Indian Artisans making small statues

These are photographs of both female and male artisans in India making small statues out of plaster of paris and mud for sale to tourists. Many of these figurines and figures are replicas of various gods, goddesses and saints and are often sold outside temples. The pictures were taken on the way from Bhubaneshwar to Puri, just off the main road.

This photograph is a close-up of a man working on a small statue of Sai Baba of Shirdi. He is painstakingly painting the eyes of the figure.

Women work alongside the men. In certain parts of India (the north and east) they cover their heads. This woman is working on a statue of Mirabai, a saint. Around her are lying other painted figures. Birds like parrots and peacocks are popular in India. Bright green and bright orange are popular colors.

Here is another picture of the same woman. She is a mother of a toddler who is resting in plain sight on a home-made hammock in the background. The brightly painted figurines are visible in the foreground.

Here are some of the pretty and colourful statues ready for sale. Images of different gods like Hanuman can be seen in the photo.



More pictures on Artisans in India or Tanzania artisans
Pictures of Indian Weavers from Aurangabad.

Balcony and railing designs of old Pune houses or wadas

These are railing designs from balconies of old houses in Pune. Most of these houses are not in a good condition and many are on their way out. Long balconies covering the whole facade of the building are a common signature of old Pune architecture. The concept of separate balconies for each room did not exist then. When it came to open space, it was either these type of balconies and/or courtyards on the ground floor of the wadas or houses. Most of these houses used to be occupied by a single owner.

Today most of these old houses are occupied by middle class people. They are now increasingly selling out to builders, and these old structures are being replaced by new (ugly) buildings, mostly for commercial activity.

This building was probably built in the fifties or earlier.

A pretty old house with intricate balcony railings ruined a little by the posters and commercial signs

This is quite a spectacularly preserved old building on Laxmi Road, Pune. The balcony railing on the top floor are different from the one on the first floor. Stained glass decorates a part of building.

Often these old buildings fall prey to commercial interests and this results in the uglification of the facade of the building. Hoardings and billboards ruin the face of the buildings.

This is a beautiful old building with stained glass. It was drizzling the day I took some of the photos the rain is visible in the photos.

This balcony railing looks plain at first glance but a closer look reveals a more intricate design. This building is not as old as the other ones, and was probably built sometime in the seventies, or maybe the sixties.

This is a building in Goa. Added it here because of the unique design of the metal railing on a verandah. It looked like an old building, although not typical of the Goa houses.

One rarely sees wooden railings in India. But here is one example of an old building with a long wooden railing on the balcony. One is not sure whether the walls partitioning different rooms were part of the original design or not, but now the building is divided into various different dwellings, all small spaces for middle class people.

You might also like Vishram Bag Wada Pune - Photos or  Rani of Jhansi Statue in Pune
For pencil drawings of balcony or verandah railing designs:  Sketches of balcony railing designs
For images of ancient balcony railing designs: Designs from the Red Fort Agra or Agra Fort

Drive Thru at Macdonalds in India

Here are some photographs of the Drive Thru at Macdonald's in India.
This is a Macdonald's employee serving us coffee. In the background you can see the restaurant and some other employees waiting behind the counter.

A MacDonald's server serving us coffee and sugar. He is wearing the standard blue uniform and blue cap.

This is a Macdonald's employee handing us a coke through the drive-thru window.

The streets of Paris in pictures

These are photographs taken on the streets of Paris and there are a few photos of the canals. They capture the atmosphere of the city. Paris leaves a unique imprint in the minds of tourists.
This photograph is of a street near a canal (which connects to the river Seine)  where street painters sell their wares. A row of small shops line the pavement next to the canal and they sell curious and paintings. These are the older districts of Paris and tourists frequent these places.

This is a close-up of the canal St Martin in Paris. A few people can be seen walking on the road next to the canal.

Here is a bunch of tourists crowded onto a boat on the canal. This is one way of seeing Paris. The boat is packed with people and just going under one of the numerous bridges across the canal.

Paris as a city is not as clean as one expects it to be, although it is cleaner than Rome. Here is a shot taken from atop a tourist bus and shows a couple walking down a deserted Paris street. Litter can be seen on the side of the road. To the left of the image is part of the tourist bus from which this photograph was taken.

This is a typical Paris scene. A street cafe at the corner. People seem to spend hours sitting here, doing nothing.

Another cafe on the streets of Paris. It is evening and customers are relaxed and having a drink

These last two photographs have been lifted off a video which I took at a Paris Square. These are are stills from the video. To improve the image quality the sky was made smoother. The area is a commercial district.

More images of Paris:
Birds Eye View of Paris from the Eiffel Tower   
The Louvre Museum Paris - exterior and interior with pieces of art

Eiffel Tower - free photographs
Lido at Champs Elysees, Paris

Friendship in pictures

These photographs depict friendship between people.

This picture was taken in a park in Matheran. This group of college students are engrossed in checking out something on a cell phone. Their body language clearly shows their closeness.

This is a picture of three young boys sharing an umbrella. The photograph was taken in Puducherry.

This image shows two men, probably labourers, chatting while sitting on a divider in the middle of the road in Mumbai, quite oblivious to the traffic!

This group of young men are sharing a joke at a bus-stop. Waiting with friends is never boring.

These two youngsters are walking towards the sea at a beach in Goa.

Sugarcane fields

Here are photographs of sugarcane fields in Maharashtra, India.

Here you can see the sugarcane crop in the foreground and a lake and hills in the background. A picturesque scene.

In this photograph you can see farm workers, both men and women, cutting the sugarcane crop.

Another view of the sugarcane fields with the hills and the sky as the background.

Sugarcane growing next to the main road.

Related Photos: Sugarcane juice vendors
Or Rice fields near Chennai  or for a panoramic view of cultivated fields: Large images of open fields for headers or Man and Bullock cultivating field
or Palm Plantations of Malaysia or Rubber Plantations in Kerala

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Buildings under construction

Here are some photographs of buildings under construction in India.

This first photograph is a close-up of an apartment building under construction.

This is a photograph of a hotel under construction in Mumbai, India

This is an auditorium under construction in Thane, Maharashtra, India. The last slab (of the ceiling) is yet to be made. Tiny figures of construction workers can be seen working on the construction site.

This image shows a commercial complex being constructed in Mumbai, India. Metal girders and a crane are visible in the photo.

A large construction site in China

Related Images: Flyover construction or  Road Construction in India (concrete roads) or Road being surfaced with tar or Earth Movers
Photos of labour at construction sites: Working without protective gear or  Workers taking a break or
Women construction workers in India

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Lemon and chillies for luck

Whether you are a fruit vendor or shop-owner or vehicle owner, warding off the evil eye is common. Lemon and chillies are hung to prevent it and bring you good luck. Apparently it originated in ancient times when people took long journeys and took along lemons and chillies to ward of hunger and thirst.

In this photograph the lemon and red chillies can be seen underneath the wooden hand-cart of a banana vendor in Mumbai.

Here you seen them hanging on a hook underneath the signboard of a small shop in Kolkata.

This Pune scooter owner has made a thick garland of the lemons and chillies, using green chillies instead of red. I guess it all works because it's all in the minds of the believers.

Scooter sidecar on the streets

Scooter side-cars are rarely seen on the roads nowadays. This photograph was taken on the streets on Mumbai. There is a passenger riding in the sidecar.

Related Photos: Families on two-wheelers or Taxis and auto rickshaws crammed with people  or
School Rickshaws with small children
Check out other images filed under the label of Transport 

Adventure Sports - Valley crossing and wall climbing

Some photographs of people crossing a small valley using thick ropes and gear in Matheran, India. This man is smiling as he crosses a small valley with the blue sky as the background. You don't need any training before you do this!

A man silhoutted against the sky as he crosses a valley. He is harnessed by ropes.

A group of youngsters watch as their friend tries his hand at valley crossing.

This is a sport which mimics rock climbing and is an activity at most of the adventure resorts. The person is tied with a rope harness and has to climb a sheer vertical wall only by using small metal protrusions. It's quite difficult as one has to pull one's whole weight upwards. This photo was taken at Durshet, a small resort between Mumbai and Pune.

Related Images: Paragliding pictures or Dahi Handi Pyramid click on any of the labels below this post.

Tandoor Oven, tandoori rotis and cooks

These are photographs of people cooking tandoori rotis (roasted Indian bread from North India) in the typical Indian clay tandoori oven in New Delhi, India. The men in the small kitchen are from Kashmir who have set up shop in Delhi. They also appear to be living in the same place.

Here you can see how the cook is making the rotis out of white refined flour (maida). He is flattening/rolling the soft white dough on a tava or bridle and then pressing it down with a wooden object (with a design) before putting it in the hot oven.

This is what the final product looks like. The tandoori rotis, typical of North India, are eaten with vegetables or non-vegetarian food.

This is a photo of a close-up of the tandoori clay oven. A bottle which is used to spray fat on the food can be seen on the side.

More pictures of Indian food: Indian Thali - typical Indian vegetarian meal or Masala Dosa and Sambar from South India.