journey basket

mcleod ganj notes

2012-02-28T13:49:00.001+05:30

a quiet conscience sleeps in thunder. that is what mcleod ganj is all about. nestled comfortably in the hills 10 km away from the more noisy dharamshala town, the only distraction that you get is the rustle of leaves or the occasionally loud backpackers from israel.

technically a suburb of dharamshala, it is also home for tibetan refugees who first came to india in 1959 after a failed uprising against the communist party of china in tibet. a year later, the 14th dalai lama tenzin gyatso formed the tibetan government-in-exile and made mcleod ganj its headquarters.

british viceroy of india lord elgin even suggested that mcleod ganj be made the "summer capital of india". he died in dharamshala on november 20, 1863, while on a tour. his body was buried at forsyth ganj, just below mcleod ganj.

over a century later, elgin would be happy to know that at least mcleod ganj has become the summer capital of north india -- if not the entire india.

globalisation. modernisation. mcleod ganj

a home away from home.

continued...

horn ok please

2012-02-19T15:34:00.001+05:30

reinforces the perennial need for good advertising and copywriting.

donkey ok please.

mcleodganj, himachal pradesh

(cp-2 option used in lightroom 3)

jawaharlal nehru university (part 2)

2012-02-15T14:41:00.000+05:30

the indian stall at the jnu international food festival did not draw much crowd for some reasons. since people can easily get these snacks on the roadside every day, they preferred to try other not-so-common items, such as 'octopus salad' at the laos stall.

trying to sell chilled sugarcane juice in delhi's winter. that's called hope.

the vietnam stall was a crowd-puller.

diplomacy through the stomach.

borat would have loved to say something about this country's stall.

the bengal tiger is not only associated with west bengal but bangladesh (east bengal) as well. try telling this to somebody from west bengal and see the results.

another late-comer indonesia hurriedly sets up its stall while the rest were warming their food containers.

borat would have loved to say something about this country too.

korean students focus more on tourism than food.

and here it is, beautiful kazakhstan! mr borat would have likes to says somethings abouts thiss stallss bekause high fives!

bikash mishra from nepal, vice-president of jnu international students' association, says they have been organising this festival for the last 10 years.

time to go.

see jawaharlal nehru university (part 1)

see hot treats, warm hearts at global food fest, the times of india

jawarharlal nehru university (part 1)

2012-02-08T21:30:00.000+05:30

french students have taken a cue from their country's president nicolas sarkozy on how to rub people just right. their stall at the international food festival in delhi's jawaharlal nehru university (jnu) served crepe with lots of love.

many visitors -- especially phd students of jnu -- accepted the proposal.

while stalls of other countries were already heating their food, and some even handing out samples of strange-looking delicacies, armenia woke up.

chinese students came in good strength. they huddled together, smiling, asking people to try their 'coke chicken' -- pieces of chicken cooked in coca-cola. many people tried it out of curiosity, like buying chinese iphone lookalikes out of curiosity.

the mixed vegetables jar at the chinese stall did not contain aaloo-gobi or aaloo-matar or aaloo-you name it -- for a change.

the posters gave intellectual stimulus to visitors while they munched on, part of the mind visualising the israel-palestine conflict, while another part prods the type of spice used in the kebab.

our himalayan neighbour uses a bob marley poster to sell momos.

... continued.

sekmai road

2012-01-03T18:53:00.001+05:30

sometimes, if you find nothing interesting on terra firma, you have to look up.

that's a yellow flower, of course, and there is shivani shah of greenpeace.

this road leads to national highway 39, which connects manipur, nagaland and assam. on the other end of the road is leimakhong army base, home to the 'red shield' 57th and 59th mountain brigade. and somebody told me an interesting thing about the tree on the far right. a small shrine of an unknown deity is nestled there. every time a vehicle passes by, the driver must offer a symbolic prayer -- touch the forehead, nod, close the eyes, bow, any gesture that shows reverence. if the person forgets or ignores to put in this minor effort, misery will fall upon the poor soul. they say an army driver did not pay heed to the warning and ended up driving into a ditch some metres away from the shrine. a drunk farmer once boo-booed the story and then drove his scooter off the road. the body was found after two days. it's become a rural legend now in these parts.

the sekmai river, 20 km from imphal, is a favourite picnic spot during new year. but finding a good spot to set up a tent here is a major challenge. the farther upriver you go, the better, since the merry-makers downstream will get to use the water that you have already used to wash... things. ha ha ha

calling it a day over a bonfire. watching you've got mail.

animal farm

2011-12-21T21:28:00.000+05:30

a one-day trip to a farm at langol on the outskirts of imphal. apologies to george orwell for not including pigs.

and wishing you all a very happy new year.

a few good men: a specially ordinary story

2011-11-23T13:18:00.000+05:30

name: jayant kumar | mood: happy | from: patna | latest news: he's got a management job he likes in gurgaon

he came to the hostel in delhi public school, mathura road, in 1996, after quitting his previous school in dalhousie. already familiar with the regimen followed in a residential school, he took no time in entering the gang of old boys in dps. the rules were much relaxed here than they were in dalhousie.

after college he went to chennai for a post-graduate programme in management. although his first time in the city, in his own words, he said nobody ever thought he was from outside the city.

much happened. we met several times since school. then he returned to delhi a month ago. on the day he got the offer letter, we decided to visit someplace quiet. i, too, was planning for a longer holiday and would be out of town. there is a good kebab place near humayun's tomb, where we used to eat as far back as 1996. after lunch we headed to the tomb, from where a tiny speck of the terrace of the dps hostel building can be seen.

the next generation walks into the gate.

other friends. deepak bhojwani is busy at his reebok store. pawan chauhan is busy protecting his
interests in mainpuri ahead of the uttar pradesh assembly election. tashi nurboo is waiting for
clearance to start his travel company in leh. i don't know where amit kumar is. jayant, as you know,
won't get leave since he has just joined work. that leaves rajat swami, the marwari businessman in guwahati, the first to get married in the group of six mischief-makers of 1995.

rajat had called on his wedding day in 2009, thinking i had arrived in jaipur. i told him, "man i came to the andamans today. sorry man."

but rajat is coming to my wedding. "i am not like you," he said.

-- this post was automatically scheduled to be webcast on november 23, 2011 --

candle in the wind

2011-11-12T00:42:00.001+05:30

your candle burned out long before

your legend ever did...

i shambled after as i've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "awww!" -- on the road, jack kerouac

kalkaji temple

2011-10-31T17:25:00.000+05:30

god standard time. it's rush hour at kalka mandir in delhi's east of kailash area. dedicated to goddess kali, it is one of the oldest kali temples in india. the archaeological survey of india mentions 1764 as the year of the temple's construction. some centuries later, it is difficult to locate the exact physical shape of the temple, as houses and shops have mushroomed within the vaguely demarcated compound. delhi police signboards are everywhere, warning visitors against pickpockets, petty thieves and people who offer sweets and fruits laced with chemicals.

despite the efforts of the temple's helping hands to keep people in queue, it has become a regular thing for the crowd to try to squeeze through the narrow barricade to reach the room where the idol of goddess kali is kept.

devotees have no choice but to notice a lawyer's dilapidated signboard that may have netted a few clients in the recent past. it is said people who are facing a difficult situation in their lives come to seek goddess kali's blessings, for she is the god of war. most military camps have a shrine dedicated to goddess kali. and where else could a lawyer fetch more troubled clients than here?

the debris of local election campaigns.

the bottom portion of this structure is what's left of the original temple built in 1734.

more advertisements.

kalka mandir, mahant niwas, shiv mandir parisar, kalkaji, new delhi — 110019

scindia pottery colony

2011-10-23T18:26:00.002+05:30

the price of paraffin wax has a direct bearing on happiness.

traders at scindia pottery colony in delhi's sarojini nagar area say they are not getting enough number of customers to cover the cost of setting up the market this diwali season. a kilogram of paraffin wax costs rs 100, as against rs 40 in the same period last year. artisans need a lot of wax to make diyas and that is where they are feeling the pinch — and passing it on to buyers.

but some traders see no issues. "it's too early to predict sales. wait for two more days and see how people throng here," says tribhawan pati, who gets his wares from gujarat. but he is a lucky fellow. he has enough savings, he says, to keep him going for about a year until next diwali if he is unable to sell anything this year.

the potters' market has been around for 73 years. two types of families live, work and sell on this stretch: one is the wholeseller, who lives in a nearby slum and stores the goods at home, and the other is the migrant seller, who comes from outside delhi only during diwali.

it is said the previous two generations who lived here were highly talented artisans from lucknow, calcutta, agra and parts of gujarat, and they were given this place by rajmata vijayaraje scindia. there used to be a pottery mill called gwalior pottery here, which eventually shut down. nowhere else to go, the artisans set up this market along their houses.

ashwini's job is to apply colours to clay items that arrive from the kilns. "i am a painter. other people make idols and diyas, and i put colours to make them look good. otherwise nobody will buy dull clay items," says ashwini.

the sidewalk is the storefront.

delhi photo festival, 2011

2011-10-18T14:18:00.000+05:30

photographer prabuddha dasgupta interacts with the audience in the delhi photo festival, 2011, at india habitat centre, new delhi. excerpts from his talk:

when an author writes a love story, it comes from within. but once it gets out there, if it does not transcend to mean something for the reader then it can be pointless... i think writers have it easy. they make their point and stay firm. but photographers have to face constant questions from viewers about the meaning of their work. you may shoot something and move on without giving much thought, and one day a viewer may say, "i like what you are trying to tell with that photo." or somebody may ask, "why is that object not on the left instead of right?" i don't know. it is in my head. that is all i care about.

the organisers assumed that the photo festival, being a niche topic, would attract only a handful 'interested' people, and had chosen a conference venue with a seating capacity of 80 heads. but at least 200 people turned up, plunging the 'artist talk' hour into chaos. but this assembly of a motley bunch of professionals and amateurs hummed along quite nicely, with some of them squatting on the floor and throwing questions.

delhi photo festival, october 15-28, 2011. venue: india habitat centre, lodhi road, new delhi.

how much should a person consume?

2011-10-15T21:47:00.001+05:30

how much?

if we are concerned about our great appetite for materials, it is plausible to seek to increase the supply, or decrease waste, to make better use of the stocks that are available, and to develop substitutes. but what of the appetite itself? surely this is the ultimate source of the problem. if it continues its geometric course, will it not one day have to be restrained? yet in the literature of the resource problem this is the forbidden question. over it hangs a nearly total silence... — john kenneth galbraith, the affluent society, 1958

football, rajiv gandhi and karate kids

2011-10-05T14:18:00.003+05:30

jawahar navodaya vidyalaya is a government-run co-educational residential school in bishnupur district, manipur, which claims to have produced some notable students, considering the odds of getting good education in a state torn by insurgency, extortion and organised crime. the school has students from class 4 to class 12.

apart from kerala and west bengal, manipur is another state that takes football seriously. it's common to see boys walking with a pair of football boots strapped by the side of their schoolbags.

the characteristics of an educational institute can also be gauged by the icons it considers worthy of showing respect.

manipur kingdom prince bir tikendrajit (1856-1891), general thangal singh (1821-1891) and former prime minister rajiv gandhi (1944-1991).

from history to economic liberalisation, the corridor outside the principal's room tells a quick story.

it's time for games every evening at the school, and students are not allowed to stay in their dorms during this period. some prefer to do yoga instead.

who says you can't suck your thumb while watching football?

three-men super soccer consists of a total of six players -- three in each warring team. the goal size is small, no more taller than the average hip and wide as an arm. it's an improvised version of football due to lack of space. like 'galli cricket', it can be played in a garden as well.

some students also like to kick it!

a pleasant day to play now and worry later about homework.

on the way to the school in bishnupur district, national highway 150.

(journey basket would like to thank principal m a muneeb)

International Union for Conservation of Nature lists two mass-consumed fish species as endangered in Western Ghats

2011-09-27T19:01:00.001+05:30

The endangered species are narrowly distributed within the Western Ghats, where destruction or alteration of a small catchment may lead to their extinction.

by jayashree nandi for journey basket. file images used for representational purpose.

New Delhi: If you are a fish lover,there are certain species which you may not be able to enjoy anymore.These include the rare fresh water fish varieties like the DeccanMahseer and Black clams. There is some grim news for both fish loversand conservationists as International Union for Conservation ofNature (IUCN) has recently listed them to be bordering extinction.Black clams and fresh water pearls are equally threatened.

In fact, as much 16% of fresh waterspecies in Western Ghats have been classified to be threatened withextinction.

Water pollution and over harvesting arethe main reasons behind the rapid depletion. Worse, the flow of thestreams and water bodies of this biodiversity hotspot are hurdled byvarious hydroelectric projects and hundreds of mini-hydel projects,which cause more damage.

As per the IUCN red list, the center ofthis extinction threat is in the Western Ghats.

It concluded that the main issuesimpacting freshwater biodiversity in the Western Ghats werepollution, over fishing and collection for aquarium trade, dams,energy projects and mining.

More sad news for fish lovers: as perfellow and coordinator of Ashoka Trust For Research in Ecology andEnvironment, Aravind Madhyatsa, black clams found in the region,which are also exported in huge quantities, is almost threatened dueto over harvesting.

“Not just the clams, even fresh waterpearls that are found only in the Western Ghats are threatened. Thereare just 5,000 of them left in Tungabhadra and other rivers here. Thehydel water projects that stop the extensive movement of thesespecies cause a lot of problems. Pollution and overharvesting arealso major causes," he said.

Some fresh water species like Mahseerand clams are often sold at major markets like INA in Delhi, whichget a lot of fish supply from the south.

Pitra Bahadur, a fish vendor at PickFresh Fish in INA, says they used to get these varieties, especiallyMahseer, from Cauvery a couple of years ago. But it increasinglybecame rare and expensive. "They used to be huge. I rememberselling big pieces for Rs 150 per kg," he said.

Samuel Wharthekar, another vendor atINA, said such species are bought by people with unique taste forrare fish. "The Mahseer could be as big as 20 kg. We sell it forRs 300 per kg. But now the Mahseer mostly comes from Kashmir, not somuch from Cauvery," he said.

One of the recommendations made by theresearchers is that many species are narrowly distributed within theWestern Ghats, where destruction or alteration of a small catchmentmay lead to their extinction. Protection of key habitats, preventionof flow modifications and conservation of specialised ecosystems arerequired urgently.

Rampant angling of Mahseer, a commonsport on the banks of the Cauvery, is also responsible for thedecline in their numbers.

(the writer is an environment journalist based in new delhi. she can be contacted at jayashree.nandi[at]gmail.com)

nagarhole national park

2011-09-15T14:23:00.000+05:30

the kuruba tribals of nagarhole national park, karnataka, wake up to the silence of a concrete colony these days, attuning themselves to a new livelihood and way of life far from the familiar forests. it is a tentative beginning.

shanti j k of the jenu kuruba tribe used to live in the bhogapura hadi inside the tiger reserve. but she preferred a more comfortable life in the relocated colony, free of the fear of being attacked by animals. she shifted to shettihalli lokpattna colony recently. "my great grandfathers must have come to live in the forests, i don't know since when. encounters with wild elephants, leopards were a regular thing. but crops and wild animals can't live together. there is no security for crops inside the forest." many women in the colony agree they now hope for a better life, and better education for their children.

besides the new shettihalli lokpattna colony, a healthy compensation package of rs 10 lakh (up from the earlier rs 1 lakh) has seen many taking the offer, with tribals slowly but steadily agreeing to shift to the colony.

for the forest department, it is quite a feat to have convinced some tribal families of the benefits of relocation. it dismisses charges by tribal rights groups that the forest rights act has been violated and therefore, the relocation is illegal, and argues that families have moved out willingly. but what lies ahead for conservation and for the tribals in a new setting is not clear yet.

the tribals relocation process began in 1999 when 50 families in nagarhole were relocated. the forest department acknowledges that then, it was not an all-voluntary relocation. "i will not shy away from saying we did force some of them to relocate. neither was the package so attractive. now, the families themselves realise it's not worth living in the forest anymore," says karnataka principal conservator of forests b k singh.

sunset at nagarhole national park, karnataka.

(reporting by jayashree nandi)

a leisurely walk at night

2011-09-03T23:59:00.001+05:30

like moths to flame, people often walk towards the lights that illuminate the india gate monument. that is where you find the cotton candy and popcorn sellers, waiting for people.

the lawns surrounding the monument is also a busy marketplace for things that most people would remember from their childhood — flutes, fragile plastic toys, head bands, and bubbles.

here too, anna hazare makes an appearance. is that a frown, or a smile, moannalisa?

india gate, new delhi.

anna-rchy at ramlila ground

2011-08-28T01:16:00.000+05:30

whether the jan lokpal bill will create a super-body that will lead this country into chaos, or whether the bill will cure a thousand ills affecting this country — it doesn't seem to matter. what matters to these people is that anna is superman. and with deep respect or even reverence for the superman in their minds, the crowd also feels like super-men.

bjp leader arun jaitley has pointed out a flaw in the jan lokpal bill drafted by anna and his advisers. that point in the bill allows phone tapping of even a rickshawala's nokia 1100 (with flashlight) to the prime minister's cellphone. it is a sensitive issue, which needs to be handled carefully...

who cares, said the man above. he had been involved in quite a lot of brawls, he revealed. "what do you think i am doing in ramlila ground?"

national pride is a very profitable commodity. the tv people loves it, though there is little proof that they value it. “private news channels are so obsessed with hazare that they have stopped showing other important news, especially floods in different parts of the country, particularly in eastern India,” said janata dal (united) leader sharad yadav in parliament.

it is all about power. or ride the coattail of an old mentor until it is time to leave him.

or it is all about glamour.

anybody entering ramlila ground will see small groups of youngsters with paint in their hands, asking people whether they want an imprint of the tricolour on their cheeks — for free. many said yes.

this is the main tent where most people slept at night, and while it rained.

kewal mahilayen (only women).

where are the women?

a pretty girl sings in support of anna hazare. little girl, come here, have a chocolate. did mama tell you the difference among the jan lokpal bill, the lokpal bill and the ncpri draft lokpal mechanism? you look so happy. you seem to have figured it out in supporting hazare, the father figure. (a day after journey basket took this photo, she was seen in images filed by most news agency photographers)

the sadhu on the right looks like... hmm. hint: the sadhu was evicted from the same venue some months ago? jokes are doing the rounds that after he saw hazare's success in ramlila ground, he said, "Mein karu to sala character dhila hai."

no thumb impressions. only pens.

give me justice or suicide, says the poster.

gaurav sharma of indo-asian news service listens to the man, who said he was fired from his job unjustly. the company he used to work for is considered one of india's best state-owned oil firms. a human-interest story was developing over why he was fired. but the man said, patiently, eyeing gaurav, "my case had reached the supreme court and even the chief justice of india was involved." then gaurav immediately left the man. "why are there so many liars at ramlila ground, trying to come in the news?" said gaurav.

reporters are free to call this number for a sunday feature.

doing brisk business. a customer who has not yet donned any tricolour takes the plunge.

at the food stall. free food. strict discipline.

entering where the action is happening. no amount of waiting is painful when it's about seeing a glimpse of the second mahatma gandhi.

the lesser shown part of the protest site. this is where mobile toilets have been set up. they are overused.

new delhi railway station metro station. from this hole comes out hundreds of people heading in a beeline towards ramlila ground, which is a five-minute walk.

special thanks to gaurav sharma, correspondent, indo-asian news service. time to go.

(images cross-processed with lightroom cp-2 option)

climate change, bob marley and mali

2011-08-24T20:58:00.000+05:30

two boys at bamako, mali.

sali samake, 45, lives in tamale, near the capital city bamako. she is a very important person in the village because only she knows how to use a rain-measuring instrument. the villagers depend on her to plan their harvest.

she calls herself a self-taught meteorologist. mali, one of the poorest countries in africa, is now one of the worst hit by climate change. farmers are clueless about rainfall. monsoon comes and goes by its own will.

children at segou town.

bob marley — one of africa's best exports till date.

mali, september 2009, media 21, global journalism network. special thanks to jayashree nandi.

ima keithel in a municipal town

2011-08-20T22:50:00.001+05:30

ima keithel, or mother's market, is any cluster of small shops in manipur run by women sellers. tradition is that no male sellers have set up shop in these markets. the idea goes back to the time of the british rule and the women's war (nupi lan) of 1939. historically the war had its immediate cause in the artificial famine of 1939 caused by the profiteering activities of traders, who exported rice to colonial garrisons outside manipur.

when the ban enforced on rice export was lifted in 1939 to the great advantage of traders from outside, the price of paddy soared up, thus, seriously affecting local petty traders, mostly women, and poor consumers as well. an atmosphere of agitation was looming with women traders ready to take a course of action against inflation.

on december 12, 1939, hundreds of women who were demanding an end to free trade on rice besieged the president of the manipur durbar. in the scuffle that broke out between the women and the british army, 21 women, one officer, and seven others were killed and many were injured.

in the following months, women targeted rice-mills owned by traders. they boycotted the main bazaar, which was the hub of hoarding and profiteering happening under colonial protection. the women formed vanguards, intercepted rice carts and at times threw cartloads of rice into sewers. in the course of the struggle, women lay siege to the state jail and fought several pitched battles with security personnel. many died in the series of armed skirmishes.

the movement, however, subsided as a result of the approach of the second world war in manipur in early 1940s (journey basket will soon feature the areas in northeast india where japanese forces met the allied army while trying to push into india, an event that was forgotten while people were busy campaigning with mahatma gandhi for india's independence. the first shot of the first battalion of the indian national army, formed by subhash chandra bose in 1942, was fired against japanese forces advancing towards imphal)

nupi lan was a crucial juncture in the series of organised anti-colonial struggles in manipur.

their story turned into something of a legend and even today, only women occupy the small markets that sell essential items and local food stuffs. it is their turf.

day in, day out, they sit, chat and sell.

dried freshwater fish.

although it is a landlocked state, manipur benefits from a large freshwater lake called the loktak lake, abundant in fish. apart from rice, fish is one of the staples in the state.

kakching municipal town, thoubal district, manipur

(special thanks to e-pao.net for inputs)

vijayanagar empire and rimjhim coffee

2011-08-18T17:09:00.001+05:30

hampi in karnataka is also known as the 'second goa'.

instead of beaches it has beautiful ruins of the vijayanagar empire. one can ride about the place and just be.

the ferocious tungabhadra river cuts across hampi, ferocious because it is wide and its current strong, and the sound it makes at night is chilling. but to sit by its banks with a good book and tea is a vacation worth having.

there are some nice items at the shops in the main bazaar

mr manager

bollywood jute bags

pin code 583239

this is not in hampi but uppinangdi, about an hour's drive from mangalore.

the delightful rimjhim coffee at laxminivasa hotel, kalladka, on national highway 48 near uppinangdi. confusing directions! but if you do visit this place somehow, some time, try their fluffy buns too. i did not get enough time to ask about why this coffee is so popular. you may check out this article in mangalore today.

view from a temple in uppinangdi

radiation hazards

2011-08-17T17:37:00.003+05:30

households in the more crowded interiors of delhi — and most of them stand cheek by jowl — lease out their terrace to telecom companies without bothering about safety. it also fetches good money at zero effort. just let the company send its technicians to install the cellphone tower and that's it. enjoy the ka-ching! in the cash register every month.

last year media reports in delhi had warned that a high number of cellphone towers would cause harm. although the effect of radiation from these installations is still under debate, most scientists quote commonsense — any type of radiation is bad for health.

these structures do give a sinister look. a 2g tower consumes 12 kilowatts and a 2g plus 3g combined tower consumes 18 kilowatts, as per bsnl data.

death by radiation (while sleeping).

here is an easy-to-understand study by professor girish kumar of the indian institute of technology, mumbai, on the bad effects of radiation from cellphone towers. download it (pdf)

road to tihar jail starts from pragati maidan

2011-08-16T17:26:00.004+05:30

supporters of social activist anna hazare were eagerly waiting at delhi's pragati maidan to meet the boss when they were told that their icon has been arrested and sent to the notorious tihar jail. then a reporter said hazare has been lodged in jail no. 4, where commonwealth games scam accused suresh kalmadi is cooling his heels. the police intend to keep the social activist in custody for seven days

india's 'top' anti-corruption activist meets india's most corrupt man — both in jail. ripley's believe it or not. or maybe life is just strange

the crowd was thin. it must be around 200 heads but can't have been more than 300 people

activists who had not planned well had to improvise on the field. some took out sheets of paper and quickly spoke their mind in red ink before the police came

he is not an old freedom fighter. he is only 54. he frankly said he was brought to the venue by political 'friends' in exchange for free snacks, tea and pepsi

pamphlets detailing the heroic exploits of hazare, his resume and his ideas were circulated. some read them. many did not. it seemed the only people who took it seriously were the older ones

and there they are, the tv people

the number of activists who were actually on ground zero was abysmal. but back in office the tv showed something else. the anchor was almost at the point of yelling, and this very venue was shown as the possible epicentre of the next san francisco earthquake. the crowd was not even sufficient to form a football team

seeing is not believing

(journey basket wishes all the best to anna hazare and team. this post is about a developing event and information may change quickly)

in a free state, where...

2011-08-14T21:59:00.000+05:30

the world's fourth largest railway carries 30 million passengers daily

there are no dedicated cycle tracks

the mind is without fear

the head is held high

girl students in government schools have to skip class and run home to use the toilet since there are no sanitation facilities.

a wall needs god's protection to keep it safe from being peed on

the number of gods equals the human population

individual freedom of expression is respected despite the shortcomings

helpful people speak on behalf of an individual who has been robbed of his voice

a people's voice can never be heard

agriculture is still an economic mainstay

farmers, like soldiers, love serving

farmers, like slaves, have to toil in urban jungles for lack of land and opportunities

a person can take a dip with reverence

a person can take a dip for fun

fat ducks roam around in urban parks

elephants are robbed of their habitat

forest guards live in misery with little pay

an older generation fails to disappear

a younger generation lives fast and disappear young

youth is king, still

the food is good at every nook and corner

the best sweets are made

everybody likes a good film

actors are gods

new writers spring up every day

education is a matter of luck

girl children are not really wanted although they are as good as boys when it comes to showing excellence

the nuclear family is being marketed by businesses as an ideal lifestyle

handicrafts is dying a slow death

nobody bothers about what's going on in the islands

one gets to choose from several varieties

public transport fare meters fulfill the condition: e = mc square, 'c' being the speed of light

yesterday's western singers are coming back

the monument of love and loss lies

a man loved his wife so much that he built a monument in her memory

communism and its friends are good art

it's business as usual on the streets

election symbols are intriguing

labour is cheap

freedom means different things to different people

people have to be reminded to vote, to vote, to vote

dustbins are scarce

some villages are beautiful, calm and safe

likes and dislikes are many

the india gate is

monkeys seem to be in power

non-violence turned violent

exclusive urbanisation meant for a few people alienates millions of citizens

the press doesn't care

(independence day, 2011, series. images compiled from the old and new journey basket blogs. some images treated with cross-processing option 2 in lightroom)

desh ka tractor

2011-08-13T18:24:00.001+05:30

spotted this trailer in hampi.

the temple behind is the virupaksha temple located at hampi main bazaar, a unesco world heritage site.

love. india.

with two days to go for august 15, well, happy independence day from journey basket!

dastkar nature bazaar, palace grounds, bangalore

2011-08-10T20:06:00.005+05:30

there is no limit to where some people can go to live the 'natural life'.

dastkar is a registered society for craftspeople that aims to put some good money in their pockets, and in the process, ensure the survival of traditional crafts. founded by six women in 1981, it has presence in most states and recently, it got an export license to send the finest from india. laila tyabji is the current chairperson of the society.

purses made from recycled material. question is: would a woman actually buy the nestle milk bag in these times and go to work or enter a lounge? curious, not opinionated.

most of the items sold in the nature bazaar can also be found at any handicrafts market. however, the quality of goods sold by dastkar members is slightly better.

dastkar nature bazaar, open till august 15, 2011, at gayathri vihar, palace grounds, near mekhri circle, bangalore. time: 11am to 8.30pm

(images cross-processed in lightroom)

nehru place, system crash

2011-08-03T19:27:00.002+05:30

a computer that wasn't bought from nehru place is no good computer. the information technology business centre in south delhi, built in the early 1980s, has also been selling printers, ink and related items to offices. since the beginning of the last decade, it has become the holiest destination for cyber cafe owners to get good equipment without burning a hole in the wallet. but signs of decay have appeared.

while new corporate buildings have come up on all sides of the compound, the original nehru place structure has not seen any renovation. hawkers have occupied a large portion of the business centre. they are selling anything from leather cellphone covers to undergarments. microsoft had a large office within the complex, but it made a quiet exit to the new and swanky glass-made eros corporate towers bang opposite nehru place.

the competition is tough now with large dedicated electronics stores trying to woo customers through irresistible advertisements. during the 'laptop boom' most people went to nehru place to buy their first compaq or ibm. these days the young crowd prefers to buy from malls and avoid the grimy, dirty place.

what's holding up this place is the good quality of equipment it still sells. but the place needs a renovation and a thorough check-up, or else it will turn into a flea market. then private developers and the authorities will get some ideas. maybe a mall will come up. a cineplex is already minting money on the spot where the nehru place boundary ends. this old business centre may not survive another decade. maybe.

then and now.

(colour cross-processed in lightroom)

friday evening in connaught place

2011-07-31T16:23:00.000+05:30

we went for a walk in connaught place on a delhi summer evening when it was just about to rain.

see you around.

siri fort stadium

2011-07-29T03:48:00.003+05:30

this is where badminton player saina nehwal won a gold medal in the commonwealth games in october 2010. then hundreds of people had thronged here and pushed and shoved to enter the stadium, yelling and kicking, holding their tickets high and waving for the staff to notice and let them in.

now it's a ghost town.

because the authorities think it's a bad idea to let the 'masses' use the world-class facility. the entire place has been nailed shut.

the siri fort stadium located within the older siri fort sports complex is maintained by the delhi development authority (dda). the stadium was completed just in time before foreign athletes flew down to delhi for the games. it was the venue for badminton and squash battles.

a young systems engineer with six-month experience was the only person present inside the building. "i take care of security installation and circuits. i don't have much to do all day and i get bored alone," he said. "will you eat with me today?"

lakhs of rupees are spent on electricity and maintenance every day. one of the security guards, who did not want to appear here, said he has a kid in school who plays badminton. he is puzzled why the dda doesn't allow people to use the facility. the government keeps advertising about how this country's sports talent needs world-class nurturing. but that turns out a lie. the dda wants to maintain quality between events as letting people in and out freely may damage the insides.

another group is protesting against the stadium's closure, and they are angrily using this place for target practise.

there they are.

(with inputs from anamika nandedkar, senior staff writer, hindustan times)

khub chand

2011-07-27T18:49:00.002+05:30

khub chand in connaught place, new delhi, turns 60 this year. it has been selling ham, sausages and salami all these years, and just recently it installed a small stove to grill ready-made kebabs for customers waiting to get their meat packed. the few people in delhi who has been buying from here continue to visit the place.

audio cassettes that used to roar yesterday have retired into the cupboard today.

tall ceiling. long-rod fan. pre-independence modern architecture. a distinctive influence of the british rule.

notable: even allowing for inflation, you have to love their rate list: pork kindney (proving that beauty is not just skin deep), sparibs and troters — two fighting clans from middle earth — and frank furter, who, if you remember, was "just a sweet transvestite, from transsexual transylvania" in the rocky horror picture show. ("that's a rather tender subject. another slice, anyone?") — sajan venniyoor

for the legendary bangalore ham shop, visit slice of history, the times of india

life insurance corporation, janpath

2011-07-24T23:37:00.001+05:30

the life insurance corporation building at janpath is one of the most visible landmarks in new delhi.

the sun sets.

langcha bazaar

2011-07-22T18:02:00.001+05:30

langcha is a very, very, very sweet preparation. shaktigarh at bardhaman district in west bengal is famous for this item. langcha can be had hot or cold. it looks like gulab jamun, except langcha is considerably longer in size and tastes better.

"it's very sweet. your head will reel," said a friend.

for some people tea may be a bad idea after stuffing in so much sweets. but there is no harm in trying. maybe pair it with a cigarette.

langcha bazaar. (national highway 2, burdwan)

trinamool congress

2011-07-21T20:04:00.008+05:30

next to aam aadmi, walls are the first casualty when a political party wins an election. most of west bengal is dotted with this floral party symbol of the trinamool congress after mamata banerjee became the chief minister, replacing the red and sickle theme walls of the commies.

kolkata.

hauz khas village

2011-07-20T14:48:00.003+05:30

the old hauz khas village in delhi used to be a large reservoir during the reign of the 13th century delhi sultanate. what remains today is a patch of land that seems like it has been decorated overnight by a landscape designer. houses and commercial buildings have mushroomed around the site, reducing the monument to a garden showpiece of nearby residents.

the water body that apparently used to serve as the reservoir is now a mini sanctuary for birds. For more images, visit safdarjung enclave.

(images cross processed with lightroom cp-2 option)

grand trunk road, bardhaman

2011-07-17T19:19:00.003+05:30

the utterly butterly delicious express crawls in the traffic to enter kolkata before the crack of dawn. (en route to bardhaman, west bengal)

china in india, a glance

2011-07-14T18:30:00.007+05:30

like the proverbial wolf, modern india in recent times has been whispering that the chinese are coming. but they already came and perhaps, left. the chinatown in kolkata is the only chinese settlement in india. its wikipedia entry says the population of ethnic chinese decreased from 20,000 to 2,000 since the 1920s. most members of the community work at nearby tanning units.

there are several chinese and 'indian chinese' cuisine restaurants in the area. some community members have made it big in the restaurant business. it is also a favourite getaway for kolkata denizens when it comes to satisfying that craving for stir fried noodles.

the election symbol of the trinamool congress has mushroomed everywhere, even in chinatown, after mamata banerjee became west bengal chief minister, in what the media aptly titled: didi is the new dada.

enter the dragon.

(images 'cross processed' with lightroom cp-2 option)

fool's gold

2011-07-13T23:04:00.000+05:30

the idea that a pot of gold can be found at the rainbow's end originated somewhere in old europe. in silesia, eastern europe, it is said that angels put the gold there and that only a nude man could obtain the prize. nobody knows why.

two is not a crowd when the sky is not the limit. (burdwan district, west bengal)

when the going gets fast, the fast turns slow

2011-07-12T19:20:00.002+05:30

an old man with a walking stick can outrun the kolkata tram, which moves at its own comfortable pace without giving a hoot to the chaotic traffic ahead and behind. everybody must wait. the times are such that 'being faster' is synonymous with success and energy, but this mode of public transport has survived in kolkata, in perhaps what is a subtle reminder about the importance of a 'pause' in the daily run.

no need to hurry.

but how to overtake a tram is a complex question. even the roaring bus must slow down.

and here comes the other contender for public transport in kolkata.

how not to make a wall dull

2011-07-11T19:57:00.001+05:30

spotted this building near park street, kolkata.

indian coffee house, calcutta

2011-07-10T18:19:00.004+05:30

the indian coffee house on college street, calcutta, has got something that the rest of the coffee house branches across india doesn't have — it has style.

you don't need a time machine to travel 50 years into the past. the coffee house is your transport.

the ghosts of yesteryear's literary and film heavyweights are known to visit their much-loved hangout. they include satyajit ray, among other notable names.

another highlight of the college street coffee house is that you can light up here and nobody has any problem with that, while smoking is not allowed at many of its branches in other states.

the staircase to the coffee house.

tumi kon gaulpo ta sonale?

for indian coffee house in bangalore, visit mg road
also check out my 'coffee minus the smoke' piece at the discontinued short takes column 'salt and pepper' in the times of india, bangalore

going to school

2011-06-30T17:15:00.001+05:30

sitaram bazaar, old delhi

i'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. let them walk to school like i did — yogi berra

ghalib kebab corner, nizamuddin

2011-06-28T23:33:00.000+05:30

ghalib kebab corner in nizamuddin was opened in 1971. in all these years its only innovation has been to add chicken biryani, firni and pepsi to its menu. ghalib's strength is sheek kebab. for a restaurant barely larger than a living room, the fan following is enormous. it used to be the favourite haunt of nocturnal hostel students of delhi public school, mathura road, which is a kilometre away from nizamuddin. they would quietly scale the school wall late at night and run to ghalib. even the vegetarians would accompany their carnivorous friends to sample roomali rotis dipped in green chutney.

some people may not like the surroundings, and hygiene is definitely an issue. despite the drawbacks, this small restaurant has survived four decades, and even won the title of 'best kebab-maker' in a food festival organised by five-star hotel itc maurya sheraton.

haneef qureshi, 59, has run the restaurant since the time it opened. he was young then. he has taken up no other work. he had gone on leave during this visit, while the cook managed the affairs. haneef is recognised among regulars as "the old man with the loud voice". you, too, will notice him if you went to ghalib.

shop no. 57, near lal mahal, ghalib road, nizamuddin, new delhi. timing: noon till midnight

the atlas never shrugs

2011-06-26T00:43:00.001+05:30

how much load can a cycle carry before it goes to the scrap dealer? the answer, my friend, is pedalling on the road, the answer is pedalling on the road.

the lpg. one of the few items that gives nightmares to politicians. high lpg prices + public anger = less votes.

lal qila models

2011-06-23T19:04:00.003+05:30

when the queue at the entry ticket booth at the red fort, delhi, is too long, people prefer to sit near the fort walls and wait for their turn.

ashpreet sethi of the sunday guardian avoided the long wait and returned home, but not before striking a pose. a lal qila moment.

cubicle nation

2011-06-23T17:30:00.002+05:30

office-goers show their gratitude to the country. (mantri mall, malleswaram, bangalore)

roadrunners

2011-06-20T17:45:00.001+05:30

wait.

look.

run.

go home. (lodhi road, new delhi)

day of the housefly

2011-06-18T18:20:00.000+05:30

i am a housefly and this is my story. one rainy evening i clung on to a string for my dear life.

i didn't get washed away when the rain stopped. how i survived i don't know.

i clung on for a while until i saw the birds go home. they always look good against the setting sun.

but only birds can't have all the fun, so i crawled towards the sun.

and got myself shot. fuck you ugly birds!

just because it looks like a garage doesn't mean you can get a screwdriver here

2011-06-16T18:30:00.019+05:30

pecos has evolved into an institution. opened in august 1988 by a bombay businessman, colin timms, pecos's seductive gloom or claustrophobic elegance — call it what you may — and its unique music, besides the food and beer, have created a place that a certain kind of bangalorean calls home.

pecos takes its identity as a pub seriously and serves only beer. a poster behind the counter warns: just because it looks like a garage doesn't mean you can get a screwdriver here.

(text by bharadwaj mv, the hindu)

mg road, bangalore

2011-06-16T17:36:00.046+05:30

the indian coffee house on mg road was where staffers of next door deccan herald used to go between 5.30pm and 6pm every day, not to eat toast or dosa, but to enjoy a good gold flake. it was shut down in april 2009, and was shifted to church street, just behind mg road.

there was a cigarette shop outside the old indian coffee house (it is still there). the cigarette man decides to play humour to customers who light up. in the background one can also see a bangalore metro pillar in the initial stage of the project.

also check out my 'coffee minus the smoke' piece at the discontinued short takes column 'salt and pepper' in the times of india, bangalore

(the images were shot with a cellphone camera in 2007 when i was with deccan herald)

outer circle, connaught place

2011-06-14T19:01:00.016+05:30

in a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. in a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of — confucius

end of road for iconic car

2011-06-14T17:26:00.016+05:30

this hindustan ambassador must have once been a taxi or a minister's personal car. very unlikely for it to have played any other role.

dead but not yet that dead. (safdarjung enclave, new delhi)

(for more images in this series, visit life of a vehicle)

icon of sorts

2011-06-11T16:38:00.030+05:30

warm.

warmer.

disco.

the autorickshaw driver is a fan of bollywood actor rani mukherjee. he said he worships her. (saket, new delhi)

in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is no such thing as atheism. there is no such thing as not worshipping. everybody worships. the only choice we get is what to worship. and an outstanding reason for choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship — be it jc or allah, be it yahweh or the wiccan mother-goddess or the four noble truths or some infrangible set of ethical principles — is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. (david foster wallace)

line of no control

2011-06-09T18:02:00.017+05:30

dogs pee on car tyres to mark their territory. what do humans do?

humans use technology — the spray can. students of a nearby college often hang around this shopping complex, and they have claimed the territory as rightfully belonging to them. stay away. (balbir saxena marg, new delhi)

service centre

2011-06-08T17:31:00.038+05:30

jostling for space at a modern market complex and flanked on both sides by the swanky glass windows of kotak mahindra bank, nirula's restaurant and airtel office, is an unnamed cycle-rickshaw repair shop.

the shop has aptly advertised itself, so much so that any rickshaw-wala will instantly know it is the place to be when the chains come undone or the tyres squeal. (yusuf sarai, new delhi)

chugging into history

2011-06-06T18:54:00.069+05:30

a walk in the national rail museum yard takes a while, and the line of vintage trains never seems to end. the place is eerily quiet in contrast to how these giant locomotives must have had roared across towns and cities in their heydays.

the great indian peninsula railway (gipr) was india's first railway, according to records at the museum. some say it was also asia's first railway. the east india company gave the licence to a private british firm to operate gipr under the same name. it was formed in 1845.

the great, great, great gipr iron horse.

the museum is also a nice picnic spot. kids love running about the trains (with their moms chasing them).

the maintenance shed where the museum staff usually hang around.

the indoor gallery has interesting titbits about railway history. on a personal note, i remember a friend who sent me this letter on gmail some years ago, disguised as a 'santa banta' joke. i am thrilled to discover that fact is stranger than fiction.

(for more rail museum images, visit national rail museum, chanakyapuri)

national rail museum, chanakyapuri

2011-06-05T16:48:00.056+05:30

the steam locomotive model no. mtr-2 greets visitors at the gate. it was built in 1910 by dick, kerr & co. for the karachi port trust.

the 11-acre-large yard has about 100 original locomotives of different make — steam powered, diesel engine, vintage coaches, etc.

the steam engines are huge and look quite powerful.

it is hard to believe trains used to be like this.

although the museum staff discourages people from climbing on the trains because the metals have rusted, one can go to the farthest corner where it is quiet and the engines are unprotected.

when one sees these majestic vintage steam engines from the 1890s still standing among us even today, the experience is hard to describe.

maybe spiritual.

(for more images of national rail museum, visit chugging into history)

some t-shirts never shut up

2011-06-04T16:11:00.015+05:30

let your t-shirt do the talking. (janpath, new delhi)

on the face

2011-06-01T12:35:00.008+05:30

people find all types of methods to express themselves. (gautam nagar, new delhi)

they don't need a classroom to learn to sketch

2011-05-31T20:12:00.000+05:30

some people put in money and years to master the art of making the perfect sketch stroke. but for the one-minute-portrait artists of janpath, learning and making money go hand in hand. kabir khan (extreme right) tells two newcomers to observe the area and sketch what they see. it's only a matter of minutes until the first customer chances upon the scene to get his/her portrait made.

rough beginnings.

(janpath, new delhi)

greetings!

2011-05-31T19:36:00.008+05:30

ohhh, if there's one thing I hang onto,

that gets me through the night.

i ain't gonna do what i don't want to,

i'm gonna live my life.

shining like a diamond, rolling with the dice,

standing on the ledge, i show the wind how to fly.

when the world gets in my face,

i say, have a nice day.

(from the song 'have a nice day' by jon bon jovi. t-shirt image on the wall shot at janpath, new delhi)

mark your place and sell it, damn the rest

2011-05-31T16:31:00.052+05:30

these cloth posters sold in front of a defunct showroom in the colonial connaught place area of new delhi are a mix of gods and humans. something for everybody.

the buddha is a favourite among backpacking foreign tourists, and it is fast catching up with delhi university students as their t-shirt icon, next to che guevara.

rajesh pal from allahabad, uttar pradesh, who recently got the prime sidewalk space to sell his items, says he has hit the jackpot. "but i paid a large one to some people to survive at this corner of connaught place," he says.

it's business as usual — until rajesh is evicted and his corner taken over by a roadside astrologer or a loose cloth seller. too many of them. wild guess.

band disband

2011-05-29T15:40:00.015+05:30

the performance is over.

he gets a small gift wrapped in a newspaper for his service.

it's time to go home.

(for more images in this series, visit bands of brothers)

bands of brothers

2011-05-28T20:23:00.076+05:30

no wedding is complete without a band. maybe times have changed and people prefer to celebrate the tying of the knot with or without the blowing of a trumpet, but these people in their admiral uniforms will be around until they die, or marriages become extinct, whichever comes first.

men from the 113 infantry battalion, rajputana rifles, perform at a wedding ceremony. they give their services to families of military personnel.

on this day another military band competes with the rajputana band of brothers. a red versus green rages on.

the band marches on. it's a busy day yet again. the fun and feasting can wait.

this is the moment every band member has been waiting for. they reach the groom's house, put down their instruments and wait for the rewards.

(the army bands were hired by a senior police officer for his son's wedding, imphal, manipur. for more images in this series, visit band disband)

more balloons

2011-05-25T17:32:00.027+05:30

cost of a street balloon in 1991 (remembering from school days) — 10 paise, and you got a bundle of 10 for 1 rupee (remember the 1 rupee note? lol).

cost of a street balloon in 2011 — 3 rupees, and it gets punctured too soon. (imphal, manipur)

there's a wide-eyed boy with a red balloon

all my life I've longed for this afternoon
(june afternoon by roxette. for more images in this series, visit the only way is up)

the only way is up

2011-05-24T19:34:00.030+05:30

kids, everywhere and anywhere, like them balloons. (imphal, manipur)

(what is success? it is a toy balloon among children armed with pins — gene fowler)

you and i, and a little toy shop

buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got

set them free at the break of dawn

'til one by one, they were gone

ninety-nine dreams I have had

every one a red balloon

now it's all over and I'm standin' pretty

in this dust that was a city

if I could find a souvenir

just to prove the world was here

and here is a red balloon

i think of you and let it go

(shortened version of '99 red balloons' by nena. for more images in this series, visit more balloons)

cover the face and ride on

2011-05-23T17:29:00.029+05:30

rickshaw-pullers in imphal cover their faces while ferrying people about town. the weather is pleasant. they don't need the piece of cloth to protect their faces from the heat. they do it for a different reason — most of them are graduates (bachelor of arts, bachelor of commerce, etc) who got no jobs. "it is embarrassing to be a rickshaw-puller in a small town where everybody knows you, so you have to hide your face," says tombi sana, who has been driving a rickshaw after finishing college. recently, the government has banned them from covering their faces because some insurgents infiltrated civilian areas posing as rickshaw-pullers.

state museum, manipur

2011-05-20T17:47:00.070+05:30

former prime minister of india indira gandhi inaugurated the manipur state museum on September 23, 1969. from a humble beginning, this museum is now a full-fledged cultural centre comprising several galleries.

the 'pung cholom' dance is an important part of manipuri sankirtana music. this dance is performed as a prelude to the famous 'ras lila'. the dance continues in a smooth rhythm and ends in a thunderous climax. performers jump high and dart sideways without breaking the rhythm of music while working on the pung (a kind of dhol).

the ras lila is a classical form of manipuri dance inspired by the love story theme of lord krishna and radha. the dance is graceful and mainly consists of slow movements. it is placed among india's most-acclaimed classical dance forms. the costumes are elegant in bright colours, mainly red and green.

national highway 39

2011-05-18T17:31:00.017+05:30

from numaligarh in assam to moreh near indo-myanmar border, covering approximately 430 kilometres.

(what's your road, man? — holyboy road, madman road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road. It's an anywhere road for anybody anyhow — jack kerouac)

daily living in old delhi

2011-05-18T15:40:00.023+05:30

street snacks.

small hardware shops.

tour operators. delhi's launchpad to mecca.

residents.

jama masjid.

rickshaws.

we are what we collect

2011-05-17T23:10:00.024+05:30

tv channels used to send us thick booklets containing information about their programmes. the bulky couriers every month would contain 4x6 inch-large images depicting the shows. my former colleague, atul vishwanathan, and i would pin them on our desk. while mine were the boring animal and nature stuffs, he was more interesting in collecting images sent by discovery channel, bbc news and local movie channels. here is his signature mix. (2009, the times of india, bangalore)

health is wealth

2011-05-17T16:05:00.015+05:30

ravi priya, owner of www.stockwala.in, enjoys a tower of beer (residency road, bangalore).

while some people prefer to detox early morning at a park not far away (austin town, bangalore).

next generation

2011-05-15T15:58:00.034+05:30

leimakhong army base, imphal.

senapati bapat road, pune.

nai sarak, delhi.

kumbalgodu lake, bangalore.

fort cochi, ernakulam.

in the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice — charles dickens

valley surrounded by nine hills, imphal

2011-05-14T15:49:00.133+05:30

the bustling imphal municipal town, capital of manipur, is surrounded by nine hills. it is the largest valley in northeast india. since 1990 the town has developed into a mini-city and pollution levels have increased — the tradeoff of urbanisation.

there is an airport in imphal. road transport within the valley is robust and all districts in manipur are well-connected with one another. but inter-state connectivity (with assam and nagaland) is a problem because of the surrounding nine hills, which are difficult to navigate.

the staple food is rice and fish. the valley has large swathes of fertile land suitable for paddy cultivation and rainfall is generally favourable. wheat consumption is abysmal in manipur. there are some freshwater lakes in the valley, the largest being the loktak lake, and some rivers as well. but the reason why fish is the staple (next to rice) is because vaishnavite hindus in manipur have a long, close bond with west bengal since the 15th century (as per state and national archives data). inter-community marriages, cultural exchange and travel over the centuries brought various bengali elements in manipuri culture, which are seen even today.

engineering student m lokendro and chartered accountancy student r amarjit say they like to roam about the countryside on their honda activa whenever they come home from bangalore during study breaks. lack of economic stability in manipur has resulted in insurgency activities since the 1970s. dissatisfied youths take up arms against the state and union government. however, sporadic violence is confined to border villages and deep in the jungles. it's life as usual in the towns and no armageddon-like events happen as usually reported by hysterical tv channels and inflammatory magazines. "more people die of road accidents every day in the metros. many are maimed by muggers every night," says amarjit, laughing. "and they make such a big fuss about my home."

(how to reach imphal: direct flights from new delhi, bangalore, kolkata and guwahati. connecting flights from all other cities. by road from guwahati and dimapur. by train from new delhi, kolkata and bangalore till guwahati, rest of the way by flight or road. there is no need for any special permit to enter the region, as believed by many. couple of budget and three-star hotels, and volunteer guides available. for more information, contact journey basket)

summer snacks

2011-05-11T16:22:00.058+05:30

ice-cream may be the best snack in summer, but this man seems to know where the real money is — fresh fruit. peculiarly known as 'cut fruit' at canteens across india, it is one of the best-selling summer item. easy to get, wallet-friendly and tasty. (connaught place, new delhi)

normally made from rice or flour, papad is a popular accompaniment in indian meals, although the amount of consumption differs from region to region. it is light, easy on the stomach and has a salty taste. like the 'cut fruit', papad is a famous grab-and-go item. this boy takes a break from hauling his livelihood. (palika bazaar, new delhi)

sunbath with god, haridwar

2011-05-10T15:29:00.017+05:30

haridwar is where one gets closer to god amid chaos, soap bubbles and wet towels. located at the banks of ganges rives, it is home to the world's largest congregation of people — the kumbh mela. at least 40 million people have bathed here since January 2010 (media reports). the complete kumbh mela is held every twelve years, while the normal mela is held every three years. in between people like to take a plunge into the ganges just like that.
(colour treatment: direct positive, adobe lightroom 3)