Why I loved being in India so much...

"My dad takes his afternoon nap on his scooter [behind] our room while mom cleans the...room..." From Atul Loke's photoessay My Chawl: One Big Family. Photo: Atul Loke

I was in India for the past five months. I just got back a week ago and am settling back into regular life in the U.S. Hopefully the blogging will also pick up, now that I have regular internet access. I have SO many thoughts running through my head about things I should write about, including where this blog is going.

Someone asked me recently why I liked being in India so much. What few knew was that my India trip was supposed to be a six week trip that turned into five months (I only returned because I ran out of money and had to start working again)!! How that happened is something I'll write about later.

India is overwhelming; but if you let it wash over you in waves, rather than be shell shocked, you'll find great comfort in her richness. I found that I could spend hours just watching life bubbling up in the alleys of any city or village I was in. I was reminded of this as I browsed through Atul Loke's excellent photoessay about Life inside his Chawl. (A "chawl" is something like a college dorm facility; a multi-family residential facility constructed to house largely labor classes and their families. A characteristic feature of the chawls is that several families share single toilet and bath facilites).

Firstly, I'm blown away by this man's talent. He is just one of the many silent geniuses spawning across the expanse of India's varied landscape (and the developing world, in general). But more importantly, notice the richness of the life just oozing out of every picture. This is why I couldn't tear myself away from the place...

[hat-tip @yoginisd for pointing me to his work]

You've got to watch Ryan Lobo on TED

(photo source: photobucket)

Ryan Lobo was one of the stars of TEDIndia, in my opinion. His presentation was not only spot-on point, but hauntingly beautiful and poignant. It was wonderful to come across someone so young and talented, and brave enough to go in a direction that his soul dictated. In the process he has collected a jewelled archive of stories; three of which he shared with the audience.

I've had the opportunity to interact since then with Ryan on a personal level; away from TED, in a more relaxed atmosphere, he indulged me in more stories over steaming cups of chai. I was moved by his earnest desire to do his job well, his commitment to authentic story-telling through multi-media, and most importantly by the person he is. Behind all his talent is an amazingly down-to-earth, accessible, yet deeply thoughtful human being.

One in 8 Million photoproject

The visually stunning One in 8 Million photo project (photosource: NYTimes)

Thanks to a friend (hat-tip GK), I came across this visually stunning photoproject, called One in 8 Million, that highlights the interesting lives of everyday people in New York City...like an 80 y/o tabloid photographer, a young female pathologist who has been performing autopsies at one of NYC's busiest hospitals, a 72 y/o accountant who works by night rather than the day, a chinese woman who adopted an ethiopian child, a teenage mom who was changed by the experience, etc.

Definitely check it out...

Links I liked

Almost all my links today are TED related. This is not always the case, but there was too much good stuff:

1. Naturally 7, a group that could do an entire symphony using only voice, had us all rocking and jumping on our feet. You've GOT to check them out!

2. In the past few months, Nandan Nilekani (often referred to as the "Bill Gates of India") has been getting a bit overexposed; but his TED talk was actually quite good.

3. Stewart Brand's take on squatter cities and how they are the cities of the future.

4. Q&A session with one of my favorite photographers ever, Yann Arthus Bertrand.

Links I liked

1. Brilliant aerial photographer (another of my heros) Yann Arthus Bertrand's Home project has premiered today. Its an ABSOLUTE must-see.

2. A picture from the recent Indian election that describes the state of India and its politics in one fell swoop. Ironic, Funny, and sad.

3. A case for why to stop envying millionaires and only envy billionaires(!!)

4. Finally there is evidence to show that poverty does not equal stupidity (duh!)

5. I'm not a huge fan of blind copying, nor would I ever recommend it. But I thought this post was interesting.

Preston Merchant's look at the Indian Diaspora

Thanks to a friend (aka Chickpea), I was turned onto Preston Merchant's brilliant coverage of the South Asian diaspora through a photography lens. You can view some samples of his work on his website. Unfortunately, they are very well protected, so I can't link to a lot of them...





Also read his amazing blog, that chronicles his travels while putting his book together.

Amazing Time Magazine Photoessays

Time Magazine photographers have outdone themselves again. In the past couple of weeks, they've put out some powerful photoessays on a range of interesting topics. Here are some:

1. Can Change Come to Congo? By amazing photographer James Nachtway.

2. Happy 200th Birthday Darwin. A collection of photographs of Darwin and his work.

3. Spiritual Healing Around the World.

4. Portraits of Abraham Lincoln.

5. Slumdog Entrepreneurs. Real life entrepreneurs in the same slums (Dharavi) that the move was shot in (see picture above; photo credit: Daniel Beheruhak).

6. Healthcare in Tehran.

A model aid story

Does "aid" work? I don't know.

This question often makes me want to define "aid." What is "aid"? Is it charity? Does it mean giving away large sums of money, or materials, or time?? I don't know. I don't think so. I think that's a really narrow definition of the word "aid." And within that definition, I know LOTS of "aid" projects that don't work. "What works" has rarely been studied. So I do my own studies. When I come across a good story, I run over it several times and try to come up with my own conclusions of what made something work.

This morning, I came across this story on TED. And I'd define it as a model "aid" story. There is giving, there is receiving, there is development. There is even the white man's burden portion of the "west" giving to the "east." Better still is that there is success, happiness, joy, humility, beauty, lessons on both sides, and a great story.

There shouldn't be one "aid" model. Not everyone can go out and do work in the field. Not everyone can give millions of dollars. The best "aid" stories are organic, and are customized around the giver and the receiver (hence the success of the Secret Millionaire). The receiver gets what he/she most needs; the giver gives exactly what the receiver needs (ideally suited to the giver's strengths); and ultimately both the giver and receiver exchange roles. Both learn, both are connected, both are humbled.

Watch this. Tell me what you think.