NOTE FROM JONAH (1): The Fate of Old Beijing: A Vanishing World Documentary Screening & Dialog – Saturday, March 19.
NOTE FROM JONAH (2): This is the continuation of a photo series from India. If you’re just joining us, here’s what you’ve missed:
- I’m not alone here
- People ‘like’ my diarrhea
- Dancing In(dia) the Streets
- Indian trains: Contemptibly cozy, crammed and claustrophobic
- Feeding a City Part II: From Macro to Micro
- Confusing realities of child labor
- Enlightined in Bodh Gaya बोधगया
- Kathmandu — You’ve met your match: Varanasi वाराणसी
- Varanasi वाराणसी: Full Photographic Spectrum
- From sea to sand: Welcome to Rajasthan
Traveling any distant in India can pretty quickly help you realize how geographically diverse this place is. After a couple days shooting on the Ganges, I took a short 27 hour train ride across the country. If you travel 27 hours West on India’s fine transit system from the religiously humid environment of Varanasi — you will get out in the dry desert of Rajasthan.
Rajasthan is India’s most Western state, with the Thaar desert connecting India and Pakistan. Coming from Varanasi — the visual difference is immense. Muslim populations are much greater although Hindi is still the dominant culture. Bodies of water seem few and far between. While cows still lay in the streets, camels also join the bovine community.
Camels clumsily trot down the streets while locals shield themselves from the sun with enormous head wraps. I’m hear during February and its already hot. I can’t imagine this place in the summer but I’m told temperatures soar over 40 degrees daily.
One great thing about Rajasthan — the mustache is in. I don’t think WWD cares much on this fashion trend, but almost all man have enormous mustaches or enormous beards like the gentleman above. Photographically, this is just fun.
In general, this part of India felt like I was in the Middle East more than Asia. Yet it is at the cross of South Asia, Central Asia and the mid-East — and those characteristics can all be seen.
Some cities I visited were dense — reminding me a lot of where I was living in Algeria — in the city of Oran. Houses are built not only next to each other, but also on top of each other. Tiny alleys connect the city creating a maze of homes, businesses and communities.
The basics of Rajasthan via Wikipedia:
Rājasthān (Rajasthani: राजस्थाण, pronounced [raːdʒəsˈt̪ʰaːn] ( listen)) (the land of colours[1]) the land of Rajasthanis, is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert), which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan. It is one of the most beautiful states of India which attracts very large number of domestic and foreign tourists in India. The state is bordered by Pakistan to the west, Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the north. Rajasthan covers an area of 132,150 sq mi or 342,239 km². The proportion of the state’s total area to the total area of the country is 10.41 per cent.
While I spent time with these desert people, the colors of the culture and atmosphere never seized to amaze me. Next on the agenda, the bluest city I’ve ever been.
