Mini Oasis

One thing I like about walking around my neighborhood is that every once you are surprised; okay, really I'm surprised quite a bit, but I'm talking about the pleasant escape type of surprise. In the middle of a housing block you'll find a square that is completely green. If you walk around it enough there is sure to be a gate on one side that will let you slip inside and escape the city. It is a neighborhood park. Or perhaps I would be better off saying neighborhood garden. There is a usually a path that winds either through the greenery and flowers or around it. A path that only take a few minutes to completely traverse, and yet it is long enough to force you to breathe deep, appreciate the overabundance of nature that can survive if given a little space, and remember that not everything is concrete.

Roadside jobs: ladder maker

One of the roadside jobs here in Delhi that always captures my attention is the ladder maker. His work leaning up against a simple wall, you can see the choices. Do you need a ladder that is 3 feet or 4? Perhaps longer? Just make a stop of the side of the road and pick a wooden one out. I'm sure they can deliver it to you on a bicycle!

Old Excursions

I was having some trouble coming up with something to write about today. After all it is getting close to the end of the school year (just three more weeks until I fly out of India) and a teacher's motivation goes way way way down as you get closer to the end of the year. So I thought I'd write about two spots that I visited a while back on a day trip from Udaipur.

The first is Kumbalgarh Fort. Constructed on the hills of a small town of rural Rajasthan, it boasts an impressive 15 km of walls protecting the fort and the surrounding land - the only wall construction longer is that of the Great Wall of China. This clearly leaves plenty of space inside the walls for construction. Not just of the fort on the top, but also for the 360 temples which are nestled among the grounds. Built in the 15th century it continued to be expanded and improved until the 19th century when it ceased to be occupied. As you can imagine building such an extensive wall has its own host of problems and there is a legend which accompanies the history of this one. It is said that when the ruler was having trouble constructing the wall in the 1400s, a spiritual leader advised that it would be necessary to have a volunteer for a human sacrifice ritually decapitated. A temple should then be built where his head fell, and the walls and fort along the lines of his body. True or not, there is currently a temple at the main gate of the fort to commemorate the sacrifice. 

The second stop on our day trip was the Shri Ranakpur Jain Temple, an ornate multilevel temple built from 1437-1458. After getting rid of any leather we had on ourselves (the Jain believe deeply in not harming other living beings), verifying we were in a pure state, and getting ourselves down to one camera each, we climbed the stairs up into the white structure. Carved with an impressive amount of detail there we pieces to catch the eye every way you turned. While we couldn't approach the main temple platform, there was plenty to attract attention as we wandered around the inside courtyard of the temple. Filled with columns - each one unique, carvings on the ceilings and the walls, the yellow and red flowers providing a striking contrast to the white marble inside. Truly an example of the exquisite architecture that adorns parts of India. 

Feel good moments

About a month ago I was pleased to find out that one of my photos had been accepted into a photography show an auction. When a former parent had mentioned they were still looking for submissions I combed through some of my favorites from the last year and decided that if I wanted one that would be different from the others then the whirling monk would be a good choice. As a contributing artist I also got invited to attend the evening. I was not at all sure what to expect from the Glimpses of Asia, but talked a friend into accompanying me so that I could take a look at what else was chosen. I wasn't planning on buying anything, was more going to get a sense of what people liked in terms of photography here - the answer is those pictures that you always wish you had, but never manage to get...Along the way though I had several realizations that made me feel good about my photo. The first happened when I realized mine was one of just a handful that had a higher starting price (unique, I guess?). The second was when the friend I took with me started talking about a picture, about how maybe she had one of almost a similar quality, and how it brought back so many memories....it turns out she didn't realize I actually had a photo in the show, and the one she liked best was the one I took while we were traveling together last summer in Ladakh. Both things that just made me feel a bit more special. I don't often like to brag, but I have to admit I do think the picture is pretty good!