Wall Painters at work

Here is a picture of a worker painting a house. Holding a brush in his hand, concentrating on his work.

Funeral Pyre

Bullock Cart or Bailgadi yatra

Villagers on a pilgrimage. Their mode of travel is the bullock cart. They travel with all their belongings, spend their nights on the road. It's a long journey ahead  -to a temple. The men, women and children.

A very typical sight on Indian highways. They travel in the sweltering heat.

2000 rupee note genuine or fake

This image is taken from an Economic Times article. It is about how to recognize a genuine 2000 rupee note.

Chanachur from Bengal or Bombay mix or simply a mixture

Street food differs from region to region and country to country, but there is some similarity in the different snacky mixtures available on the streets of India. It is a various of puffed rice, chola (cooked beans of different types depending on the region), maybe boondi, finely chopped tomatoes, onion, coriander and most important - spices! Most of the snacks are sweet and sour and a bit hot to taste.

This vendor selling the mixture is from Bengal.

This street snack from Gujarat comprises of various spices and condiments and also a chivda or papdi mixture.

The tomato sauce, green chillies and onion can add a lot of taste to the chivda flakes which are probably made of gram flour or besan.

Here on a Puducherry beach there is some mixture which is mixed with grated raw mango and peanuts to make a tasty snack. And of course red chilly powder and other spices are used to make it tasty.

You might also like Road-side food stalls or street food or check out all the photos filed under Food or Snacks. 

Or Cambodian Sticky Rice street food 

Ambabai Temple in Kolhapur

This is the Mahalakshmi temple at Kolhapur, popularly called as the Ambabai Temple. It was originally built in the 7th century, but unfortunately the original dark stone on the spire has been replaced by ugly white paint. 

The temple has also become very commercial where even elderly devotees are shouted at, pushed and bullied by the female security guards. It is impossible to pray here because of the nasty guards, shouting, and pushing even 88 year old people. This is a personal experience (we had taken my mother in law there), and on a Wednesday, when it was less crowded than usual. We had given a saree, and offerings, but no one seemed interested. The guards have just got used to the bullying and enjoy it. One cannot have even a few moments of peace, so how can God reside here? 

The believers will continue to throng this temple, but we will never go back. 

Tech savvy Indian Rickshaw Driver

This is a photograph depicting how India has changed. To say that everyone has a cell phone is passe. What has changed is how people are using their mobile phones. A cell phone is no more just an instrument to communicate. Cell phones are being increasingly used for entertainment and shopping

In this photograph a three-wheeler driver is watching a movie on his cell phone during his lunch break.

Sale Season in India

These last couple of years sales are a regular feature at the malls and in fact all shops. Prices on left over apparel for example are slashed to 50% or less. A few years ago in India one was suspicious of these sales, convinced that the shop keepers hiked the prices and then then cut prices in a fake sale. Today, most of the sales are genuine. The reasons are that the marketers make their money on the high priced items they sell during the non-sale season, and then want to simply get rid of the rest of the stock as fashions change. Consumers are no longer content with last season's clothes.

Sales of popular brands create a huge rush as is seen below.

When sales are in season, there are sales in almost all shops in a mall. Can get confusing for consumers.

Related Images: Inexpensive shopping in Bangkok or Dubai Mall Photos
Or for images of shopping complexes in India: Mumbai Malls in the Suburbs of Mulund and Malad or Mumbai Malls Exteriors or Interiors of Vashi Malls or Pune Malls - Photos

Palanquin or Doli

In ancient times women from high class or royal families did not travel in public. They used a Palki, or Palanquin. It is now mainly widely for carrying brides, and is called a Doli. It is a North Indian custom.

Portraits of two of the men carrying the Doli.

You might also like to see a Rajasthani Bridegroom on horse, a custom common in that part of India.
More posts about people from Rajasthan: Old Rajasthani lady
Or check out any of the labels below this post.

Eating Ghutka or Gutka

Eating ghutka or gutkha (or gutka) is very bad for health and has been banned in most states in India. It is a form of chewing tobacco and is made of crushed areca nut (betel nut), tobacco, and other ingredients like catechu, paraffin, slaked lime and flavorings. 

By 2013, gutka was banned in 24 states and 3 union territories in India, not that it stopped everyone from having it, specially in the rural areas. 

You might also like Spitting in Public Places

Truck Cleaners and Drivers

These are the kind of scenes - the truck drivers, the colourful trucks and the cleaners which are very typical of India. The cleaner is the truck drivers man friday and cleans the truck and also acts like his assistant in signalling overtaking vehicles or helping the driver park.

The truck cleaner here is lighting up a bidi (cigarette).

A truck cleaner.

A smiling truck cleaner.  Note the colorful painted truck. A bright pink front section!

Even if the truck is white there are innovative ways to make it look fiesty and colorful. Pictures of film stars for example. And colourful cloths tied to the truck also make it more visible. Here, a little boy is the cleaner of the truck.

More pictures of Truck Drivers in India or you might also like to see pictures of Truck Passengers! or Photos of trucks or Truck Art and Truck Painting or Unsafe trucks
Or Cabbies or taxi drivers or Fire Station and Fire engine

Accidents scenes - overturned and smashed vehicles photos  or check all the pictures filed under the label Transport.

Old Rajasthani lady

An old lady from Rajasthan, a poor one. The best part of taking photographs of old people as the lines on their face show how they have lived and who they are.
This one is a curious expression!

She is looking a little worried now that photographs are being taken of her! Her brow is furrowed and no doubt she has faced a lot of hardship in her life.

Her expression shows that she is not reconciled to it although not very happy about the photos! She looks resigned, and a little sad too.

You might also like to see sketches of different expressions: Expressions of irritation, annoyance and anger or if you are looking for more portraits you can check out:  Old Rural Indian Men portraits and expressions
Or try all the posts filed under people for interesting photographs of people from all over the world, including from Rajasthan.

Stinking open drain at Viviana Mall

Maybe this is normal for all parking spaces at public malls, but for me it is a first. An open drain which stinks and if you look closely carries a stagnant sludge of stinky stuff. I do not know if it is legal, but if it is legal, then it shouldn't be as it poses a health hazard. Surely it is a breeding ground for insects like mosquitoes and other insects?

A close look at the grey sludge underneath the grille in the parking lot. I wrote a message to the Viviana Mall on their facebook page and I was told that it would be passed on to the concerned person. That was weeks ago. I really doubt that they will clean up.

You might also like to see pictures of Spitting in public spaces or  Garbage on the roads in India  or People peeing and shitting on the streets in India or KFC Garbage or Garbage trucks or dumpers in India 

Or see other posts on Sanitation

Interesting and colourful people from India!

These are people whose images were captured on the streets, but difficult to figure out exactly what is going on with them. Unfortunately in this first photograph I could not get the face but the outfit itself was intriguing. This old man is dressing himself up in fancy shiny gear, and its curious as to why! He is stuffing something into the back of a scooter. more colourful shiny material.

This one is surely a homeless woman sitting and staring vacantly around.

A closer look shows that she is not old at all, but quite young, possibly in her thirties. And she is wearing make-up, which makes one suspect her calling. Homeless people do not generally use make-up.

You might also like to see Indian Men Portraits

Or for photos of homeless people: Tramps on the streets of Italy or Drunk and drugged people lying on the roads or Homeless in India - Photographs

Ice cream vendor carts

These are photographs of ice-cream carts in India. The first one is a well known brand, Kwality Walls.

However, most of the ice-cream carts that are seen roaming around the city sell relatively unknown brands, and some of them may not be safe to eat! This photo is taken in Puducherry.

An unknown brand of ice-cream, called Bharkadevi Mix Ice-cream! Best to stay away!

Ice-cream of a well known brand, Mother Dairy Chocolate Chip ice-cream being eaten from a cup.

These photographs might interest you: Muesli Nutrition Comparison and misleading labelling or Monkey eating Ice golas! or Young girls enjoying an ice-cream bar or High Calorie Food - Sausages and Fries or Snacks from India
Or check out any of the labels below this post.

Pani Puri or Gol Gappa or phuchka vendors

It is known as Pani Puri in Western India, Phuchka in Eastern India and Gol Gappa in the North. And it's one of the most popular snacks. Small round deep fried puris stuffed with a mixture of mashed vegetables and chick peas, it is dipped in flavoured watery syrup which tastes sweet and sour and then popped whole into the mouth!

It is available in every corner of India, although it not so much in Southern India. Here is a man at a popular tourist spot with his ready-made puris, waiting for customers.

Here is a customer, a little girl who has just finished a plate of pani puris! Her mother is scrambling for some change in her purse. The yellow container has the flavoured water.

A Gol Gappa vendor on the beach. Hygeine is usually an issue because water is used and that is why more and more Indians prefer to make it at home. Fancy places use bottled water.

Your might also like:  Colorful synthetic drinks sold on the streets of India or Coconut water vendor in India or Fruit Vendors vs supermarkets in India or Road-side food stalls or street food in India or Young woman selling raw mango slices in South India or Sugarcane juice vendors

A minute in the life of a street kid

These pictures capture about sixty seconds in the life of a street child, a little girl who was engrossed in a small plastic paper packet. Sixty seconds is the time the light took to turn red.

This cute little girl with a very poignant face gave us a quick glance as the car halted, but otherwise she was least interested.

She was more interested in rummaging through a paper packet and we were curious as to what she was doing.

She seems to be threading something. Maybe a necklace?

She has threaded a pendant into a thick black thread and seems quite thrilled with her achievement,

Here she is, examining the pendant closely. She appears to love it! Small pleasures!

She is back to rummaging in the packet. And the little shiny pendant can now be seen clearly.

You might also like: Children playing in the river water in rural India
Or Street kids playing cricket or Children playing Holi in semi-rural India

More Images of children playing, working and studying: Children playing without toys or Child Labour or Working children or Photographs of children studying outdoors or Child Beggars

Or try the label "Children" for all pictures of kids on this website.

Truck Passengers!

Here are a group of people riding atop a truck, quite a common sight in India.

Another man riding on top of a truck, perhaps to hold the planks of wood.

More pictures of Truck Drivers in India or you might also like to see pictures of Truck Passengers! or Photos of trucks or Truck Art and Truck Painting or Unsafe trucks
Or Cyclist holding a tempo or Chagda in Gujarat (public transport in Gujarat)

You might also like to see photos of Crowded and overflowing public transport  or  Families on two-wheelers  or School Rickshaws with small children or Pune Municipal Corporation Buses or Taxis and auto rickshaws crammed with people or Unsafe trucks or Accidents scenes - overturned and smashed vehicles photos
Or check all the pictures filed under the label Transport.

Small Church in South India

This is a small church in South India. You can see the cultural integration here. Rangoli at the doorsteps. Colourful. It is a Mother Mary church.

A small statue of Mother Mary inside the church. The interiors of the church are as colourful as the outside.

You might also like:  Church Silhouettes or Christmas Tree Silhouette
A large church in Kerala: Ancient Kerala Church called Cheriya Pally
A church and a mosque in one place - Hagia Sophia Pictures. A place of worship for both religions - a churchmosque which is most of the time functions like a museum.