Simplicity of the Ladakhis

I was warmly invited by a Ladakhi family to their home during my recent visit to Ladakh in Jammu Kashmir state of India. It would be an understatement to say that I was overwhelmed with their hospitality. I was also filled with wonder and amazement by the simple sophistication with which their home was built and maintained adding authentic touch to the life in mountains.

Built of mud bricks, Poplar and Willow, the house has been carefully designed with respect to solar heating orientation. The climate of Ladakh is very cold and dry and is devoid of green vegetation. I also learnt that due to the absence of rainfall and moisture, the sky is usually very blue and clear (as can be seen in the many ubiquitous photos of tourists and travelers) and thus solar radiation is very high in this area.  Symbolically, a house in Ladakh is usually two storied with a slanting timber roof on the upper floor to efficiently let the snow melt downwards in winters. They live in the ground floor during winters in the sub-zero temperatures and shift to a more open and better ventilated space in the upper  floor during summers.

I was also told a typical ladakhi family spends the summer gathering fuel and drying the vegetables in preparation for the gloomy winters. I was dumbfound when they introduced me to the traditional heating system – Bukhari. A bukhari is a natural and inexpensive space heater that has a furnace as a base in which the wood/coal is burned, and the furnace is connected with a narrow pipe running to the top of the room to keep the space warm and to also act as a chimney. It also has a valve through which drinking water can be cascaded and stored inside the cylinder at the base to be able to naturally heat the drinking water in winters. You will typically find a bukhari in the living room and bedrooms that have to be warmer than the other part of the house.

 

The traditional Bukhari

Bukhari

The fine carpets running along the wooden floor and the short wooden dining tables with intricate vibrant carvings adds to the authentic feel.

 

The lady of the Ladakhi home – The kitchen too adorns cushion seating with a small coffee table

On similar lines, the Ladakhis employ many such natural techniques in their day-to-day lives to conserve energy and resources. Personally, there is so much to learn from them, the very simple, humble, blatantly witty yet warm people who try to make the most of scarce resources & technology available to them in the extreme climate conditions. Here’s to a day in the life of people in the mountains and their simplicity.

The Bird Keeper at Jama Masjid, Delhi

The largest mosque of India – Jama Masjid in Delhi always enthralls you with the endearing sight of birds (mostly pigeons) taking flight over the architectural grandeur of the mosque and filling the eye of a beholder with sheer joy. I enjoyed my share of happiness too.

But have you ever given a thought at this man who ardently takes care of their needs? Meet him at the Jama Masjid the next time you have a chance to stop by. If not for someone like him who constantly provides the birds with corn, crops and water, a visitor would be deprived of the enchanting sight of the birds flying over this architectural marvel we take pride in.

The birds perch on the ground, feed on the crop and flock together in delight.

Serenity Personified

In my quest to gather vivid images reflecting the festival season of Ramadan last year, I headed on a solo photowalk in the very busy streets of Shivajinagar in Bangalore India. Strolling the streets that appeared to have adorned a riot of colors wearing a chaotic look swarmed by people from all walks of life, I came across this man selling lingerie occupying a prominent place in the footpath meant for the pedestrians. Bearing a calm demeanor as though he did not have any qualms about selling the unmentionables to women on the streets, he caught me aiming my camera at him. What followed next was not what I anticipated. Without ceasing to smile, he threw a thumbs up at me. And unlike his neighbor salesmen, he did not even persuade me to buy any of his offerings.

I went in search of vibrant images and returned with a deep satisfaction of having frozen a serenity in my lens. Here’s to a day in the life of this calmness and serenity personified.

Meet Salman Khan. He is ‘Being Human’

Meet Salman Khan. He is ‘Being Human’. And hence has found a place on my blog.

Yes, I am referring to the camel who is named after Salman Khan. And for the uninitiated, Salman Khan is a popular and one of the leading actors of Indian cinema. He has founded a registered charitable trust called ‘Being Human’ for the cause of the under-privileged that sells clothes and merchandise branded as ‘Being Human’ for the cause.

My true hero is in this picture though. I met this proud camel at the top of Kalo Dungar (the highest point of the Great Rann of Kutch, White Desert in Gujarat, west India. He carried an aura of that of a mighty majesty and appeared to ignore me. I began flattering him by asking if he even knows how handsome he is, adorned in the vibrant accessories, perched atop a hill that offers a spectacular panoramic view of the white desert as far as your eyes can reach. He continued to ignore me.

I cajoled him to smile at my camera at least once so I can make him look doubly gorgeous. Flattered that he was, he thought for a while and then gave in. YES. He grinned :o)

He carries tourists/travelers on his back for a ride to the vantage point offering a magnificent view of the White Desert before dropping them back to the starting point (about a mile), all for a dollar. I am told, on an average he earns $10 a day.

A proud villager from Bhujodi

This villager from Bhujodi in Bhuj heartily struck a pose for me but soon got uneasy as I pointed my lens towards him. He was glad with the outcome though.
When I mentioned I was from Bangalore, he exclaimed how his villagers supply distinct handmade and embroidered Indian traditional wear and shawls across the major cities of India including Bangalore.

Bhujodi truly stood out for its modesty, the in-house production and sale, the far-reaching spirit, bargainable prices, their distinct presence in nearly all of the major cities of India and the warmth with which they welcome the travelers to their homes.

Here’s to a day in the life of a proud villager from Bhujodi, Gujarat, India

A charming vegetable vendor from Puducherry

In my elementary Tamil language I asked her, ‘Oru photo yedukuren’ (I will click a photo?). She was all smiles as she quickly adjusted her saree and posed for the camera. And when I showed her the photo, she couldn’t help but blush and smile widely as she thanked me by touching my cheek.

This charming vegetable vendor won my heart in the busy Sunday vegetable market near the M.G Road area of Puducherry (Pondicherry). This vegetable vendor makes about $5 a day if she manages to sell all her veggies for that day.

Here’s to a day in the life of a charming woman from Puducherry!

Hello world!

This is my very first post on ‘A day in the life of…’

I wish to highlight a day in the life of this street henna artist from Rajasthan, North India. She migrated from Rajasthan to make ends meet and ended up in the city of Bangalore, South India. She carves intricate henna/mehndi designs on the palms of people in the busy area of Commercial street in Bangalore. On an average she makes $4 for each pair of palms that she designs with beautiful henna tatoos.

I took this photo of hers at a time when she was in a deep pensive thought as though waiting for the day when her world’s miseries would end. I only wished if she were educated as well.

This photo also won a second prize in a photography contest held by an Imaging and Printing Company in the USA.

So here goes – A day in the life of a street henna artist in Bangalore.