First Impressions of Rajasthan

Saris on parade

Katrina and I have been in Rajasthan for roughly seven days. Usually, a week is long enough for me to get at least a basic sense of a place, but Rajasthan is a bit more difficult – at least for me.

Looking for the china shop, Udaipur

Different states in India seem almost like different countries to me, and coming from Kerala, Rajasthan is quite a change. Kerala is far South, Rajasthan is North. Kerala is comprised of steamy, tropical coast and cool, lush mountains. Rajasthan is Desert – the land of camels, colorful turbans, amazing mustaches, and nose-rings the size of padlocks.

Veiled beauty

People in Kerala are more outgoing, whereas in Rajasthan, people seem more aloof. I don’t want to make it sound like people in Rajasthan are unfriendly, rather, it seems harder to crack the surface of the cultural barrier. Once a crack forms, however, the goodwill can come as a flash flood.

One place I see this is in making portraits. Once I talk to a person and take their picture, all of the people nearby become animated and want me to take pictures of not only them, but of all of their friends too. For a photographer, it seems this should be a great thing, but I often wind up taking pictures more for them than for me. I find myself weighing whether it is worth taking a photo of one particularly appealing person, knowing that a photo-frenzy will ensue. However, the best example of a sudden rush of goodwill happened on our first evening in Jodhpur.

Jodhpur, near Sardar Market

We were photographing in the bazaar surrounding Jodhpur’s clock tower, when Katrina struck up a little friendship with three young women from a nearby village in the big city on a shopping expedition with their parents. As Katrina and I walked around the market, we kept bumping into the family -- so often that it became a bit comical.

Father and Daughters, Jodhpur

At one point, Katrina saw the family at stall selling cheap jewelry, so she went over to buy a bracelet there. The market woman started the haggling with a ridiculously inflated price, and the girls helped Katrina to find a reasonable (at least for a tourist) price. All this with no common language other than a calculator and hand gestures. As Katrina negotiated, a bit of a crowd gathered around. Finally, a price was agreed upon, Katrina handed over a bill, and the woman tried to under-change her. Katrina firmly, but coolly, told the woman to keep handing over the rest, and won the respect of the crowd with her market savvy; even one of the other shopkeepers commented to me, “Your wife is very intelligent.” After Katrina’s new friend helped her put the bracelet on, Katrina bought a second bracelet and gave it to her new friend.

Three daughters

When Katrina started putting the bracelet on her friend’s wrist, the surface cracked. The whole group that had been observing Katrina suddenly became very animated and pressed in, smiling and talking excitedly. The girl was overwhelmed and hardly knew how to react – neither did she know what to say, as she didn’t speak English. Finally, she led Katrina away by the hand, as she and her two sisters, all balancing heavy bags of goods on their head, walked back to the bus stop. After saying goodbyes, the family boarded the bus.

Heading Home

Katrina’s new friend took a window seat so that she could wave goodbye some more, and Katrina took a photo of her doing so. The bus sat for a few minutes, so Katrina went over to show her new friend the photo and the girl insisted that I take a picture of her leaning out of a bus window with her hand on Katrina’s shoulder. When the bus finally pulled away, the girl waved at us all the way down the block.

I think this little event is one that will be long remembered for a long time – on both sides. And it all stemmed a little good will and a 40-cent token of friendship. That is the kind of event that makes all of the hassles and discomforts of travel well worthwhile to me.

A forced smile, Rajasthan

Today is Better Than Two Tomorrows

During our first visit to Laos, Katrina and I had the pleasure of meeting Anna Rogers, an Irish documentary film maker who was working on a documentary about two young novice monks.

In addition to being a talented filmmaker, Anna is an absolute blast to hang out with. A particularly memorable evening from our trip was the night she brought us to her friend's wild (and very non-traditional) Laotian party, complete with blaring house music and drag queens... but I digress.

The point is that Anna's film, Today is Better Than Two Tomorrows, has finally been released. It was selected for the Jameson Dublin Film Festival, and played to a sell-out crowd. As the movie's website notes, Anna filmed this movie herself over a period of years (it was well under way when we met her in 2005) with no crew or translator - truly an impressive achievement, and a labor of love! I cannot wait to see the finished product.

Just before we left home, Anna contacted me to ask if she could use some of my images from Laos to promote her movie. I am pleased to say that she chose to use my image of a novice walking with an umbrella for the movie's poster.

Besides being the work of our friend, I am eager to see this film as the theme of the movie is very much in the spirit of the book that Katrina and I are working on.

To find out more about Today is Better Than Two Tomorrows, see the movie's website, or visit movie's Facebook page.

P.S. Anna, you better come through with those posters or I'll tell all the details about that party!

Munnar Hill Station, Kerala

Tea Plantation near Munnar, Kerala

After spending time in the steamy lowlands of Kerala, the cool mountain air of the hill station of Munnar was a refreshing change. In the Late 1800's the British (or rather their subjects) laboriously cleared the mountains here of their thick native forests and replaced them with...well, tea.

Plantation Worker

A LOT of tea.

...and not a drop to drink

Actually, the largest tea plantation in the world. Almost all of the land here is now owned by the Indian mega-corporation, Tata. Since the tea trees are kept at bush size by constant harvesting of new leaves and a jolly good trim every five years, the mountains have the look of an enormous manicured English garden. And this garden goes on and on. Up one mountain and down the next, with occasional company towns for the workers.

The hills are alive... All that's missing is the Van Trapp family

The upside of Tata's property monopoly is that development here has been curbed, as there is virtually no land for sale - and the land that is for sale is extremely expensive.

The hunter has become the hunted!

In the colonial days, the tea harvesters earned one or two rupees for a day. Just enough to keep them alive. Now, however, the tea workers are compensated remarkably well. We were told that the workers now earn quite a comfortable wage (as much or more than a tour agency employee we met in Kollam). Additionally, the workers have unions and eight hours per day, six days a week. They are provided free housing, medical benefits and a couple weeks paid vacation; they also receive two blankets a year.

Woman at a Plantation Village

Plantation Workers on Lunch Break

One of the great pleasures of our trip to Munnar was meeting Mr. Joseph Iype and his charming wife Thankachi. Joseph is 79 and has lived in Munnar all of his life; Thankachi is 69 grew up elsewhere in Kerala. Now that Joseph is "retired" he runs a tourist information center and has started running Zina Cottages Guest House by renting out his extra rooms.

Thankachi Joseph and Joseph Iype holding a photo of their daughter

Joseph and Thankachi have been married for 54 years. As Thankachi herself says, she was married too young, just before her 15th birthday. For most women this would have meant the end of her education and the beginning of a life solely devoted to raising children. However, As Thankachi told us, "Joseph was too good of a husband, too good of a father, and too good of a friend." Joseph insisted that his wife be his intellectual equal, and paid for Thankachi to attend the best school possible, even though the school was in a different state. Thankachi would spend two weeks at school and then Joseph would take her home and help her with her studies for two weeks. During exam time, Joseph would go to her school to help her study. Eventually, Thankachi received a Bachelor's degree in English.

Together, they raised a son and a daughter. Though it was not easy economically, both were sent to the best schools, and both have become very successful. They are also extremely proud of their grandchildren, all of whom are University educated. One of their grandsons is an engineer, and at the time of our visit was in California receiving special training for his work.

So where did this family tradition of high education begin? Joseph's father was a supervisor of one of the tea plantations and earned a meager 3 rupees per day. Nonetheless, he made sure that all 10(!) of his children were well educated. Truly an inspiring family.

Kerala, India

Man in the Kollam Bazaar

We have spent the past week-and-a-half in Kerala, near the far southern tip of India on the Arabian sea. Kerala has a centuries-long history as a spice trading center, having done trade with the Romans, Chinese, Arabs, Dutch and Portugese. Good luck trying to haggle with these people!

Cigarette Break in the Spice Bazaar

One of the visual icons here is the Chinese fishing net. The basic design of these nets was learned from Chinese traders hundreds of years ago, but the nets are still in use all over Kerala.

Chinese Fishing Net, Fort Cochin

Kerala is a friendly, laid-back state. It is also home to a successful, freely-elected communist government, which seems to be doing a very good job of taking care of its citizens. Things are not all roses, but we are told that unemployment is low, there is good support for poorer citizens, and even menial laborers earn a far better living than they do in other states.

Porter Unloading Bags of Rice

Literacy and education in Kerala are the best in India, and as a whole, the children seem genuinely happy. While there are not many jobs here, many Keralans find good jobs abroad and bring money back home.

Running along the Waterway

Still Smiling

Many people attribute the outstanding level of education here to the foundations laid by Portugese missionaries hundreds of years ago. I believe that much of Kerala's current educational success is due to the fact that, unlike much of India, Kerala strictly enforces India's anti-child-labor laws. You do not see children begging here, because for the purpose of this law even begging is considered work.

Lunch Time

More Pictures From Kerala

Hindu Boy in Fort Cochin

Old Man Feeding Leftovers to the Cows

Beautiful Village Girl

One-eyed Beggar in Kollam

Match Factory

Match Maker

Packaging Matches

Laborer Removing Bricks

A Cute Kid