in India, umang sabarwal | 10 Comments »
I love Mughal Emperor Akbar. I think he was perhaps the first and the last great secular ruler in India. However like most powerful people, he was also given to superstitions. He believed that his wife bore a son because of Sufi Saint Shaikh Salim Chisti’s prophecy. Akbar built his palace in Sikri in gratitude to the saint. He lived in Sikri for 15 long years before realizing it had a chronic water- shortage problem and moved bag and baggage to Lahore.
Aug 01, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: akbar's monument, do dil mil rahen hai song, documentary photographer india, fatehpur sikri images, indian mughals, indian photographers, movie shoot in a monument, mughal architecture, mughal city, mughal emperor akbar, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, photos indian monuments, Photos of fatehpur sikri, subhash ghai's pardesh, travel photographer in India | 6 Comments »
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: General | Tags: burka, burka ban, burkha ban, burkha in india, common religious triditions, covering the head, different headgear, different heargear, documentary photographer india, france ban burkha, france banning burkha, head-gear, hijab, hijab in india, indian photographers, islam and women, islamic culture, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photographs of burkha women, photographs of women in headwear, photojournalist india, photos of hijabi women, religious traditions, travel photographer in India, wear hijab, wearing burkha in india, wearing hijab, women and burka, women and culture, women and headwear, women and religion, women and tradition | 13 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: General | 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, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photographs harmandir sahib, photojournalist india, sacred place of sikhs, sikhs holy shrine, sikhs place of worship, travel photographer in India | 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 abscence 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: General | Tags: documentary photographer india, indian monuments, monuments of india, mughal monument agra, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photographs of taj mahal, photojournalist india, 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, travel photographer in India | 12 Comments »
From Chandigarh to Kolkata you make a giant cultural leap. The robust Punjabi spirit to the genteel Bengali mannerism, it was interesting how the same marriage played itself to the nuances of two very different cities.
Jul 18, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: asian wedding photographers, documentary photographer india, india wedding photographer, indian photographers, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, kerala wedding photographer, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, Wedding photographer calcutta, wedding photographer chandigarh, wedding photographer India, wedding photographer Kolkata, wedding photographer punjab, wedding photographers chandigarh, wedding photographers in delhi, Wedding photographers India, wedding photographers Kolkata, wedding photographers punjab, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalist India | Leave A 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: General | Tags: documentary photographer india, hindu temple kerala, hindu temple trivandrum, kerala, kerala temple, lord vishnu temple india, Padmanabhaswamy temple, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, richest hindu temple, richest temple in the world, sri padmanabhaswamy temple, temple thiruvananthapuram, temples in south india, travel photographer in India, travel photographer india, vishnu temple kerala | Leave A Comment »
Bengali weddings usually have a lot of rituals but in this wedding some of them were given a miss. This was a bit unusual as the older generation usually has its way on the wedding day. If you talk to a couple before their wedding, they will tell you their wedding will be different. That their wedding will be a bit more “chilled out” and wont have the usual repertoire of rituals. But on the D-Day the couple usually succumb to the admonitions of the milling relatives who make sure all wedding ceremonies are performed to the letter.
Jun 29, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: asian wedding photographers, documentary photographer india, india wedding photographer, indian photographers, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, kerala wedding photographer, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, wedding photographer India, wedding photographer Kolkata, wedding photographers in delhi, Wedding photographers India, wedding photographers Kolkata, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalist India | Comments Off
From my experience I feel, Christian weddings are indeed a more fun-filled affairs. The focus is more on the bride and the groom rather than the rituals or the endless relatives and the wedding couple manage to have some fun themselves after all. In fact the grooms and the brides friends who make up the bridesmaids and the best men get much more attention than the relatives.
Jun 18, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: asian wedding photographers, christian wedding photographer india, church wedding photographer india, documentary photographer india, india wedding photographer, indian christian photographer, indian photographers, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, kerala wedding photographer, photographer in India, photojournalist india, wedding photographer India, wedding photographers in delhi, Wedding photographers India, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalist India | 1 Comment »
This was a South Indian Wedding shot in New Delhi. However the venue where we gathered had a complete south indian feel to it. There was less noise and commotion. The decorations were more sedate. The wedding guests were more restrained in expressing their joy. There was South Indian Music being played live by south indian musicians. And there were endless rounds of south indian wedding rituals.
Jun 15, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: asian wedding photographers, documentary photographer india, india wedding photographer, indian photographers, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, kerala wedding photographer, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photojournalist india, south indian wedding, south indian wedding photographer, wedding photographer India, wedding photographer south india, wedding photographers in delhi, Wedding photographers India, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalist India | 1 Comment »
This was a unique wedding. It was a Hindu -Muslim union. All the marital rites of both the religions were followed to the letter including the elaborate Bengali rites and the Muslim Nikkah. But in the end it was about the two individuals. You could not have guessed which of the two was a Muslim and which one Hindu.
Jun 12, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: Asian wedding photographer, asian wedding photographers, best wedding photographers, hindu -muslim wedding in india, india wedding photographer, indian photographers, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, inter-faith wedding india, inter-religious wedding, kerala wedding photographer, muslim wedding, wedding photographer India, wedding photographers in delhi, wedding photographers in India, Wedding photographers India, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalist India | 1 Comment »
If you are want to make a killing like this man in the picture all you need is one sloppy Lonely Planet writer. The immensely popular travel guide prides itself in employing `credible and unbiased writers’. But every once in a while these travel-weary journos slip up . Ram Kishen ( The man in the picture above) is a man who is making a killing because of one such error of judgement.
May 17, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: documentary photographer india, error of judgement lonely planet, errors in the media, fame through lonely planet, faulty entry in lonely planet, from rags to riches, grow your business, guide book, indian lonely planet, indian photographers, indian travel guide, lonely planet, lonely planet about jodhpur, lonely planet guide book, lonely planet writers, making omelets in india, omelette shop in lonely planet, omelette shop jodhpur, photographer in India, photographers in delhi, photographs of jodhpur, photographs of rajasthan, photojournalist india, rajasthan lonely planet, rajasthan photographs, sloppy entry in lonely planet, travel photographer in India | 5 Comments »
They also danced during mehndi in the lawns and during the all-female functions. In one such mesmerizing dance they held each others hands and spun around like tops at great speeds. Until then I had thought this feat could be possible only in the Bollywood movies.
May 16, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: asian wedding photographers, india wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, kerala wedding photographer, maharashtrian wedding in pune, pune wedding photographer, wedding photographer India, wedding photographer maharashtra, wedding photographer mumbai, wedding photographer pune, wedding photographers goa, wedding photographers in delhi, Wedding photographers India, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalist India | Leave A Comment »
Next day was the main wedding ceremony and i witnessed many new rituals. There was one where the mother-in-law literally drags the groom inside the wedding venue by the hem of his headgear. However the highpoint for me was my shoot with the newly weds on a boat on the Brahmaputra. We hired a boat early in the morning. It was misty all around and that lent a great atmosphere to the photographs. We sailed for over an hour on the mighty river to a small island where we stopped to take in the view and the photos.
May 03, 2011 | Categories: General | Tags: asian wedding photographers, assamese wedding in guwahati, best wedding photographers, india wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographer, Indian wedding photographers, Indian wedding photography, kerala wedding photographer, wedding photographer India, wedding photographers in assam, wedding photographers in delhi, Wedding photographers India, wedding photography india, wedding photojournalism, wedding photojournalist India | 3 Comments »