AWARD : CHINA international Press photo Award 2010

I am very happy to inform that my work "The Coal thieves Of Jharia" has won two awards at the presitigious China International Press Photo Award 2010.

1. GOLD PRIZE : Economy Science & Technology News Singles.
2. SILVER PRIZE : People in the News & Portrait Stories.

The wining images can be seen here:
http://www.chipp.cn/content/node_536.htm

Coffee Table Book:"Braj Ki Holi:The Divine Colours of Lord Krishna" available for pre-order

Finally, after almost 3 years of hard work,photography, design and redesign my Coffee table book, "Braj Ki Holi: The Divine Colours of Lord Krishna" is available for pre-order.
To pre-order pl send details to indiansoulbooks@gmail.com, you'll get a 10% off on the MRP of Rs.1500.

Its a lavish production with lots of colour and mood with an emphasis on the images,meant to bring out a smile on your face.The book will be launched in the last week of February and will be available from all the major retail book stores starting March.
Here are some sample pages from the book:

Mumbai at the London School of Economics

The Territory of Joy - Poor Mumbaiker's on their day Off.

These are some of the images from a recently concluded group photography exhibition at the London School of Economics,UK.

The photo essay is about the Poor of Mumbai on their day off and documents the activities they pursue in order to recharge themselves to face their harsh realities.

More images from the exhibition can be seen here:

http://www.photoshelter.com/usr-show/U0000mCG87xLc654

Haji Ali in the rains.....

Haji Ali in the rains..........its mesmerizing........for some photos and for some prayers........

The BRIDGE

the Bandra-Worli sealink

The 'much anticipated' Bandra-Worli Sealink Bridge has been declared to be opened shortly to Mumbai's traffic within a month's time.

The positive effect this BRIDGE will have on the city's life is for time to tell , but the ill effects are already being felt by these fishermen of Mahim.

It has been reported that there has been a huge decrease in the fish catch not only near the city but also as far as Vasai and Uttan in the neighbourhood of Mumbai which has prompted the fishing community to stay out of the seas much earlier than the usual 15th June deadline each year till the end of the monsoons. This is to ensure that more time is available for the breeding of fish to take place and they get a good catch post-monsoon.

At present, most of the catch is young fish, which has to be discarded. The fishermen have been asked to stop fishing till end of the monsoon and allow the young fish to mature. They have also been instructed to use nets with the mesh size not less than eight inches, as anything less makes it difficult for young fish to escape.

Environmental degradation as a result of huge construction activities near the shoreline coupled with indiscriminate fishing have been attributed as the root cause of this problem.

'SLUMDOG' Mumbai

The street dogs are an essential part of the Mumbai landscape,

infact they have melted so seemlessly in the citscape that it is difficult to imagine the streets of Mumbai without them.

Here's a  look at some of the  SlumDOG landscape  in  Mumbai .

Some street DOG debates:

“All stray dogs should be killed as a long-term solution…..” ,

says Brihan Mumbai Corporation chief Jayraj Pathak.The BMC in fact plans to put forth a proposal to the High Court and then the Supreme Court on the issue.

Most free-roaming dogs in Mumbai belong to an ancient canine race known as the Pariah Dog, which has existed all over Asia and Africa ever since human beings started living in settlements. They are, and have always been, scavengers–that is, they live on garbage created by humans. In addition to scavenging, they are widely kept as pets by rural and urban slum households

The size of stray dog populations always corresponds to the size and character of the human population of the area. Urban India has two features which create and sustain stray dog populations:

1) Large amounts of exposed garbage, which provide an abundant source of food

2) A huge population of slum and street-dwellers, who often keep the dogs as free-roaming pets

Mumbai has over 12 million human residents, of whom over half are slum-dwellers. At least 500 tonnes of garbage remain uncollected daily. Therefore conditions are perfect for supporting a particularly large population of stray dogs. According to unofficial figures Mumbai has around 2 lakh stray dogs.

But animal lovers have a point here when they answer this question……

If stray dog population control is the issue, wouldn’t it make more sense to kill the dogs or take them away? 
Removal or killing of stray dogs seems to be the most obvious method of controlling the population, but it has actually proved to be completely useless. This is because even when large numbers of dogs are killed, the conditions that sustain dog populations remain unchanged. Dogs are territorial and each one lives in its own specific area. When they are removed, the following things happen:

·         The food source – garbage – is still available in abundance, so dogs from neighbouring areas enter the vacant territories.

·         Pups born and growing up in the surrounding areas also move in to occupy these vacant niches.

·         The few dogs who escape capture and remain behind attack these newcomers, leading to frequent and prolonged dog-fights.

·         Since they are not sterilised, all the dogs who escape capture continue to mate, leading to more fighting.

·         In the course of fights, dogs often accidentally redirect their aggression towards people passing by, so many humans get bitten.

·         Females with pups become aggressive and often attack pedestrians who come too close to their litter.

·         They breed at a very high rate (two litters of pups a year). It has been estimated that two dogs can multiply to over 300 in three years.

Since dogs who are removed are quickly replaced, the population does not decrease at all.
Since removal of dogs actually increases dog-related problems, the effective solution is to sterilise the dogs, vaccinate them against rabies and put them back in their own areas.

the ELECTIONs are here.....

Mumbai goes to the polls on the 30th April.

Its time to be responsible and exercise the vote wisely to let the politicians know for once whose the boss....

Mumbai's PARSI Colonies

The PARSI community of Mumbai stays in numerous walled colonies all across the city,
popularly they as known as the Parsi Colonies.

Some interesting facts about the Parsis:

Indian census data has established that the number of Parsis has been steadily declining for several decades. The highest census count was of 114,890 individuals in 1940-41, which includes the crown colony populations of present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Post-independence census data is only available for India (1951: 111,791) and reveal a decline in population of approximately 9% per decade.

According to the National Commission for Minorities, there are a "variety of causes that are responsible for this steady decline in the population of the community", the most significant of which were childlessness and migration (Roy & Unisa 2004, p. 8, 21). Demographic trends project that by the year 2020 the Parsis will number only 23,000 (less than 0.0002% of the 2001 population of India). The Parsis will then cease to be called a community and will be labeled a 'tribe'(Taraporevala 2000, p. 9).

One-fifth of the decrease in population is attributed to migration (Roy & Unisa 2004, p. 21). A slower birthrate than deathrate accounts for the rest: as of 2001, Parsis over the age of 60 make up for 31% of the community. The national average for this age group is 7%. Only 4.7% of the Parsi community are under 6 years of age, which translates to 7 births per year per 1000 individuals (Roy & Unisa 2004, p. 14).

The gender ratio among Parsis is unusual, as of 2001, the ratio of males to females was 1000 males to 1050 females (up from 1024 in 1991), due primarily to the high median age of the population (elderly women are more common than elderly men). The national average was 1000 males to 933 females.

Parsis have a high literacy rate: as of 2001, the literacy rate is 97.9%, the highest for any Indian community (the national average is 64.8%). 96.1% of Parsis reside in urban areas (the national average is 27.8%).

In the Greater Mumbai (formerly Bombay) area, where alomost 70% of all Parsis reside, 10% of Parsi females and 20% of Parsi males do not marry (Roy & Unisa 2004).

City bird : The Flight of the Pigeon

The Pigeon is one bird that has adapted successfully to the of the city.
It is the 'city bird' along with the crow.

It is a delight to see these beauties flap their wings and take to the sky, the sight is both liberating and refreshing.

Fishermen

Fisher-woman returning home.

The Fishermen are the original inhabitants of Mumbai , locally they are known as 'Koli's.

Fishing was once a thriving business in Mumbai but the increased sea water pollution and unchecked construction along the sea front have led to a decline in fish catch over the years.

Fisher folk at work

The Sacrificial Goat

Shakurbhai purchased this goat(he-goat) a few years ago while it was small and vulnerable, it was well fed and looked after over the years.

He takes pride in walking with the goat in his locality and is popularly identified as the " Shakurbhai with the tallest goat" in his neighbourhood.

With time he has become fond of the goat and now he plans to sacrifice it on Eid this week.

Flying High : Going places

Here everyone seem to be going somewhere, albeit the means differ .
Some are on the flight, the others on the bus whereas this man and his son prefer the walk.

India seems to be going places, flying high!

Wirefree in Dharavi

wirefree in Dharavi


The Telecom revolution is here to stay and the increased competition amongst the Telecom companies translates into a lot of smiles for the customers,like this man in Dharavi;even his goat seems impressed.

Religious Tolerance : The true Indian spirit

A Busy Mumbai traffic wades patiently & discreetly to make space for their brethren to offer Namaaz during Ramadan.

Religious tolerance and spiritual freedom have been the hall marks of the Indian way of life.

A true Mumbaikar respects and understands this and has adopted it as a way of life.

Ganesha once Again

Mumbai once again bid farewell to it's favourite Elephant headed god 'Ganesha' with chants of ' Phudchya Varshi Lavkar Ya'.

Children of the Rooftops

                    Munni with brother Raja on the rooftop of their house,its their 'playground' by default

'Open Spaces' in Mumbai are a rare luxury, more so in the shanties.

In the absence of open spaces and play grounds these children play on the rooftops of their houses.They don't dare go on the crowded streets below so are forced to spend most of their free time here.

There is little  care and concern for the need of play grounds for  children; Housing the ever growing population seems to be the priority with one and all.

Consequently many childhoods in Mumbai are being lost forever by each passing day in this mad quest for ' development '.


                                   Playing with the pigeons

Akhara Kusti : a Struggle for Survival

Akhara Kusti or Indian style wrestling was once a very popular sport in India.
But now it is struggling for it's survival.Except for these spirited and passionate wrestlers who work by day in menial jobs to make a living, this fascinating sport will be lost forever.

Two Views

A wise man once said , "Saawan Ke Andhe ko sab Hara Hi Hara Nazar Aata hai."
-- What you 'Perceive' is 'perceived' by your own 'Perception'.

Here are two views, two perspectives,two extremes of Mumbai.
The city has all the colors there that are, its a matter of choice what exactly you are looking for.

Cuffe Parade aerial view





Dharavi aerial view

Waiting for the Ascent : Dharavi

Waiting for the ascent: a woman ponders outside her house

Mumbai is undergoing a sea change and no where else can this change can be felt more than in the big slums like Dharavi where the shanties are being razed by the day to make way for swank buildings & skyscrapers in various projects being undertaken by the SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority).

Millions of residents of the slums are awaiting with bated breaths and hopeful eyes to make the Ascent from the urban poor to the Great Indian Middle class.


hopeful eyes : one of the families in Dharavi in their prayer room cum bedroom cum living room


Dharavi due to its proximity to the swank Bandra Kurla complex and also the airport is inviting the attention of the super big corporates of the likes of the Ambanis and the Godrejs who are competing to corner the largest pie of the slum redevelopment schemes.
























Electric dreams

The Rich or the Poor ,Who makes the biggest ascent in this game remains to be seen........... but many have already made the obvious assumption.