Still in my mood of the railways, now I present to you another antique ride – the chariot.
What inspires me in these chariots is the detailing in the decoration. Strong colours, small motifs and intricacies are characteristic of almost every creative, Indian art form. Makes me wonder – isn’t there art in everything?
Personally, I am a huge fan of the Indian Railways. What attracts me the most though is the view from outside the window – especially of tracks merging and separating. So poetic, don’t you think?
These photographs were on my way to Mumbai. Will share more from the streets of Mumbai, so stay tuned.
The power woman is back. Today, I came across this wonderful woman who epitomises the labour community of India. Tried to catch her in her element this time amidst her work.
The lady was working at a road construction site nearby. I am in awe of her charm – barefoot, beautifully attired, the gorgeous sunlight reflected in the mud thrown down by her- how could I not share this one as a classic power woman m0ment?
Recently I wrote about the famous yellow taxi being smartly used as a marketing tool. Today we go a step further – a rickshaw which has been cut into half and used as a sugarcane juice churning machine. The ingenious India always manages to pop up about on the streets.
I wish I could have captured a shot of the rickshaw alone but the vendor was quite attached and I didn’t have the heart to make him move.
Genius of the likes of Picasso, Shakespeare – we have heard of. How many are acquainted with a simple name like Dashranth Patel? Trust me, he is worth knowing of.
This man is almost a talent thesaurus. Painter, potter, industrial designer, photographer, philosopher, teacher, multimedia artist, and I still think I may have slipped out a few of his attributes. He co-founded India’s premier design institute – National Institute of Design. He has a museum dedicated to his honor- Dashrath Patel Museum in Alibaug, a small town in Maharashtra. (Hopefully I will plan a visit there sometime, and update you with photos from there itself.)
He keeps up with the education of the ‘famous’, being a school dropout. What really draws me towards him is the raw ethic in his work. Its unique and natural. Probably the way man was supposed to be.
Here is a snapshot of his work:
Credit: Dashrath Patel Museum
I am in awe of this man but must admit I am a tad bit envious. Its not his talent which bothers me but the freedom which he had or rather built for himself. I came across how he encountered with photography-while amidst an exhibition in Paris in 1952, he met a man who volunteered to teach him how to use the camera. That was it.
Why did I choose to share this particular man’s story as compared to someone more contemporary? This is how : I woke up this morning thinking about this new blog – then thought about how our world functions. Got thinking about how ‘specializations’ function – A designer must be able to pin point whether it is graphics or product or abstract. A person good with words should clearly be able to differentiate between fiction, taglines, lyrics, poetry or blogs. My point being that there is such a high degree specialization garnished with more streamlining, it makes me wonder – what if there are more people like Patel, people who want more, who are searching for more than what can be put within one box – is there a place today for us?
This one is a small post guys just to wish you for the New Year! Happy New Year guys. Hope you all have a great one filled with laughter and colour.
Courtesy of Willem Pirquin
I passed by this beautiful work of art or should I say advert today while roaming around the streets. This car is actually owned by a company dealing in carpets – Baba Carpets. This car, when not being used for their delivery purposes, is strategically parked outside doing the silent advertising. Brilliant strategy me thinks.
An interesting observation about the ‘streets’ is that you could be standing alone at the same corner for hours and not get bored. Cult Affair will bring to you several such snapshots and stories from life as we see it on the streets. Today though, as a debut, I thought it would be interesting to share with you a book which brings together a scattered breed of street photographers.
Street Photography Now is a book recently published by Thames and Hudson, which features works of 46 famous street photographers from all over the world. This is a short film about the book and street photography in general. What attracts me to this concept is the diversity when it comes to the origin of the photographers contrasted with the similarity in the human habit.
Buy the book online from here. Street photography is particularly exciting because it is so real. The art is determined by the candid and almost unrepeatable moment captured in the shot. The photographer needs to observe constantly and blend into the background with utmost ease, thats it – the quality of the camera, fancy accessories does not matter. I cannot wait to save up some good money to get this book.
I will leave you with a little something I found about street photography – ‘Street photography is a renewable source. If you don’t like what you see, wait five minutes or walk a hundred feet‘ – Craig Riverdale.
Do drop in your feedback and comments below.
Credit: Street Photography Now
Two simple men – looking over at the busy city – peeling and sharing an orange to go with the chat. The view was far to tempting to not be shared with you. I had to strip one of the pictures it off its colour so that you could sense the classic appeal the image had. Oh the comradeship men share!
Was wandering the streets the other day and came across this beautiful scene. What struck me first with this woman would have to be her independence. The ease with which she manages the rug at the back of her cycle and the bag in the front, not to forget the sari she is wearing is not the easiest outfit for cycling.
She is my power woman.
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