What You Need. 1Love

Daily password for WiFi access.

@ Guru Hotel, Anjuna, Goa.

Climbing to the top of the human pyramid

Mid-tier Govindas with harnesses that let others climb above them in the human pyramid. #gokulasthami #janmashtami

Contrasting driving cultures

In a land where the BMW and a bullock cart use the same roads, signboards have to make sure that everyone gets the message.

Where’s my cuppa steaming tea?

If you travel around Kachch, Gujarat, you see most roadside stalls selling tea in saucer measures, never in cups.

At a bus halt, you’ll find the server with a handful of saucers in one hand, while the other holds a jug of steaming tea. No cups. He does brisk business walking around offering tea to patrons, after handing them the saucers.

Seen this anywhere else?

Protecting with symbolism.

Lord Murugan’s weapon, the vel (spade) adorns the entry passage to his temple at Chedda Nagar, in Chembur, Mumbai.

A quick excerpt from Wikipedia says this about his weapons.

Kartikeya symbols are based on the weapons – Vel, the Divine Spear or Lance that He carries and His mount the peacock. He is sometimes depicted with many weapons including: a sword, a javelin, a mace, a discus and a bow although more usually he is depicted wielding a sakti or spear. This symbolizes His purification of human ills.

His javelin is used to symbolize His far-reaching protection, His discus symbolizes His knowledge of the truth, His mace represents His strength and His bow shows His ability to defeat all ills. His peacock mount symbolizes his destruction of the ego.

There’s also some interesting points about the controversy of Murugan being an Aryan or a Dravidian deity with respect to different Northern and Southern myths, if you’re keen to read it.

Urban textures

NYC.

Happy Karthikai. The other festival of lights.

As kids, we always knew it as the little Diwali. It came within a month or so after Diwali, so the firecrackers were always burst in two shifts.

Today, we are older, but less fun than we were then.

If you would like to know a little more about this festival, here’s the Wikipedia link

Hello. I am the Mumbai train culture.

The train came to a halt at Borivali, its last stop, and my destination.

Even before I could get out, people just thronged into the compartment, and soon enough, I was sandwiched between bodies. Tightly packed like sardines, my efforts to get off at Borivali were futile.

And then, the train left for Kandivali on its return journey to Churchgate, with me still stuck inside…

Just another day in Mumbai.

(Borivali Station, October 2008)

Smoke break.

Every week day, hundreds descend in this little nook in Polo Road, Shillong, and bet on archery. The idea is to bet on the total number of arrows that will be shot by the archers. The last two digits are up for grabs. And they typically pay 1:80 Rupees.

When we went, all these archers shot a total of 924 arrows into the target. Some went home rich, some poorer. Nevertheless, everyone comes back again the next day to start things all over.

More pictures here

Window Washers, Mumbai

With window washing still a new concept, the only way to clean windows in new tall buildings is through jugaad (improvisation).

With just basic harnessing, this window washer cleans 11 floors.

Do Not Disturb.

Only in New York.

Illusory protection against unforeseen calamities.

This deadly combination of lime and chilly is enough to ward off any evil coming your way, at least in India.

Happy days are here again

Summertime in New York takes a whole new meaning in itself.

This picture captures the light heartedness, the fun and playfulness you see in abundance at that time of the year.

(At Spring St and Broadway, SoHo, New York, NY)

The train’s approaching

But the dabbawala crossed anyways…

Afternoons were made for siestas.

Anytime is siesta time, especially if you’re working as a loader in Bombay.

Wet Paint.

Spotted in Astor Place Subway Station, New York; August 2011.

Connecting people, everywhere

Nokia art in Varanasi.

Ganesh gives good bhoni

"Bhavani/Bhoni" meaning, starting the day’s business on an auspicious note. The first customer of the day is the most auspicious.