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We sat on these ants. After a hot crazy night of tuk-tuk errands, we stopped for a Coke along Bannerghatta Road; exhausted, we sat on this cement bench surrounding some kind of tree. After we sat for a minute, Pam leaped up, grabbed her purse, and yanked me up as well. These little buggers were everywhere. We spent the rest of the night brushing off itchy creatures, real and imagined alike.
By the way, the Canon 5D Mark II does indeed open up a lot of possibility in low light…
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* Pam’s friends and family often call her by the nickname, “P-dog.” It’s a long story, ask her sometime… ;)
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After a crazy trip through the market we went to what we thought was a safer bet: a nearby Hindu temple. One by one, we paid our respects to a large number of the vast array of Hindu gods, and made a small to less-than-small “donation” at each station. The picture above shows one of the holy men at a station belonging to the god in the background. On our way out of the temple, we were approached by a pair of women, who had been making their own worship rituals here, and wanted to speak with us in private. They told us, in very hushed tones: “If you want to give money, please do; there is a box outside the temple for that. But you should not give money to the men in the temple, they just steal from you.” I guess religion is the same all over :)
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I have no idea what these guys are selling; could be soap, candy, wax ? This was in Noida, at the amazing daily outdoor market there. Noida is a tech suburb, home to Adobe and other newcomers to what was, until 10 years ago or so, a rural village. Consequently these guys, and all the other bike-riding, cart-pulling locals, speak no English whatsoever. Not even “Yes,” or “No.” Anyway, I like the picture and especially the lone, gas-powered light bulb thingie; these lanterns are ubiquitous at the market after sundown.
I’m not implying that this collection of stories accurately represents India, but I am saying that all of these stories ran in The Times of India on ONE day.
Gandhi approved killing stray dogs
Donkeys fetch record prices due to labour shortage
Teacher hacks, burns student to death
Women devotees throng to cook rice on streets
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Routine sight here: vendors and small businesses on the sidewalk everywhere. Shave and a haircut with a wooden chair and a mirror on a tree? Don’t laugh: micro-businesses like this are keeping India insulated, so far, from the larger scale economic downturns that other developed countries are experiencing. Plus, these guys really know how to shave a face.