by Robert
Of all the memories I made from my trip to India, some of the strongest ones came from observing life along the city streets through the windows of our bus. Though I was merely just a passerby, with no interaction whatsoever with the people in these pictures, I still felt a human connection with them, as I think we all should with whomever we see or meet in our lives.
Even now as I review these photos, I can’t help but marvel at the simple, yet somehow profound, course of life depicted here. They say a picture says a thousand words. I’ll suggest a few, but the rest you can come up with yourself.
Goat, bananas, motorcycles, bikes, banana cart, wooden boxes, work, please buy some fruit, V-neck sweater, friends, chatting, dirt, home
More bikes, milk jugs, auto repair shop, tents (homes?), baskets, wares to sell on a tarp, barber shaving, shade tree, delivery truck, rickshaws, construction (or incomplete building) in the back ground, Hindi writing on the walls and signs, lots of people, almost all men, cell phones
yes, people do live there
brick building = booming business; cows for company (and milk), bike for transporting the bricks; bench for resting; tree for shade; tarp/plastic cover for home and shelter
pretty sure the “Bar Be Que” advert has nothing to do with the occupants below the sign. Beef is not exactly popular cuisine.
horse-drawn cart going to market perhaps.
Frequent dichotomous sight in India: billboard advertising opulence is surrounded by poor and poverty (and farm animals).
I could never tell if the buildings were still under construction or if they were simply abandoned part way through. Chances are this one now houses several squatters, happy to have a home . . . for now. And then there’s KFC. We went to a KFC in Kolkata (this is in Agra) and it was actually really good (I thought so, but some others did not like it so much; something about it being too spicy).
Tent home under the billboard on the left. A whole family sitting on the bed on the right (notice the water jugs and cooking fire). Center towards the water tower (zoom in) a crowd collecting trash from the landfill (ie trash dumping place). Also see the stray dogs.
As I’m writing this post, it’s easy to find words to describe what I see in these pictures: people, vehicles, animals. But what I can’t do is find words to describe how I feel when I look deeper. I don’t think I can adequately, nor justly, describe those emotions right now, but I hope that you can sense a bit of what I’m talking about.
The one word that comes to mind right now is “life”. For them, this is just how it is. For us, it seems extraordinary and, at times even, unfathomable. But that’s life. Cow in the road? Just steer around it.
Bike shop.
At least they’re traveling with the traffic.
Thanks for spending time looking at the pictures, all taken on our way to Agra Fort (just Wikipedia it if you want to know more – this post is not a history lesson).
Suffice to say, it is an old fortress/stronghold. Huge is a good word for it. Currently guarded by wild monkeys (no, that’ Alex) and stray dogs.
Zoomed in, they are more easily spotted. Can you tell which one is the monkey and which one the dog? They were kind of having an argument at the time.
Random guy pointing: hey look over there!
Alex: Where! What is it? Is it a snake? or a tornado?
Babushka Maya (based on her facial expression): Um, I don’t think so.
Katya’s henna tatto from the day prior.
See that building in the background? Yup, it’s the Taj Mahal. Check back later for some up close pics.
Lots of posing, requiring no commentary. Your admiration of my beautiful family will suffice.
You’ve probably noticed (if not been told already) a lot of Ukrainians came for the wedding: mama, babushka, cousins, uncle, aunt, friends, nephews/nieces. A regular family reunion it was. . . well not so regular in that it was in India.
Here’s a good one to end with.
A good post should end with a memorable conclusion, wrapping up all the good points and leaving the reader with something to think about.
Good night. Come back soon.
Rob
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