Images of Rajasthan
by charlene
(Hop over to the galleries for more pictures.)
Back in 2008, Eileen and I managed to plan and execute a holiday together, just the two of us. We were throwing destinations around for ages, and finally decided on Rajasthan with Peregrine Adventures. I’d kicked and screamed and dragged my heels about it for a while, as at that point, the three places in the world I never wanted to visit were China, India and Singapore (being a Chinese-Indian Singaporean; long story). Eileen, being the dutiful best friend, rolled her eyes, smacked me figuratively on the back of the head in oh-fer-godssakes-get-over-it style, and we were settled. It was a holiday I could scarce afford, but I never regretted it despite having to live on instant noodles and the like for a while.
Of all the things I expected to (and did) experience – Delhi belly, culture shock, crowds, smells, noise, sights etc etc and etc – the one thing that caught me completely by surprise was the crazy sensory overloading. Day 5 of 18 saw me quietly imploding from all of the above combined at shrieking intensity. It’s been mentioned here before that I have hermit tendencies, but I hadn’t realised just how fragile my protective hermit-maintenance shield was until that point.
I got over it though, as you do, and had a wonderful time. The weird thing about being somewhat Indian-but-foreign-looking in India is that just about everyone I paused next to, was super curious as to just what I was. Ferengi is not just an alien race in Star Trek, it is also a pejorative term for “foreigner” in Hindi. I’ve never spoken to so many strangers in short order, ever. It was/is a distinctly unique experience in my quiet, unexciting life. I’ve never been more tickled, nor made to feel as welcome as I was, despite wearing cargo shorts with legs – knees and all – on display, which was somewhat inappropriate of me, a fact which took me ages to cotton on to. Idiot.
I’d go back to India in a heartbeat.
*
This is one of my favourite images of that trip. Old man, in an alley, enveloped in his own pocket of silence:
The tour group had stopped in the village (if you can call pop. 60,000 a village) of Nimaj for the night, and Ted (a group mate) went for a walk that evening. We stopped in turns to chat with some kids and take random pictures, and a bunch of townfolk came to see what we were about. They were enchanted with the digital camera and hammed it up, asking for their photos to be taken, slapping one another on the back because they all thought they looked funny in the camera’s LCD. These were two of those characters:
I never wanted a Polaroid camera like I did then, so they could keep a picture each. But pixels were all I had.
After 18 days in India being a target for street hawkers trying to sell you everything, I’d perfected the leave-me-alone mental shielding that kept them all at bay. This young man however, followed Eileen and I around Mandawa town despite the various cloaking methods I tried to employ, and the five rupees we gave him to go away. What stopped him at the end though, was me threatening to take a picture (and actually doing it), which he wasn’t happy with. I felt pretty bad afterwards, but thought nothing more of it, until coming back to my cushy first world existence and downloading the images off my cards.
Those eyes, that gaze, have been burned into my mind for 3 years. I suspect they’ll stay.
I’d like to live in India, like so many other travellers were doing, from place to place for months at a time. Just soaking it in.
More pictures can be found in the galleries.
Great shots, John
Cheers!
Great pics.
It’s nice to see someone appreciating Indian hospitality. A short while ago I wrote an article as to where are we losing our values? You are restoring my faith on foreign ideology towards India.
As far as I recall, Western travellers who have been to India and taken the time to get to know her, have always deeply appreciated Indian hospitality. It’s pretty hard not to. Cheers!
fantastic photos!!! you have a brilliant talent. how lucky that I found this blog. I am so wishing to go to India and hope that next year will be the one. thanks for sharing your experiences.
Cindy
@notjustagranny
Cheers Cindy. Thank you for dropping in :)
brilliant photos! I love India and I feel like I am there looking at these.
Thank you! Very happy they resonate.
Wonderful shots, your use of colour is inspired. I have often seen images of India and Asia in genreal with these wonderful saturated qualities, I know how hard they are to achieve, on my honeymoon in Asia I could’nt quite get it, even with my new camera. Keep blogging these should be seen and celebrated!
That’s a big compliment coming from an artist. Thank you muchly!
it’s been 6 years now that i have been studying in India and Rajesthan is ‘this only one place’ in India, which has its culture so preserved. the last time i went there was for my research trip for Indo-Aryan culture and Balaji temple. and what i came across was amazing! i love the whole state of Rajesthan. every corner is so full of culture and tradition. it’s amazing. and i must say, you have such a nice click! :D
This was the only trip I’ve ever made to India, so Rajasthan is about as much as I’ve seen of it. It really is amazing! Thanks for stopping by :)
Love the color..the motion..the blurr. So very creative and perfectly joyous!
Cheers Marcie!
I have been studying the whole gallery and I really like your take on street photography in India. Also makes me want to go. We shall see :) Awesome mate. I hear you on the street hawkers, I find them so incredibly hard to deal with, really got to me in Cambodia too.
And yes the eyes of the kid in that image are haunting.
Thanks mate. I haven’t looked at these images in years as I’d written them off as a disappointment quite shortly after the trip. But coming back to them slowly has brought back memories and given me the opportunity to think more on some of the things I thought I had forgotten, or not really given much thought to before.I don’t think National Geographic or Lonely Planet will be hiring me anytime soon though, shame really!
Love these images Charlene. Damn it! You make me want to go to India even more than I already do!!!! Just beautiful…
Thanks Emma. I can’t believe you haven’t already been though!
Do you know..we may have been in India at the same time? I was keeping a blog back then (which I’d mostly forgotten about), but maybe you’d like a peek, :)
http://toppsyturvy.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/on-being-a-z-list-celebrity/
I’m sure you weren’t in Rajasthan at the same time as me, as Mat and I chose to go in the hottest part of the year, and nearly melted into a zillion puddles for our bad planning. A tour company would be much smarter about the whole thing!
Ha! I was there 2 months before. And it was pretty hot. Exactly like WA in fact. Hence the shorts and tshirts I wore all day and night (did not bring a single pair of pants that covered my knees, much to the…er, astonishment of many local men.)
I’m going to end up reading your old blog from start to end. You know that right?
I’m sure shorts to the knees wasn’t that scandalous…we did our camel safari with a group of 18 year olds on gap year. They were in singlet tops, shorts, everything falling out on all sides. It was quite painful to watch.
I had some deeply unflattering fisherman pants things and a rotation of long-sleeved cheesecloth tops. To even it out somewhat.
Eh..it’s pretty hit and miss. But be my guest! :)
Stunning work Charlene! You have a fantastic ability of capturing the moment. A true artist. (jealous I am :))
Hah! I’m posting the ones I want you to see. Ratio of sh*t to keepers – 9:1!
Great shots! I wouldn’t write these off as a waste at all.
How are you finding the Photoshelter website?
Thank you. And HELLO. You’re back! :))
Loving Photoshelter. Easy as anything. Just gotta get off my arse and do this integrating blog template + photoshelter + (gasp) roll it all into one domain and I’m set. I think.