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| September 22, 2008 | (Use j/k keys to navigate) |
Scenes from India
India is home to over 1.2 billion people of wildly varying religions, cultures and levels of wealth. Only 61 years since declaring its Independence from English rule, modern India is still defining itself, sometimes against the friction inside and outside of its borders. Recent newsworthy events in India include vast Monsoon flooding, conflicts in still-disputed Kashmir, and religious clashes between Hindus and Christians - and celebrations conducted by Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and more. Though there's no possible way for these images to be comprehensive, here are some recent photos of scenes in India. (34 photos total)

Devotees carry a statue of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, for immersion in the sea, on the last day of "Ganesh Chaturthi", in Mumbai September 14, 2008. Clay statues of Ganesh are made two to three months before this popular religious festival in India. The idols are taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing and singing, to be immersed in a river symbolizing a ritual sendoff on his journey towards his home. (REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe)

A rhinoceros which strayed in Kalcheni village, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) west of Gauhati, India, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, hides from wildlife officials. More than 100 wildlife officials tracked the animal using its radio collar after it strayed from the Assam state's Manas National Park on Sept. 1, but could not capture it until Sunday, fearing that if they tranquilized it in the marshy area it could drown. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath) #

An artisan gives finishing touches to an idol of the Hindu Goddess Durga at a workshop in the northeastern Indian city of Siliguri September 20, 2008. The idols will be used during the Durga Puja festival, a popular religious event for Hindu Bengalis. In Hindu mythology, Durga symbolises power and the triumph of good over evil. (REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri) #

People carry earthen water pots as they take part in a Jhulelal Chaliha procession in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad September 6, 2008. Thousands of people took part in the 40 day long fasting festival of the Sindhi community, Jhulelal Chaliha, that ended on Saturday with a colourful procession of earthen pots carried by male and female devotees on their heads. (REUTERS/Amit Dave) #

An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier holds position inside a bulletproof vehicle during an encounter at Chinor village on the outskirts of Jammu August 27, 2008. Suspected Muslim militants who slipped across the border from Pakistan into Indian Kashmir killed at least two civilians and an army officer in the Hindu-majority region of Jammu earlier that day, police said. (REUTERS/Amit Gupta) #

Protestors challenge the police during a victory rally in Jammu, India, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008. Hindus on Sunday suspended their two-month-old protest over allotment of land to a Hindu trust to build facilities for pilgrims in the Indian portion of Kashmir, which had triggered some of the worst violence in the region in more than a decade, officials said. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) #

Catholic nuns from the Missionaries of Charity order sing hymns for a special prayer during the eleventh anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata September 5, 2008. Mother Teresa was a Nobel Peace Prize-winning nun who died in 1997, and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2003 at the Vatican. (REUTERS/Jayanta Shaw) #

A damaged church, seen in the village of Raikia, India, after it was allegedly stormed by Hindu fundamentalists, on August 31, 2008. Indian authorities insisted they had halted deadly clashes between Hindus and Christians in the east of the country that have exposed it to stinging criticism. At least 10 people have died and thousands have fled their homes as a result of the violence in the coastal state of Orissa, with the Catholic church accusing police of failing to protect defenceless priests and nuns. (DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images) #

A Theyyam dancer waits to perform during festivities marking the start of the annual harvest festival of "Onam" in the southern Indian city of Kochi September 2, 2008. The 10-day long festival is celebrated annually in India's southern coastal state of Kerala to symbolise the return of King Mahabali to meet his beloved subjects. (REUTERS/Sivaram V) #

A man is airlifted onto an Indian Air Force helicopter at a flood-affected village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar September 3, 2008. The floods have forced more than three million people from their homes, destroyed 250,000 acres of farmland and killed over 150 people. (REUTERS/Indian Defence Ministry) #

A flood-affected man waits for food in a flood relief camp at Jankinagar village of Purniya district in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, September 6, 2008. Authorities battling a massive deluge in Bihar had issued public warnings of more floods to come and asked villagers not to return home from temporary shelters yet. (REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri) #

Refugees from flooded areas extend their hands to fetch food packets distributed by National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel at Raghunathpur area, Madhepura district of India's northeastern state of Bihar, on September 5, 2008. Rescue workers in flood-hit northern India have brought over 800,000 people to safety, but tens of thousands more were still believed to be trapped, officials said. (DIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Forestry workers look on as a male Royal Bengal Tiger leaps off a boat into the water after being released back into the wild in The Chamta Forest District of The Sunderbans, in India, on September 4, 2008. The tiger was declared fit for release by veterinarians after it was recently rescued from a nearby village. (HO/AFP/Getty Images) #

A mask is shown being put on the back of honey collector Madhusudhan Mondal's head, in Bali, a village in the Sundarbans, India, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008. The Sundarbans forest, a remote tangle of unforgiving islands dangling off the eastern edge of India, is home to perhaps the world's largest population of tigers, prone to attacking humans, as well as 4 million people who are among the poorest in India. Locals believe that tigers do not attack humans from the front and wear masks on the back of their heads in the hope of warding them off. (AP Photo/Gautam Singh) #

The Satellite Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India's first moon mission craft is seen from behind glass at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) center in Bangalore on September 18, 2008. Chandrayaan-1, which has almost reached its final stages of preparation before its shipment to its launch centre at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR), in Sriharikota.(DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images) #

Indian Hindu devotees pay their respects after pouring milk water onto an idol of Hindu God Lord Krishna at the Shivala temple in Amritsar, on August 24, 2008, on the occasion of the "Janmashtami" festival, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebrations of the festival all over northern India. (NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty Images) #

Young Indian devotees of Hindu God Lord Krishna attempt to make a seven-tier human pyramid in the 'dahi-handi' (curd-pot) contest in Mumbai on August 24, 2008, as part of celebrations of "Janmashtami" which marks the birth of Hindu God Lord Krishna. Scores of Hindu devotees of Lord Krishna partake in the dahi-handi celebration during which a large earthenware pot is filled with milk, curds, butter, honey and fruits and suspended from a height of between 20 to 40 feet. Sporting young men and boys come forward to claim this prize by constructing a human pyramid till the pyramid is tall enough to enable the topmost person to reach the pot and claim the contents after breaking it. (PAL PILLAI/AFP/Getty Images) #

Engineers prepare to roll-out the Spark, one of General Motors Corp's passenger vehicles, at the company's new plant in Talegaon, about 160 km (99 miles) northeast of Mumbai September 2, 2008. General Motors Corp's most important priority is to turn around its North American business and it will continue investments in emerging markets, its chief operating officer said on Tuesday. (REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe) #

A relative of a bomb blast victim sits next to their body at a cremation ground in New Delhi September 14, 2008. Police officers trawled slums and criminal hideouts in India's capital on Sunday rounding up suspects after serial bombings in the city a day earlier killed at least 21 people and wounded nearly 100. At least five bombs exploded in quick succession in crowded markets and streets in the heart of New Delhi on Saturday night. (REUTERS/Adnan Abidi) #

Activists of the People for Animals (PFA) an NGO hold two Dwarf tortoises, which were rescued from a resident in Guwahati on September 18, 2008. The pair were later released into the the Dighalipukhuri pond in Guwahati, the capital city of India’s northeastern state of Assam. (BIJU BORO/AFP/Getty Images) #

People fish for wood for domestic use at the Naraj barrage on the Kathjodi River in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, Friday, Sept. 19, 2008. The flood situation in Orissa worsened as the government launched a massive evacuation operation to shift the residents of low-lying areas to safer places, according to a news agency. (AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout) #

Kashmiri Muslim protesters shout pro-freedom slogans during an anti-India protest in Srinagar September 19, 2008. Thousands of Muslims demonstrators shouting anti-India slogans took to streets in Kashmir's main city on Friday and resumed protests against New Delhi's rule in the disputed region. (REUTERS/Fayaz Kabli) #

A model presents a creation by Indian designer Anamika Khanna on the fourth day of the HDIL India Couture Week in Mumbai on September 19, 2008. India is hosting its first ever haute couture week showcasing over six days, 11 leading designers in a celebration of the country's rich heritage in bespoke fashion. But unlike the bank-breaking, impossible-to-wear creations on show twice a year in Paris that are not even intended for the high street, Indian couturiers say they are offering wearable made-to-order clothes at a realistic price. (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images) #
More links and information
Ganesh Chaturthi - Wikipedia Entry
Kashmir conflict - Wikipedia entry
India - NYTimes.com Topics page
India - Wikipedia Entry
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Its really superb.............I enjoyed very much
hey superb.... thanks to make us know many things about / in our country
Very nice pics...but please stop this accusations based on religion! India is a secular country, there should be no violence concerning religion!!!! Whether it be Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, everyone has the right to choose whatever religion they want to follow. No one should force them to be something...Toleration should be there for everyone to choose what they...that's why India is called a Democratic and Secular country!!!!
Very proud to be an India ļ
Really a wonderful collection to watch.Hatsoff to the person who postedthis.
MUY BUENA GALERIA DE FOTOS!!!
IMAGINO SE DEBEN SENTIR MUY ORGULLOSOS DE SUS TRADICIONES IGUAL QUE NOSOTROS A CA EN MEXICO, SALUDOS DE ENSENADA MEXICO.
turydetj@hotmail.com
Thats my INDIA!!!!!
realmente fasinante espe pais y su cultura, como su religion
very wise ideas whle composing the frames
by seeing these itself we come to know wat inida is. Fine.
These are the varities of the subject s and nice pictures. As a photographer I could say pictures are well composed , good colour saturated and very sharp pictures. Technically sound pictures. Thanks for forwarding to me by Tilak Hariya, my photographer friend.
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!
Critians---- Please stop Conversions. Christ never propogated conversions. In India the Hindus are sensitive & possesive of their religion. Don't wake up the sleeping Lion.
too good.
excellent art of photography displayed!
BRAVO !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent !!!
i love that ganesha idol
Great balance showcasing India. One heck of a diversity. Extremes.
Incredible !!!
grt job done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awesome pictures!!! Can't wait to get there ...
Really, amazing photographs........!!!!!!
Amayzing, I belive no metter what God we worship we are all humans...full of colour and tradition, beautiful country
This few pictures are just the glimpses of heritage, Culture, Styles, Conditions, festivals, colors of India. Really India is a country with wide spectrum of diverse ideologies and all these different cultures reside together. It is land of Cultures.
A land of Unity in diversity.
Congratulations on the marvelous collection of pictures.
Regarding No.11.. Theyyam is a ritualized dance form in North Malabar (Northern Part of Kerala). Kochi is not a part of North Malabar. The photographer, if he clicked the picture from Kochi must have clicked it in some meet arranged for tourists. Also It has no relation to the 10 days festival to celebrate the old king mahabali, the caption talks about. That is Onam. Please refer to the link given below.
Looking at the face painting it looks like a 'kolam' of Muchilottu Bhagavati.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teyyam
Excellent photographs, but we need not bloat ourselves up with the wrong kind of Pride. We need to go beyond the often repeated "Proud to be an Indian" slogan which is actually used to describe the intolerant Pro-Hindu fundamentalist position, similar to "India Shining".
These photographs should lead to introspection about who we were and who we have become during the last 60 years since Independence, and inquire if while we have achieved material betterment, whether we have lost out on any of our unique qualities. There were/are many but the most valuable one to me is the "Tolerance". We are in danger of losing this and that makes me worried as well as sad.
The PICS are shot very beautifully. The state especially J&K is again on the boil. Poorly Managed by the Administrators and the Politician. Bihar again was the target of the Nature. My INDIA very Vibrant and sometimes PATHETIC.
Amazing Pictures... GR8 to see all pictures together.. Superb Clarity....
very good photography i never seen in my life if more to c pls give me ur website
Great work..
Awesome...
I love my country..
N i am proud of it..
Fantastic collection of India's Heritage.
Good Collection of Hindu Pics....Keep it Up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
there are no any suspect that pic r great but you should take more pic about first mission of chandar yan
It all happens just in INDIA
the pics are soo touching that me me realise that i m soo lucky to be an indian. I m proud of india, n yet i m media student i will also try my level best to make my india best. jai hind..............
That Was Really Cool There Were So Many Pictures I Liked It Sweet
Great pictures, revealing the real India. Thanks!
Very great and nice Images.
Amazing Photos. Its reflects the real India.
We have to just enjoy what we have! We should not complain what we do not have.
This is the malignant disease of humanity and see how low we are when compared with our ancesters like Plants and Animals. PLEASE LET US WISE UP AND BEHAVE AS MANAVAS IE. HUMANS WITH A MIND. OTHERWISE NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND ANIMALS.
HAVE A WONDERFUL SANKRANTHI WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
excellent view/photos
Excellent pictures.
Thanks
Awesome pictures
Thanks
Xcellent photography I salute to our nation & people of our nation who has support
to the people who has help the those who has been suffer from the flood in the bihar & orrisa in september 2008.I feel very proud to my country INDIA.
JAI HIND
Absolutely brilliant stuff!!!!
If we are true Indians and love the country, it is not enough to be proud of the country. We ALL have to do something for our country and our people. There is a lot one can do in India, especially our younger generation who are full of energy, brilliant and open to new ideas. Whatever parts of India are shining today, despite the scumbag politicians, it is because of the ever smiling, hard working and enthusiastic younger generation that one sees working in the offices, malls, restaurants and other places in India. The country truly belongs to them. Hope they nurture it, keep it safe from thugs and antinationals. Jai Hind
Great pictures, revealing the real India. Thanks!
Superb
After seeing i want more............. Realy very beautifull.................
Things that we see through our bare eyes can be depicted so colorfully by the art of photography can be understand from these pics.
Great job done by the Photographer.
Expecting more beauties of India to sooth our eyes.
ALL THE BEST
Wow this really helps for my indian project it is fan tiddly tastic
Fab pics too!!!
your the best who got the pictures
awesome!
Fantastic Photography.
You really have touched the hearts.
Pics give a genuine picture of India, showing its diversity, unity, problems
progress and everything.
Great Master work
wowwwwwwww it's amagingggggggggg
i like very much
i think those pics were butiful (the best ive eva seen)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Matru devo bhava
I LOVE MY INDIA
I live and die for india
Now not compare any country with my india because Old Is Gold
excellent
These pics are reaaly nice ........
My Country India...
UNITY IN DIVERSITY....
NO Matter what happens?... What we Do?.... What we feel?...
AT THE END WE ARE INDIANS.....
Having an history of more than 2000 years ... still standing firmly.
Proud to be an Indian.
JAI HIND
I really liked the pictures! I live in Houston and have never been to India, but I think that I would like to go now, more, after seeing your photographs.
I just love the pictures. each one. they are Pure india.
So much color in it just like its people.
Color of Happiness, Sorrow, Devotiion, Hope & lots more.
mind blowing.
i am looking forward more pictures.
CHABIGULO KHUB SUNDOR.
yeh Bharat desh hai mera, awasome pictures
my father is india and my mather is iranian .
i live in iran
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo great
i want to see india someday, the places the people, i want to experience life there in your country...i want to learn more about the people especially..i love inida too
Something mystical and eternal about this great country! Hope the spirit of democracy and secularism remain strong, and that the government is strict with the religious fanatics of all religions who practice hate and killing. Sometimes our politicians are guilty of committing the crimes we all would like to see end in India,
as happened in Gujrat. They should be caught and prosecuted.
These are beautiful pictures without compromise. You showed conflict as well as stunning beauty. Very commendable!
Simply breathtaking ... ! I'm proud to be an Indian. Cant wait to get over again.
some pics r really heally heart breaking........i am proud to be indian......
will definately do something in life for poor,flood affected people...
i love my country n people living in it...today i came to know that every indian r my brother & siater...
jai hind....
loved it!
amazing..........
Gr8888888888 wrk
Real India......
My India............
a smile on my face... its wonderful compo of Indian images.. liked it.... keep walking friends
simply great.. nice photography
Kaffi lambe arse ke baad achhi photography dekhane ko mili hai.........jai hind
Ok, while the photographs are stunning, they show a glorified version of India. Yes this is a land of contrasts and extremes both environmentally and culturally, but the reality for millions of people is poverty and a desperate day to day struggle to survive. "Levels of wealth" is a gross understatement.
The Real India.
Good show. But may I suggest two changes in wording. There is no need to preface "Hindu god" to everything. We can simply say birthday of Lord Krishna. Does anyone else say, Catholic Pope or Christian Jesus? Also Idol is the wrong word to use as its dictionary meaning is False God. Why cant we say icon, murthy or statue of Ganesh etc.? Let us project an image of confident and aware Hindu not a meek and an aping (the words and phrases we think others would like to use for our deities) one.
mind blowing yar.
no words to say.
simply great.. wonderfull photography, captured in time
good work
u r not too good but the best !
its realy real life not amazing
These are great pictures, but honestly 34 pictures are not enough to cover all facets of Indian culture. This is a great attempt though...
something different
excellent photography....shows what needs to be seen....human endeavor in all its form
hi this is Nadeem from Pakistan.all indians pic r good but i see that poverty is too much in india,overall pic r good.u should show good sceneries of india best places but u r showing flood and needy peoples.that gives not a good impression for the visitors of forigeners.
thanks a lot
i will be lucky if i visit india any time in future.
Nadeem
this is diffrent
amazing pics......i m proud of my country i love india
please post some nice places of india.........but not the poverty...
India is one of the most beautiful country in the World and the people are just as beautiful, inside and out.
Amazing Pictures... GR8 to see all pictures together.. Superb Clarity....
I am proud of my country I love india
i wanna say one one thing
We are all one
do not divide by the name of religion
people like raaj tackrey and other using innoscent and uneducated peoples for there political work. We should stop them doing this.
Jai bharath mata
i love my india
im with whoever said it all happens in india
I LOVE YOUR INDIA TOO! :-)
I love india:) it rocks:)
those pics are wierd but cool
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo great
I like festivals of India, also nature, I love my India
Our land certainly has Unified Diversities ...cheers to India
I love India/ Amo la India, greetings from a Mexican girl/ Saludos de una mexicana
beautiful photos
very nice pic india is a contury i would love to see Im from portugal lots of colture thear . but what iv seen so is india loved it thanks