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I spent a morning taking photographs at my local butchers. I like the traditional look of the subjects and surroundings and it makes a unique and interesting place to take portraits. I chose here to take portraits for my college portraiture project as i like an interesting background and things to be happening in my portraits, also to portray sides of a person not often shown in a portrait.
A larger than life statue of Ranjit Singh stands proudly outside the Amritsar Town Hall/ Partition Museum. He is considered largely responsible for what Punjab is today. Maharaja Ranjit Singh (circa 1780 –1839) was the leader of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10. After his father died, he fought several wars to expel the Afghans in his teenage years and was proclaimed as the "Maharaja of Punjab" at age 21.His empire grew in the Punjab region under his leadership through 1839. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
And if you thought that street was narrow (see previous picture),
this one is narrower still! This is one of the by-lanes in the back streets of Amritsar. And let alone two tuk tuks, two trishaws could't pass each other here. (which they did eventually, which sent us scampering). Crazy motorcyclists riding fast on their motor scooters with their fingers planted firmly on their horn made things only worse. Indeed, the non existent traffic discipline in Amritsar seem to make the lunatic two wheeler drivers of my home town Poona (Poona) seem like haloed angels! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
This small shop sells cooking pottery. It's just next to the Medina gates, and the surrounding wall is part of the wall that surrounds the Medina.
The Souk is the great draw for tourists, including tourists from other parts of Morocco. But these smaller places are where the locals buy goods and services.
Given the location of this shop, I'm not sure if it's meant for locals our tourists.
An elegant mosque at the Town Hall end of Hall Bazaar. If I remember, our guide referred to it as the Kashimir mosque. Although a mosque looks totally out of place now in Amritsar, it is hard to believe that as recently as 1947, before the partition of India, Hindus and Moslems lived and interacted side by side here in Amritsar. (and in Lahore on the other side before partition changed everything). Back to this mosque, this is the beautiful Khair ud Din Masjid. It was built in 1876 by Muhammad Khairuddin. The mosque holds great importance in India’s freedom struggle. It was from this mosque that Tootie-e-Hind, Shah Attaullah Bukhari, called upon the people to wage war against the British rulers. Apart from the historical and religious importance that the mosque holds, the architecture of the mosque is splendid. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
I spent a morning taking photographs at my local butchers. I like the traditional look of the subjects and surroundings and it makes a unique and interesting place to take portraits. I chose here to take portraits for my college portraiture project as i like an interesting background and things to be happening in my portraits, also to portray sides of a person not often shown in a portrait.
Walking past the Big Mac we'd seen the previous night. It appeared as empty as ever, especially on the first floor, though we did see a couple of people near the entrance on the ground floor. (in the background). We decided to eat more traditional fare and finally settled for the Brother's Dhaba. The food was indeed very good there, if extremely fatty and heavy, in true Punjab style. Many people say that the Brother's Dhaba is better than the Kesar da Dhaba, which is a legend in Amritsar. We could not judge at the time as we had not visited Kesar da Dhaba yet (we did eventually, see subsequent pictures), but after visiting Kesar, we do tend to agree that the food at Brother's is better. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Another shot taken while walking, without stopping, due to which it is not razor sharp. Here is a store well stocked with kitchen utensils and cooking pots. It was interesting to see them selling cooking pots of every conceivable kind! Almost every city in India has well stocked stores like this. In many places, there is a continuous hammering sound or noise of roller on metal as many buyers of cooking pots get their initials etched on the utensils. In the olden days it used to be people with a hammer and chisel etching your initials like say 'C.P.'. Nowadays the engravers use an electrical driven styles, something like a dentist's drill. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
This old man is the local legend. I'm referring to the person at the far end, the man with white skin. He is the one who is reputed to have turned out the present spire which sits atop the main dome of the Harmandir Sahib Golden temple. He was proud of his work and was explaining with some enthusiasm as to how important his work is the the Golden Temple. Another enthusiastic old man we were meeting in Amritsar- just the previous evening, we had ridden an electric tuk tuk,
the elderly driver of which was proud"ch superior to the mass produced ones running around Amritsar today. The assistant of the old spire building legend hears his boss out over a mug of tea. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Amritsar is also famous for ready to fry wafers and this small store was pretty well stocked. Just look at the full shelves inside the store! The young chap at the store was quite agreeable to my taking a picture and waved me on to go right ahead, though he did not look into the camera for a pose. There is a variety of ready to fry snacks here including wafers, poppadums and the one in the foreground (left) which can be fried or used in place of chillies or hot peppers in sauces etc. Yes, my sis in law bought a packet (though not at this store) and it is that spicy! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
My sis in law turns to look at something across the very narrow street as we continue on our heritage walk around the old city streets and by-alleys of Amritsar in northern India. It was a very pleasant walk, and the lively commentary provided by our guide was nothing short of fascinating. Walking on extremely narrow streets with open drainage was difficult enough, but the real hazard was the many crazy chaps on motor scooters zipping along at full throttle with their fingers planted firmly on the horn button. One of them has just passed us as you can see ahead. They made the lunatic two wheeler riders in my home town Poona (Pune) look like haloed angels in comparison! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
A jaywalking mendicant (unless he is one of the staff who works at the Harmandir Sahib/ Golden Temple). I spotted him quite suddenly as he was walking right in the middle of the street right into the traffic.Although not one of my sharpest, I somehow love this picture- especially the back lighting, foggy background and the man's forked white beard! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Large signboard for the Partition Museum, housed in the building of the erstwhile Town Hall. More about this museum later in this album. When we did eventually visit, a day later, this entrance was closed due to a movie shooting sequence, but we could fortunately enter it from the rear entrance. It was most inconvenient to have the museum closed off with police security on a normal working day especially during peak tourist season. Fortunately, better sense prevailed and they closed off only one entrance, not the entire museum, which was very much open and could be accessed from the rear approach gate. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
A representative image of a Samurai warrior in a gift shop in Kyoto, Japan. I am in a large gift shop on the long pedestrian street leading from the bus stop to the Kiyomizu-dera temple (more on that later) and have stopped here to make a purchase of a garment my niece had wanted. While the store assistant was sorting out the billing, I noticed this figure in the display, which another of the store ladies told me was the model of a Samurai warrior. The samurai (or bushi) were the warriors of pre- modern Japan. They later made up the ruling military class which eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo Period (1603-1867). Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns, but their main weapon and symbol was the sword. (Kyoto, Japan, Apr/ May 2019)
An alley for kitchen utensils- that's as narrow as it gets! I mean, I know this is the old city quarter and all, with narrow streets etc., but I fail to see the logic behind making streets so narrow that even two pedestrians cannot pass each other comfortably! Since I cook my own food here in Dubai, I enjoyed walking through this uber narrow alley with stores on either side selling kitchen utensils and cooking pots of every conceivable kind! (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
I spent a morning taking photographs at my local butchers. I like the traditional look of the subjects and surroundings and it makes a unique and interesting place to take portraits. I chose here to take portraits for my college portraiture project as i like an interesting background and things to be happening in my portraits, also to portray sides of a person not often shown in a portrait.
My sis in law strikes a pose inside a 'jutti' or leather sandals store after making her selection. The shoes were quite expensive, and despite the astounding variety you see here, we found little we could wear outside of Punjab, thanks to their garish embellishments and embroidery. The store was offering plain jane juttis in normal slip on style, black or brown, but then these were neither here nor there, so my brother and I decided to pass. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Back in another of Amritsar's congested back alleys we come across yet another trishaw stacked high with home fabrics. These are probably quilts (locally called 'rajai') or light blankets. Although neatly packed, this is indeed a mean load for a puny trishaw pickup truck, especially considering the puny profile of the human who will pedal this load through the stop-go congested inner city streets of old Amritsar. Still, it was a trifle better than the other trishaw pickup we had encountered just moments earlier (see previous pictures earlier in this album) stacked sky high with bulk packed quilts (or pashiminas). (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Never look back is not always a right policy. After hearing out the legendary old man how had turned out the present spire sitting atop the main dome of the Harmandir Sahib/ Golden Temple, I turned around casually to see another spire on display in his shop. Now that was a surprise- just imagine, a metal spire identical to this one now sits atop the main dome of the iconic Golden Temple. And it was made here, right here in this unassuming and nondescript shop! The owner (see previous picture) and his crew had just opened shop and were generally warming up with a cup of tea. I was wondering how much business they could get in a year if the build only spires for Gurudwaras? Maybe they do other types of metalcraft as well-
it was too delicate a question to ask point blank, especially to an legendary old man who was evidently so proud of his handiwork.(Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
Another look at the fascinating store on the way to Hoi An which specializes only in prayer paraphernalia like gongs, shrines, lamp stands, incense burners and candle stands. I somehow did not associate Vietnam with this kind of thing. The sheer line up of stores selling a identical product mix really amazed and surprised me. After passing several of these stores, my guide finally chose to stop at this store- he probably knew the shop assistant you saw in the previous picture. (Hoi An, Central Vietnam, Nov. 2016)
Well, well well, what do you know! I was surprised to see this live radio station behind a large glass panel in the Higaishimuki Shotangai covered shopping arcade in Nara, Japan. I am walking through this market on my way to the Kinsa- Nara station to catch my train back to Osaka, from where I need to catch a flight later that night. I have never seen a live radio station 'in the flesh' before, so to speak, and was quite excited to see the flurry of activity going on inside. The 'On Air' lighted sign you see in the picture only added to the excitement. Another sign says 78.4 Mhz, but I am not sure if this is am or fm. (are there any am broadcasts any more?) Sadly, the bright late afternoon sunlight shining through gaps in the market roof was casting unpleasant reflections on the glass so I had to keep shifting my position to get a better shot. (see next picture in this album). (Nara, Japan, Apr/ May 2019)
A corner store- literally- in a back street in the old city quarter of Amritsar in northern India. I've heard of corner stores and have even seen pictures of one, but this is the first time I am actually seeing one 'in the flesh' (or so to speak). This is hardly a store, just a pavement dweller located ideally in a corner. He is selling what seems to be A to Zee of household goods. Wonder how he secures his wares when he shuts shop for the night. A closer view of the store's wares appears immediately after this. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
the old hardware/housewares store... It looked like it had been abandoned. When we lived there, there was a sweet old guy who owned it. Maybe he's not well enough anymore to manage it...?
The left-hand chap is Andy, the butcher. The right hand chap is another Andy, from the Excelsior cafe down the road. The cafe does the tastiest moussaka, and the names put together refer to that.
C39
Outside Andy the Butcher's - Randolph St.
I was surprised to see this live radio station behind a large glass panel in the Higaishimuki Shotangai covered shopping arcade in Nara, Japan. I am walking through this market on my way to the Kinsa- Nara station to catch my train back to Osaka, from where I need to catch a flight later that night. I have never seen a live radio station 'in the flesh' before, so to speak, and was quite excited to see the flurry of activity going on inside. Sadly, the bright late afternoon sunlight shining through gaps in the market roof was casting unpleasant reflections on the glass so I had to keep shifting my position to get a better shot. Now my moving back and forth and sideways with my large Nikon dSLR pointed towards them attracted the attention of the crew inside. And rather than be offended, the friendly radio station staff actually waved to me with a big smile. Now that was a once in a lifetime experience! Friendliness of the radio station staff aside, I felt good that I had not disturbed them in any way. And yes, they were on air, as a red sign displayed herein proclaimed. (see previous picture in this album). (Nara, Japan, Apr/ May 2019)(Nara, Japan, Apr/ May 2019)
Choosing something nice from the menu at our local Chinese take-away. Today was supposed to consist of a massed family outing to see Pirates Of The Caribbean 3 and then go to the Outback steakhouse. But an accident on the M40 meant that we had to cancel all that (long story). This was the emergency stand-by plan. Not the same, really.
I spent a morning taking photographs at my local butchers. I like the traditional look of the subjects and surroundings and it makes a unique and interesting place to take portraits. I chose here to take portraits for my college portraiture project as i like an interesting background and things to be happening in my portraits, also to portray sides of a person not often shown in a portrait.
We are out of the woods again- out of the congested back streets anway, and are very close to the Harmandir Sahib/ Golden Temple.
The arched structure you see in the background is part of the Golden Temple Complex. So as we near the Golden Temple, we come across this fabulous looking row of marble fronted shops selling temple paraphernalia. These stores sell all sorts of temple related doo dads like head covers (it is mandatory to cover your head when visiting the Golden Temple), turbans as well as other Sikh religion related stuff,
which we will talk about in the next two captions. (see later pictures). We are still on our Amritsar heritage walk- more or less half way through it. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
So very pre-occupied we were with electric tuk tuks scraping past each other and we having to dive for cover into the stores alongside that we nearly missed this structure looming ahead across our path. This is the Darshani Deori , which literally translates as 'sighting gate'. This marks the spot from where Sri Guru Arjun and Sri Guru Hargobind (two erstwhile Sikh religious leaders) would stand to view the Golden Temple. Our guide informed us that this was the spot from where these two erstwhile religious leaders got their first glimpse of the Harmandir Sahib/ Golden Temple. The temple itself is behind us now, so technically, if we turn around, we would be able to get a glimpse of it. No way now, there is just too much congestion and buildings too close together to get a glimpse of two shops behind us,
let alone the Golden Temple which is a couple of hundred yards away.
Not to mention the long building built right around the temple housing temple offices, choultries and stuff. (Amritsar, Punjab, northern India, Nov. 2017)
The Higashimuki Shotengai covered shopping street in Nara, Japan is packed in parts, and surprisingly relative empty in parts, as seen here. Located just beside Kintetsu Nara Station, the Higashimuki Shotengai Shopping Street measures some 250 mtr in length. I am of course walking in the opposite direction, The covered shopping arcade is lined with shops and restaurants, making it probably the busiest shopping area in Nara. I found a nice eyeglasses store in the Higashimuki Shotengai covered shopping street, and ended up picking up three eyeglass frames here- one a Rayban and two local Japanese makes, which the store assistant assured me were the most popular styles currently in vogue in Japan. (Nara, Japan, Apr/ May 2019)