Humayun’s tomb in Delhi. Some of the inspiration and techniques used in the Taj Mahal came from here.
Late afternoon/evening is a great time to photograph in north India; when the sun is high, instead, the light is very flat and harsh.
Morning and evening are also good for videoing birds and other wildlife.
I’ve been using the HDR function on my iPhone a lot. I try to choose which of the two resulting photos is better, but sometimes each is good in a different way, so I keep them both.
Woodstock School celebrates Indian Independence Day (August 15th) in a big way, starting with a flag raising and rousing choruses of the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. I happened to attend school assembly the day a preparatory lesson was given for students new to India. It was up to me to uphold the honor of the alumni by remembering the words without any help! But I’ve printed them here for those who don’t.
Jana gana mana
Adhinayaka jaya he
Bharata bhagya vidhata
Punjab, Sindhu, Gujarata, Maratha
Dravid, Utkala, Banga
Vindhya, Himachala, Jamuna, Ganga
Ucchala, Jhaladhi, Taranga
Tava shubha name jage
Tava subha ashisha mange
Gahe tava jaya gata
Jana gana mangala dayaka jaya he
Bharata bhagya vidhata
Jaya he! Jaya he! Jaya he!
Jaya, jaya, jaya, Jaya he!
^ Excuse the background noise – there was construction going on right outside the salon. In India, you learn to ignore a lot of background roar.
While in Mumbai, as is my wont, I had mehndi done. I’ve taken photos to show how the color changes over time, and will keep adding more.
Typically it’s very orange when first applied, deepens to a dark rust in the first 24 hours (the darker your skin, the darker it gets), then begins to fade. How long it last depends on how often you wash your hands, especially with soap.
I can think of no finer sign of civilization than a hotel (Novotel in Hyderabad) which offers spa services from 7:30 am. After arriving a 4 am (and not having slept as much as I’d have liked on the plane, or anytime in the last six months, for that matter), I indulged in some much-needed pampering. Wish I had time to do it again…
