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Recent Posts
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- Holi in Bangladesh
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- A Few Words About My Father
- The Sky is NOT Always Blue in California
- “Artisans” documentary series – final (?) episode
- Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5. (part 2)
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Category Archives: Life in India
Indian Entrepreneur: Kolam Maker
A successful entrepreneur is someone who offers a solution to a problem. Far too often, I spot people weaving in and out of traffic on foot, trying to sell motorists one type of useless knickknack or another: long, twisty balloons, … Continue reading
The Dune Eco Beach Hotel
We stayed at a wonderful, somewhat funky beach resort north of Pondicherry – “The Dune” Eco Beach Hotel. It’s an eco-friendly hotel/resort consisting of a bunch of different huts and houses scattered over 35 acres of lush landscaping. In addition … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India
Tagged Eco Beach Hotel, fishing boats, Pondicherry, The Dune
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Pondicherry: First Impressions
Although it has been correctly known as “Puducherry” since 2006, even the tourist brochures continue to refer to this southern Indian city as Pondicherry. Formerly the nucleus of “French India” – the French controlled this area for 280 years – … Continue reading
It’s a Long, Long, Way to Pondicherry
For the first time, we left our 7 or so million neighbors in Chennai and decided to head out of town. South, along the “ECR” or Eastern Coastal Road. Which can be a harrowing experience. I just kept reminding myself … Continue reading
Chennai Fish Market
Living on the coast has its benefits – fresh fish! Unfortunately, when it all gets gathered in one place, the smell of fish becomes so strong that I quickly lose interest in actually eating any. But it’s good to know … Continue reading
Chennai: at the Beach
Today’s post is a bit more depressing than most. People in Chennai will proudly tell you Chennai’s “Marina Beach” (also often spelled “Merina”) is the longest beach in the world, or the second longest. I was skeptical, but found that … Continue reading
St. Thomas Basilica or San Thome Church
I had the opportunity to take part in an event sponsored by local Ahmadiyya Muslims encouraging peace between religions, and I was impressed by the diversity of religions represented by the guests at the event. One of these guests represented … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India
Tagged basilica, Chennai, martyred, San Thome, St. Thomas, tomb
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More Scenes from the Hood
Sharing some more general impressions from my neighborhood. I go walking around for 15 minutes and every time I come back and feel like I’m about to start reciting “And to Think that I saw it on Mulberry Street.” Today’s … Continue reading
Riding in a Rickshaw
This post is from the point of view of the auto rickshaw – or as I like to call it, “the scourge of the developing world’s road network.” OK so maybe that’s a bit over the top; but as exhibit … Continue reading
R.A. Puram, Chennai in Photos 3
This is the second part of a post describing a 90 minute “photowalk” around my new neighborhood in Chennai, India. Everything you see is within a 500 meter radius. So continuing yesterday’s story, the main destination I’d had in mind … Continue reading
R.A. Puram, Chennai in Photos 2
This morning I decided to take my camera for another jaunt around the neighborhood in what seems to be called a “photowalk”. So I discovered today. It wound up being kind of a crazy 90 minutes or so – I … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India
Tagged Chennai, India, Photography, R.A. Puram, shops, street, temples
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Driving in Chennai: Timelapse
In time-lapse photography, it’s common to keep the camera pretty still and let the subject do the moving – or if at all, to move the camera very slowly. But it can also be fun to do a moving camera … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India, Video Editing
Tagged Chennai, driving, India, timelapse, traffic
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Impressions of Chennai: Protecting Buildings from the Evil Eye
There’s lots of construction underway in Chennai, and one thing the visitor notices early on is that larger construction sites tend to have a scarecrow-like dummy – clothing filled with straw, with a cloth head attached – strapped up somewhere … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India
Tagged construction, evil eye, ritual, superstition, vastu shastra
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R.A. Puram, Chennai in Photos
There’s something both scary and exciting when you get off a plane in a strange foreign country, knowing you’re going to spend the next two years of your life here, whether you like it or not. The first thing that … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India
Tagged Chennai, impressions, R.A. Puram, street life, street photography
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Chennai Snake Park
One of India’s few urban national parks sits in the center of Chennai. Guindy National Park, India’s 8th smallest national park, is also host to a snake park. The Chennai Snake Park Trust, founded in 1972 by American herpetologist Romulus … Continue reading
Posted in Life in India
Tagged Chennai, Guindy National Park, herpetology, reptiles, snake park
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Chennai: Early Impressions
Driving in Chennai can be a harrowing experience, especially for a newly-arrived foreigner. And it typically takes more than a month to get your Indian driver’s license. So when you first get here, you’re somewhat limited in your movement, and … Continue reading
Southern SuburbIndia: Kolams and Cows
Every morning, all across southern India, millions of women wake up at sunrise to draw what’s known as a “kolam” at the entrance to their home. Kolams are geometric designs hand “drawn” by sprinkling rice flour (or in some cases … Continue reading