Planning a trip

I am toying with the idea of a trip to some place/s in Rajasthan where I have not been so far, at least for photography.

Babul Bhatt has joined a company in NCR very recently and wanted to go out shooting. In case we make it together then I think it may be Neemrana / Alwar side. Less traveling time and more shooting time. The Christmas and New Year eves are in the middle of the week. He has to use the announced holidays. Plan to halt and stay where we find a place in late evenings.

If he can not make it I think driving to Jodhpur side could be a good idea. To halt and stay without tied down to any particular hotel should give more flexibility in traveling.

The trip to Ladhak unfortunately did not materialise due to the fear of swine flu.

Khari Baoli, Old Delhi

Congested areas of all old cities have their own charm for photographers who do like to photograph people, candid portraitures, the life of an old city and activities. One will always find many, many frames to cature. There is lots in interiors of Old Delhi bylanes to be photographed as the who is who stayed in this area being close to the seat of governance during parts of the Mughal rule- the Red Fort. So many tricycle rickshaw drivers have become guides and churn out what ever gets into their mind. Most times what they churn is no way near reality. Find so many have picked up English, French and other languages and speak in broken language. So many foreigners seem to enjoy the tricycle rickshaw ride as they go through the crowded lanes. Chandni Chowk having been made out of bounds for the rickshaws, the inner lanes and bylanes have got choked like anything. Though despite this ban, Chandni Chowk traffic remains the same. The ban seems to have been imposed by that influential lobby who wanted to drive in with their fat vehicles. The inconvenience they have caused to the residents is unimaginable. Maliwara and Kinari Bazar remain so choked that any sick person in emergency cannot be taken to a hospital. If some one on the other side of Chandni Chowk has to catch a train from Old Delhi Railway Station, well it is not possible to cross over to the side when in a rickshaw. This has been and is the only mode of transportation available to the residents of old Delhi. The strong young males may be able to carry the luggage across to the other side, what happens to the old people, females and those who are in way or the other incapiciated to carry the luggage. Instead of reigning in the number of rickshaws and the mafia that controls it, the local government on the advice of people on the committee who have never ever lived in old Delhi decided to ban. They could have issued licences to rickshaw drivers after their being enlightened about the proper trafiic rules, parking, etc.

It was a Saturday early morning when I decided to Khari Baoli with an intention to pay my respects Shani Maharaj Mandir in Khari Baoli, as since long I wanted to visit the small temple. I was suffering from slight viral fever that day and went ahead with the visit along with my digital camera. [Shani Mandir under a tree]

Some time has passed when I went to the one of the oldest agricultural produce whole sale market in Old Delhi known as Khari Baoli near Chandni Chowk. I intend visiting this place as often as possible. For a street photographer the action starts as early as 4 AM till late, very late evenings and remains chaotic through out this time.

[Very early morning scene of Khari Baoli]

The early morning whole sale market gets over by 10:30 AM, when shops dealing in different products start opening their shutters. Earlier there were dealers of acids, etc. but many years back they had to close shop or switch over to a new trade as these were polluting and dangerous for a very crowded market. Things do change keeping the changed scenario due to population. Untensils, dry fruits, tea leaves, pulses, spices, toileteries, cooking oils, various kinds of grains, etc. can be bought very cheap. Cheaper than other markets as most buy from here to stock and sell from their shops or outlets.

Once I had taken Babul Bhatt a serious hobbyist photographer from Mumbai, after I got irritated by the security guys at the Red Fort on our second visit. On the first visit the weather was uncertain with slight showers and sunshine. We had good shots there thought we might cover up a few with good sunshine. The guy there let my bag go through but refused his bag saying it was too big. So I told him look we already got good pics inside the fort so there was no point going in again, may be after a gap we could revisit. So I said I will make his day with a shoot in old Delhi. This is when I took him to Chandni Chowk and further down to Khari Baoli. If I am not mistaken we went together twice on different days. It is was a nice morning walk with our cameras. Both times we did get some good pics, and he too felt we had taken the right decision as this was more colorful and lively.

{Babul surrounded by keen onlookers}

Since I belong to Old Delhi, I get many oppurtunites to be there but I have developed a very bad habit of not going alone, need a good company. I have still not been able to find an answer to this habit of mine. Is it familiarity of a location since childhood that makes one very casual and lethargic with a camera. For so many years I have been carrying my camera with a mind of shooting, but always came back without shooting a single frame. In the days of analog, I used to load my cameras with slide and BW films. Slides to be able to sell as stock photographs and BW for my personal collection. Slide films some how got used for commercial work but BW just remained in the camera. So many times I used to load and reload the same roll and at the end I lost track of how old the film was and they lay in the cupboard unused. I may be still be having some lying here and there. But I am more free when I go out of Delhi and I am able to use the camera extensively for street photography. I still feel even away from Delhi should have been shooting more if I were in some good company. I know while in Europe I used to hang around all alone in a place to get my pics and never felt bogged down. I could move or approach my subjects without any resrvations but some how it is not the same. I am searching for answers.

Early morning starts with flowers and flower petals. Farmers bring their produce from as far as 70 odd kilometers. I was never aware that rose petals were packed with chunks of ice. Before they weighed the petal these chunks of ice were taken out.

The street slowly gets choked with trucks, tempos, bullock carts, mule carts, cycle rickshaws, etc. There are numerous porters who carry these goods to whole sale merchants and the auctioned produce is carried by may be another porter the successful bidder.

There are people catching up their cup of tea and light snacks as they wait for their turn to sell or buy the produce. One sees so many ear-cleaners taking out ear wax. Scenes of people taking their bath. It is there to be captured. During this time the normal shops remain close except of the whole mechants dealing in the produce reaching at that time. There are spices and other food grains that also reach during this time.

The farmers and traders must be getting up very early in the morning or infact must be loading the goods and traveling most part of the night. It looks strange while quite a few people are found to be sleeping while lots of activity around happening.