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Archive for the ‘Photo stories’ Category
Edited - Parallel Lines: Photographs by Isa Daudpota
“Isa Daudpota is an engineer and physicist by profession. He is keenly interested in art, mathematics and computers. He writes frequently on science, information technology, education and social policy. Read entry here >>
Remembering the evening glow in Murree
 I lived in this hill station for a couple of years. I often miss this light. Each evening I would wait for the glow that would last for a good half an hour before the dusk. Full entry here >>
Visiting Dhaka- “We are strangers now?”
The warmth of people and the magic of old Dhaka overwhelms you. Having said that, Dhaka is bursting on the seams with a gushing sea of humanity, unregulated construction and traffic jams defining the urban ethos. Read article here >>
On Gandhara Art
The Buddhist art of Gandhara influenced Indian art and sensibilities and also that of the entire Buddhist world. Full entry here >>
Two pictures - many stories
Nearly eight years ago, this image of General Musharraf made headlines..
More Images from Lahore by Artist Mahboob Ali
Mahboob Ali, the only woodcut artist of Pakistan has sent me more images of his works.
Saving Heritage
Not a day passes when we are not reminded of the gradual erosion of our heritage. It is time that we thought of different solutions than a bureaucratic conservation model…
Longing for Istanbul
Discovered some fabulous photos of Istanbul here taken by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Looking at these images, my longing for Istanbul has come back. I must go back.
These strange times
A great photo from the Lahore city court where the lawyers strike allows the support staff to play some cricket while our team struggles to stay in the World Cup competition.
Visiting a Primary School in Sindh
I was in rural Sindh (in Pakistan) after many years. Met interesting people and many members of the ever expanding middle class.
The Hala Potter
During my recent visit to Hala in Sindh, we stole a few moments of that sunny afternoon to spend time with a traditional potter. Hala’s pottery is famous for its exquisite designs and motifs. View here >>
Faiz translated by Vikram Seth
Came across this beautiful translation of Faiz’s touching verse by Vikram Seth.
It is a great translation as it ventures to capture the melody and the mood of the original.
Last night your faded memory came to me
As in the wilderness spring comes quietly,
As, slowly, in the desert, moves the breeze,
As, to a sick man, without cause, comes peace.
 image credit
Lahore Jharokas
“Anwar Pasha, an architect, has sketched the architecture of Sikh-era houses to take the viewers on a journey through the architecture of the past. He has focused on Jharokas and balconies. He said he wanted to save the dying architecture of the old buildings.”
Read the full story here
Images from Data Saheb’s Shrine
Saw this newsitem today - “Data Sahib’s 963rd urs concludes: Around 500,000 attend final prayers”. The news item reported that around 0.9 million visited the shrine on Saturday. The saint left this world nine centuries ago.
During my recent visit the Urs preparations were underway. I captured a few images. First the shrine at the night-
Plucking Spring Colours
While the country reels under another dramatic development, someone in Lahore is busy with the spring flowers:
The background is the Punjab University’s Old Campus.
Photo credit
Abu Ghraib Horrors by Botero
Came across the chilling works of Colombian artist Fernando Botero last night. A friend at Berkeley University forwarded me this link that led me to the moving images of the recent paintings by Botero called Abu-Ghraib
Botero, 73, is the modern master of Latin American art. His cheerful magical-realist paintings are well-acclaimed in the West and feature in major museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
India-Pakistan Peace Train (the journey must continue)
One day after the tragic bomb blast on the peace train, life goes on. The resilience of people in our part of the world is remarkable. Full entry here >>
A picture tells a thousand stories
An old man in Iraq looks at the rubble left after another round of bombing. There is a bit of confidence in his posture. He hasn’t given up yet… View here >>
“Globalization in the Time of Poverty”
This is how a picture has been captioned by Mayank Soofi, a talented writer in Delhi.
Mayank’s photo-blog contains some interesting images. The photo below, taken recently in Delhi, highlights the contrast between the symbols of consumerist globalization and the have-nots..
 I also found a related post with an apt title: Malls, Multiplexes and McDonald’s - The New Communist World Order.
This is a challenge of our times. How do we reconcile the world of statistics with poverty and inequality as a real human condition. Â
A friend also emailed me this piece arguing the need for putting aside “pride” about a growing economy and focusing on “the lives of average citizens”. I am not making a political statement given the “otherness” that comes with my citizenship of India’s much loved-hate[d] neighbour. I am more intrigued by the image and the tale it spins. If Scheherzade were alive, she could easily use digital images to save her life!
Again, thanks to Mayank, I also saw this photo with his thoughtful comment.
“ Morning rush hour in a busy east Delhi intersection. … Commuters in confusion. A man, covered with a sheet, lying on the pavement. Sleeping? Dead? Who knows, who cares! ”
A single picture can tell a thousand stories.
The Public Sculptures of Lahore - the Raj revisited
Sheraz from Islamabad has contributed this amazing account of Lahore’s eclectic past. The influence of the British rulers resulted in erection of sculptures at public places, not an uncommon practice in the colonies. Most of these relics of the past are no more. Some have been conserved while others were removed.
Sheraz writes
“The statue of Lala Lajpat Rai (1865-1928), who, while leading a procession with Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya to demonstrate against the Simon Commission, faced brutal baton charge and died of fatal injuries on November 17, 1928, was somewhere in the vicinity of Kim’s Gun or zamazama - the famous cannon on the Mall, Lahore. This statue is no more there.
Another statue in this area was of Sir Ganga Ram, who gave many beautiful landmarks to the city of Lahore. What happened to this statue has been narrated by Saadat Hassan Manto, the celebrated Urdu short story writer, in one of his short stories on the frenzy of communal riots of 1947. Manto writes that an inflamed mob in Lahore, after attacking a Hindu mohalla, ‘turned to attacking the statue of Sir Ganga Ram, the Hindu philanthropist. They first pelted the statue with stones; then smothered its face with coal tar. Then a man made a garland of old shoes climbed up to put it round the neck of the statue. The police arrived and opened fire. Among the injured were the fellow with the garland of old shoes. As he fell, the mob shouted: “Let us rush him to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.â€
The statue of Sir John Lawrence, the first Governor of the Punjab and later the Governor General of British India (1864-69), holding a sword in one and pen in the other hand, was in front of the Lahore High Court. This statue, created by Sir Joseph Boehme, was inaugurated sometime in 1887. On the base of this statue was inscribed ‘Will you be governed by the pen or sword?’
During 1920s, there was an agitation for the removal of this statue, which the Lahoris considered a disgrace to the Punjab. Now, this statue probably stands in Foyle College (now Foyle and Londonderry College) with a damaged sword in one hand, damaged during an agitation in Lahore. Further, one statue of Lawrence stands in Waterloo Place in central London and another in Calcutta.
The statue of Professor Alfred Woolner, professor of Sanskrit, and vice-chancellor of Punjab University (1928 and 1936) still 
stands in Lahore outside the University of the Punjab on the Mall, Lahore.
The statue of Queen Victoria at the Charing Cross, installed in 1902, is in the Lahore Museum now.
And finally there was a sculpture of King Edward (VII) riding a horse. This statue had been erected in front of the front of the King Edward Medical college, but it is no more there.
(Sources: Pran Nevile, Colonel H.R Goulding)”
Images have been added by me and for credits click: Lala Lajpat Rai, John Lawrence’s portrait, Lawrence Statue at Waterloo, Sir Ganga Ram, Woolner Statue, Queen Victoria’s statue Lahore muesum
Postscript: With multiple references to John Lawrence above, I think of my beloved Lawrence Gardens in Lahore