Block Printing in Bhuj - 2

Washing the fabric, Ajrakhpura

Set to dry, Dhamadka

Setting to dry, Ajrakhpura

Block printing in Bhuj

From the famed tradition of block printing in Bhuj...

The block, Ajrakhpur, Bhuj


The printer, Dhamadka

The fabric, Dhamadka, Bhuj

Bamboo - the wonder plant

Without doubt, bamboo is one of the most versatile of plants - with uses that are wide ranging and diverse in all parts of the world where it grows. These are some pictures of a bamboo forest after it has flowered and 'died' in the South Garo hills of Meghalaya

Hampi...

...for poetry in stone on the banks of the Tungabhadra. What more needs to be said...?

Blue City - Jodhpur

These are a set of pictures from a trip made over a year ago to Jodhpur. From atop the Mehrangarh fort that towers over Jodhpur one gets a good sense of why the city is also called The Blue City. A large number of houses, of a particularly community have been and continue to be painted in blue in an apparent measure to keep them cool in the torrid heat of the desert.

From atop Mehrangarh fort

Detail of a window in a balcony

The tsunami impacted in the A&N Islands

These are some older pictures from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of houses and people impacted by the tsunami that hit the coasts on December 26, 2004. I have been visiting the islands and following the developments there for over a decade and hope to regularly share different dimensions of these islands on this blog through the pictures that I have been taking.

Havaldar Arjan Singh and his wife show us the remains of their house along the coast of Great Nicobar Island in the extreme south. Great Nicobar was the closest to the epicentre of the earthquake that initiated the tsunami and not-unexpectedly was very badly hit. This picture was taken in January 2006, more than a year after the tsunami hit the islands and latest reports indicate that rehabilitation work particularly in the Nicobar islands continues to be incomplete and very tardy

The foundation of a 'permanent shelter' in Bamboo Flat for those who lost their dwellings to the tsunami in South Andaman Island. This is a 2007 picture at a site that has one of the biggest reconstruction projects in the Andaman islands for the tsunami affected

In the temporary shelters built at Choudhari in South Andaman Island. This is a January 2006 picture. It is evident that proximity to Port Blair (Choudhari is just a few kms from the capital city) ensured better relief and rehab to those affected. The people of the Nicobars that was much worse hit continue to suffer a situation that is still very bad.
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Also see the following links for my articles and other details related to the tsunami in the A&N Islands
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2009/06/earth-shaking-event.html
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2008/01/visit-and-aftermath.html
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2007/12/new-vulnerabilities-islands.html

T

Weaving ikkat

Ikkat or tie & dye is one of the best known and considerably complex traditions in weaving - something that the Nalgonda belt in Andhra Pradesh is quite famous for. The process involves elaborate calculations and markings on the yarn followed by different stages of dyeing to finally get the complex and beautiful patterns that the tradition is well known for. Here are some pictures from my a few days ago to the village of Kunthlagudem

the weft

the weft to the left. the warp has been laid out for marking and tying to the right

the weaver works on the weft as the warp is stretched across the length of the house

A weaver's house, Nalgonda district

The Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh is famous for its weaving villages and even better known for its tie & dye (ikkat fabric). The old traditional houses of the weavers here too are a treat to be in - huge, spacious, beautifully made and very functional. The houses were constructed with the loom in mind and generally speaking there is also a small opening in the middle of the house that is open to the sky.
I visited the villages of Vellanki and Kunthlagudem just the day before...

In village Vellanki

this is in Kunthlagudem

A window in the wall, Kunthlagudem

Ponduru - the khadi and cotton handloom village in Andhra Pradesh

One of the subjects that I have been extensively photographing now for more than a decade has been the cotton handloom industry of Andhra Pradesh. This has been done in collaboration with the NGO Dastkar Andhra that works across the state. The picture taking has been a very enjoyable exercise and it has also allowed me to visit and see villages and ways of life that I would never have had the opportunity to.
Andhra's cotton handloom traditions therefore are going to keep re-appearing in this blog. Here are pictures from the village of Ponduru in the Srikakulam district in coastal Andhra. The village is very famous, particularly for its khadi traditions and has a rich history. Most people involved with cotton handlooms know about Ponduru and I too have had the opportunity of visiting the village three times now.
The pictures here present the first steps in the production of khadi - cleaning the cotton and the spinning which is done exclusively by women.

Every pod of cotton is cleaned one by one by hand with the jaw bone of the valuga fish found in the local waters. The bone is a like a finely toothed comb and the process helps clean the cotton and also align the fibres.

Spinning, which is itself a highly skilled activity is done exclusively by women

Night time strolls - The Maredpally macaques - 4

It's not just during the day that these macaques are around the place. Every once in a while trips will be made at night as well. This is the last of pictures in the present set of The Maredpally macaques and was taken a few months ago well past sunset and under the golden light of the street sodium vapour lamps


crossing the road...

... the sights are set above...

...and some make the most a late evening snack...insects and moths that throng around a sodium vapour lamp.

It's our chance too - The Marredpally Macaqeus - 3

The boss is sleeping; it's our chance too

It seemed like the entire troop was taking its cue from the boss...

If you don't use your balcony, we certainly will!
The 1st and 2nd floor balconies of the opposite house are rarely, if ever, used by the owners and the macaques seem to have figured this out just right.