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Novice Buddhist monks blow horns made from sea shells before a morning puja (prayer) at Pemayangtse Gompa near Pelling in the Indian Himalayan state of Sikkim October 14, 2009. Pemayangtse built in 1705, literally translated as 'Perfect Sublime Lotus', is one of Sikkim's oldest and most significant Nyingmapa monasteries. REUTERS/Tim Chong (INDIA)
The Gateway of India was built during the British Raj in Mumbai, India. It is located on the waterfront in the Apollo Bunder area, South Mumbai and overlooks the Arabian Sea.
Barsana Holi Festival, India
The Hindu festival of Holi, also called the Festival of Colors, is celebrated with much enthusiasm in the month of Phalgun, which usually corresponds to the month of March. It marks the arrival of spring and the bright colors represent energy, life, and joy.
This exuberant festival is associated with the immortal love of Lord Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Nandgaon-Barsana-Goverdhan-Vrindavan as well as Mathura - the cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation. Apart from the usual fun with coloured powder and water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality.
IT'S OK
You cannot shoot india, or talk about any trip there without touching on the poverty. Of course poverty is relative. I was genuinely expecting to see a lot more "poverty" than I did. I suppose my ideas on what that meant to me changed a lot during my time there.
Does poverty mean someone that doesn't have a 40 hour a week job and no social welfare. Someone that doesn't have a bedroom with air conditioning, or someone that cannot feed themselves one solid meal a day to keep their nutrition up?
I think what we in the west see as poverty is very different to what someone in Delhi sees as poverty.
When you look at the face of this woman, what do you see? I had been in India for 12 days when I met this lady. If I had met her on my first day my emotions would have been very different. Before I go on, I did give her some money, but the image was not staged in anyway. Her expression was painted to her face. This is how she makes a living, and she was very accepting of me taking her photo, and I gave her the money afterwards.
After much conversation with many people about poverty in india I feel about it like this, and there will be a comprehensive story about it. I observed pretty closely the different levels of society whilst there, well as much as you can in 2 weeks, and I saw several different levels of people, both in the city and out. There are people who live on the street and have very little. Who struggle to eat well and feed their kids, and stay warm. BUT from my limited observation the numbers weren't overwhelming to me, relatively.
There are 1,200,000,000 humans in india. I am sure if you took the population of australia and extrapolated it out and made the poorest of our population, and they DO exist, visible to all it would be just as confronting. We are just extremely good at hiding them away so that they are not in our conscience.
I know this is a HUGE subject, but one that fascinated me a lot. I have a beautiful, yet sad story of a family I met who literally live in the gutter and eat scraps. Mum, Dad, kids and grand dad. They were lovely, and I have some difficult yet stunning images of them that I will share at some stage.
Peace, Denis
Patriotic Indians on the Indian side of the India-Pakistan border preparing to witness the sunset border closing ceremony.
© 2012 davidMbyrne.com
Elsewhere: Click here to see this and other pictures as uploaded to my India-Pakistan Border Crossing Ceremony photography Blog entry. Also, find me on facebook, twitter, Google+ and 500px.
India is a good way to see how colonialism and now globalism destroys local democratically run economies. As Vandana says, politics is about economics and we should not forget this because politics is often said to be controlled by the religious agenda of certain groups and the threat of terrorism.
India came under British control because of the manipulations of the British East India Company, the original transnational corporation. They divided the people into two cultures, that were largely a fiction created from so called "ancient laws" in the process disappearing 9 or so actual cultures and thousands more that were land-based. Having created this artificial apartheid, it was easy to divide the country into two fundamentalist groups, Hindus and Muslims. This dualistic approach was also used in Rwanda as I remember. Once divided it is easy to distract people with divisive issues until violence ensues. Then the Brits decided that the country had to be partitioned into two creating Pakistan to contain the Muslims. This partition in 1947 caused the death of 800,000 people or so in the turmoil. This dualism is the underlying friction that causes India so much trouble today she says.
She also describes how the British used India to jumpstart the British textile mills. The British did not have cotton clothing only wool. When Britain took over India they allowed imports of cotton clothing into Britain for only a short time longer. Then as British factories started weaving cotton, they restricted Indian imports to raw cotton only, in order to give the Brits a chance to get their mills going. (Those satanic mills whose looms toiled for the Spring and Fall fashions that made clothing obsolete so quickly; the first incidence of planned obsolescence.) Once India was no longer allowed to sell to the British market its textile industry collapsed. Revisionists claim that British technology simply outdid traditional Indian manufacturing practices. The example of Britain and India seems to be the model for globalization and industrialization today. (Naomi Klein says globalization is a euphemism for capitalism.)
The rest of the book is devoted to how corporate giants have manipulated their way into taking over India's bio-diversity through the monoculture of industrialized agriculture, indigenous seeds through patenting and GMOs, and finally water rights through the building of dams. At just 168 pages this treatise pretty much sums up how globalization does not bring democracy and prosperity to all, but rather creates fundamentalism and violence by forcing trade into higher technological vehicles thus only the elite of developing countries can participate. And when people suffer an economics of exclusion they are then attracted to a politics of identity ie: religious fundamentalism.
When I saw her speak, Vandana Shiva claimed that this is also why religious fundamentalism has risen in the US. I had a hard time understanding this because here the right wing Christians have enormous power. In this book she talks about how the neocons have married technology to right wing Christian ideology, creating a culture of hate which then covers up the inequities created by globalization. I think this is Vandana's main beef—that reality is constantly being covered up by stories of religious strife in order to hide the fleecing of the poor and the land base.
Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connecting the town with the plains was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 and is one of the few steam engines still in service in India.
India - A view of Gujarat.
The Jat - one of the hidden tribes in Gujarat (India).
Dhaneta Jat girl.
The Jats who live in Kutch are particularly conscious of their identity as a group and their sense of unity comes from a perception of shared historical traditions and a belief in common ancestry.
Originally the Jats were herders who lived in an area called Half in Iran. Five hundred years ago these shepherds migrated from Half and came to Sindh and Kutch to search for new grazing lands. They crossed the Rann of Kutch and settled there taking up farming, they became known as Dhaneta Jats. Some have devted themselves to the study of the Koran and are known as the Fakirani Jats. All the Jats in Kutch are Muslims and have similar marriage and dowry customs.
The Dhanetas are the largest of the Jat Communities. They live throughtout north western Kutch. The Dhanetas live in the Banni, herd cattle. The men care for the animals and women remain in camp looking after their families.
Architecture in Old Ahmedabad (Kalupur).
With both a booming economy and population, much of Ahmedabad is filled with new buildings and businesses. But like most Indian cities, Ahmedabad’s true colors shine through in the old city center, a bustling maze of streets, food carts, and shoppers.
Multi storied buildings operating as brothels at Sonagachi, South Asia's largest red light district in the Indian city of Kolkata, India. May 2, 2017 / Thomson Reuters Foundation/Tanmoy Bhaduri
Sas Bahu Temple, Eklingji, India - Lord Shiva's most common respentation is the lingam or phallic sumbol.
St Francis CSI Church, Fort Cochi, Kerala.
Fort Cochin (presently Fort Kochi) is the oldest European settlement in India and St. Francis Church is the first European Church that was built in India. The History of this Church reflects the colonial struggle of European powers in India from the 15th to 20th centuries.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover the sea route to India when Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498. Two years later, on 24th December 1500, Portuguese ships, under the command of Admiral Cabral, visited Cochin and the Rajah of Cochin permitted them to engage in trade. In 1503 Alphonso Albuquerque was given permission by the Rajah to build a fort at the mouth of the river which was constructed mainly of the stems of coconut trees bound with iron bands, whilst the rampart of stones and sand formed the inner defence. Within the fort they erected a church made of wood which was dedicated to St. Bartholomew and that stood on the exact place where the more spacious existing structure of the Franciscans later arose. In 1506 Dom Francisco Almeyda, the Viceroy, was given permission by the Rajah of Cochin to build a new city using mortar and stone and building roofed with titles (a privilege hitherto been confined only to the palace of the local prince and to the temples in which he performed puja). The Portuguese vowed that apart from the fortifications, the first permanent erection would be a church for divine worship. Accordingly, the wooden structure was replaced with one made of mortar and bricks. The new church was completed in 1516 and dedicated to St. Antony.
Towards the end of 1524 Vasco Da Gama returned to Cochin (his first visit was in 1502) where he died on the Christmas eve of that year and was buried in this Church. Fourteen years later, his remains were shipped to Portugal and deposited at Vidigveria where they remained until 1872 when they were removed to the monastery of Jeronimos in Lisbon, its present abode.
The Church remained in the Order of St. Francis until the arrival of the Dutch in 1663. One of the first acts of the Dutch was to order all European Catholic priests to quit their territory, after which they demolished all the convents and churches of the place, except the Church of the Franciscans, which they reconditioned and converted into their Government Church. On 8th January 1664 they celebrated their first service with a parade of all arms on the anniversary of their entry into the city. During the reconditioning, the stone altar and the wiring guilded screens were removed and taken to the Church of Vypeen, which the Dutch permitted the Roman Catholics to build in 1665, and the communion table and the rostrum furniture were installed in their stead. A tablet over the west door indicates that the Church was renovated in 1779.
The Dutch cemetery here is one of the oldest cemeteries in India. Hundreds of Europeans left their homeland on a mission to expand their colonial empires. The tombstones in this cemetery are the most authentic record of these Europeans who changed the course of history of this land. The cemetery was consecrated in the year 1724. It is owned and maintained by St. Francis C.S.I. Church.
When the British captured Cochin from the Dutch in 1795, they permitted the Dutch to retain possession of the Church for a time. In 1804 the Dutch voluntarily surrendered the Church to the Anglican Communion when it was passed to the Ecclesiastical Department of the Government of India. But when Rev. Thomas Norton came to Cochin in 1816 on his way to Alleppey to inaugurate the work of the Church Missionary Society, he found that the Church was just bare walls, the interior was very dilapidated and part of the roof had fallen in. Later, the building was sufficiently restored to enable Bishop Middleton, the Metropolitan, to use it for a confirmation service during his Episcopal visit to the Malabar Coast.
The change of name of the patron saint was presumably due to the Anglicans, for it was not until 1870 that any reference was made to St. Francis Church. The gravestones laid on the walls of the Church were taken from the floor of the grave in 1886. On the northern sidewall Portuguese gravestones can be seen and the Dutch gravestones on the southern wall. The Vasco da Gama stone is on the ground at the southern side. A table inside the building over the west door shows that it was "repaired by the Government of Madras in 1887, being the fiftieth year of the reign of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India".
The Church possesses an interesting link with the past in the form of the 'Doop Book', the old baptism and marriage register from 1751-1804, which may be accessed in the vestry. It was maintained for 40 years in the handwriting of Predikant Cornelies and was sent to London in 1932 for getting the leaves repaired by experts. It was then rebound in the original style. A Photostat copy takes the place of the original for scrutiny by visitors.
The Church became a protected monument in April 1923 under the Protected Monuments Act 1904. The Cenotaph in memory of the residents of Cochin who fell in the First Great War erected in 1920 and was unveiled by the Governor of Madras on 21st October of that year. The boundary walls were erected in 1924.
The Clock on this Church was erected in the year 1923 in memory of Hal Harrison Jones, a former Managing Director of Aspinwall & Company.
The Pankhas or Fans found in the Church are a reminder of the British opulence of that period.
A few memorial brass plates and marble slabs were erected in memory of very important persons who had dedicated their own lives to this Church and the society. The present furniture were installed when it was under the Anglican order of worship.
The Church of South India (C.S.I), spreading as 22 dioceses throughout the four states in the southern part of India, and in Sri Lanka, owns the Church. There is regular worship service in this Church on all Sundays and commemorative days. On weekdays it is kept open for visitors and tourists.
The Church of South India (C.S.I) – the second largest Christian community in India-is an ecumenical church since 1947.
Campaign poster for prevention of AIDS use of condoms at Sonagachi, South Asia's largest red light district in the Indian city of Kolkata, India. May 2, 2017 / Thomson Reuters Foundation/Tanmoy Bhaduri
the truth about pOtable drinkig water in rural india ...... INDIA SHINING ???...
clean safe drinking water still remains a distant dream in most of indias villages and small towns as well
Indian eunuch groom posses for photograph with other eunuchs during his marriage in the northern Indian city of Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir on 04 December 2010. Eunuch marriage is marked to observe the mourning of the demised leaders of the eunuch fraternity “Kinnar Biradari” during the 10 day long rituals to mark the occasion the eunuch would perform different activities marriages, lunches and dinners hosted by the fraternity members for the “Kinnar Biradari”. Thousands of eunuchs drawn from different parts of India and Pakistan take part in “Kinnar Biradari mourning” being organised in Jammu and Kashmir state after 35 years.
Dharma Chakra Centre or Rumtek Monastery is one of the most important seats of the Kagyu lineage outside Tibet. In the early 1960's, His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, founded this seat. The Centre has become the International Kagyu Headquarters during the life of His Holiness, and was the place from which lineage activities have manifested throughout the world. Here, the younger generation of Kagyu masters are being trained in the traditional study and meditation practices which have continuously been taught and practiced for the last 800 years.
The establishment of the Dharma Chakra Centre, Rumtek, Sikkim, India, includes:
1. The Rumtek Monastery: The beautifully structured main shrine temple and monastery surrounded by monks' quarters, where monks and Tulkus are trained in traditional tantric ritualistic arts and sadhana practices. His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa resided on the top floor and the most of the important relics are enshrined there. More
2. Drupdra Yiwong Samten Ling: A three-year retreat center built in the late 1970's by His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, where traditional three-year retreat training is given, in accordance with the tradition of the Kagyu lineage. More
3. Karma Shri Nalanda Institute: The Shedra, or monastic college, affiliated with the Sampurnnant Sanskrit University in Varanasi, was founded by His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa. The young monks and Tulkus are trained in traditional buddhist education with a touch of modern educational systems. At the top of the old Shedra building, the relic of the Sixteenth Karmapa is enshrined. More
4. Karme Dechen Chökhor: A nunnery founded by His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa, were the nuns receive full training in the tantric ritual arts and sadhana practices.
Guntur Hospital Chapel Preachers, 1922.
Back row (L-R): Dr. Victor McCauley; Mr. V. Ch. John, M.A.; Mr. N.V. Raghavachari; Pastor M. Satyanandam; Mr. P.B. Paul; Dr. John Aberly.
Front row: Pastor P. Philip Leisenring; Mr. S. Bhushanam; Pastor K. Luke; Dr. L.L. Uhl; Mr. Chegudi Joshua; Pastor R.P.D. Augustus; Pastor Murari David.
Used in Guntur Mission Hospital by Anna S. Kugler, p.40.
LCA 16.6.3 box 6 f. 15 India - Missionaries.
ELCA Archives image.
We started on the very south in Kerala. Visited Fort Cochin, watched a crazy Kathakala traditional dance, floated down the backwater canals on a little row boat until our butts got sore. Headed down to Varkala, a beach surrounded by big cliffs. Our train rides this time were better, maybe we were more experienced and tolerant. Took a wrong train once and missed our destination, boarded an unreserved train cart and also boarded an overnight train without confirmed tickets – woo! Visited the British tea plantations in Munnar. Spent time in Goa, dodging the western hippies and meeting Indians with Portuguese names. Unavoidably met the hippies in Hampi but the ruins and temples made up for it.
The North
We visited Mumbai and nearby Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora. In Rajhastan, we visited Jodhpur, Ranakpur, Udaipur and Pushkar. Kept heading north towards Punjab and visited Amritsar and the Pakistani border. Looped around to hippie-center Rishikesh and back to Delhi, once again after our first visit 5 years ago.