It is impossible to not be in awe of what is India. She is at once chaotic, unruly, exaggerated and constantly in motion. The pace of life is frenetic and I believe all of India must be sleep deprived. It is impossible, at least for me, to fully understand, much less describe her. And that's the fascination.
Like winged creatures from the past, silhouetted against the evening dusk, the fish nets stand watch over the backwaters of Kochi, in southern India. Thought to have been introduced by Chinese explorers during the rein of Kubla Khan, in the late fourteenth century, these kinetic sculptures are made from teak wood and bamboo. The nets, counterbalanced by huge stones, dip Into the water when two fishermen run up the long poles.
The subtle array of complementary colors if this crinum lily's leaves caught my eye. I thought the hues and shades quite beautiful. The texture and detail of the leaf structure interesting.
Oh my gosh, what a sight. Imagine an ancient Egyptian pyramid inverted and thoughtfully lodged into the ground. Chand Baori is over 100 feet deep and is lined with 3,500 symmetrical steps on three sides allowing access to water regardless of the level. The symmetrical, though dizzying, zig-zag pattern of the stone steps is reminiscent of an Escher drawing.
In Abhaneri Village, in eastern Rajasthan, an unique, homemade vehicle known as a jugaad or chakdi, aka Indian Mercedes, plies the roadways. In Hindi, jugaad means an innovative fix or work around. An apt name for this low cost transport. They are usually made from an old diesel agricultural irrigation pump mounted to a equally old car or truck chassis. A hand crank starts the engine and someone jumping off with a block of wood is often the way to stop it. Simple, cheap and iconic in much of rural India.