Pictures from the Palki 2011.

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(Yawnnn) The same old incredible-india-award-winning-photo…Zzz

Anybody with dim eyes and a dimmer wit would identify this picture. Are you wondering still ? its incredible India folks..!! The land of the Taj mahal, the dabbawalas, the biggest slum in Asia, the slumdog millionares and salam bombays….the setting which paradoxically makes millions in the west film and entertainment industry. The whole idea behind writing this article was a simple observation that since times I couldn’t walk, talk, read or write till this date, what has been the most famous face of India abroad has been its poverty, its crime, the complex relations between unemployment, corruption, population explosion and beurocracy proudly guarding the days of the Raj. Yes, for any artist it is a vast subject to be explored and portrayed in unimaginable and creative ways. But what happened to the ‘India shining’ part of the script ? we will soon be the nation that has the ,most number of poor people and the richest man in the world in the same country. Then why such ignorance towards the brighter side of the coin ? every nation has its own set of domestic troubles, but when they are represented to the international audience it is never their underlying malignancies that are highlighted, unlike us.

It hurts me as a photographer and a traveler when I see people, especially of the tourist kind happily clicking the poor and the stricken to go home and upload the pitiful face of incredible India. And it never stops. Yes, we are incredible and in more ways than one. I need not speak here about the progress we have made in past few decades, but I would be glad to see the perspective of outsiders towards India change as much and as rapidly as India actually is changing. Wake up people, we are not a nation of beggars and lepers and snake charmers anymore. How about documenting the rich culture, the educated and hard working urban India, the new young and polished face of India. Its success stories, its development, its passion for life in the face if adversities, its lightheartedness and humor ohh and yes, the next time someone wants to film a slum, better drop India from the list.

No fishing today.

No fishing today..or forever.!!

If charity begins at home, then so does social awareness i say. i was passing by this lake in talegaon dabhade, near pune where i happen to see this sight. the lake is completely jammed with weeds. over the years a lot of construction has taken place in the surroundings mindlessly adding more dirt and waste into the lake and selling ‘this view’ at a premium in the their plush ‘lake view’ vacation homes.

what ever happened to corporate social responsibility in this part of the world i wonder..!! i thought 2012 was the end of us all…but lookin at this rate of pollution, i am worried we have still less time in our hands..
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No fishing today..or forever.!! If charity begins at home, then so does social awareness i say. i was passing by this lake in talegaon dabhade, near pune where i happen to see this sight. the lake is completely jammed with weeds. over the years a lot of construction has taken place in the surroundings mindlessly adding more dirt and waste into the lake and selling ‘this view’ at a premium in the their plush ‘lake view’ vacation homes. what ever happened to corporate social responsibility in this part of the world i wonder..!! i thought 2012 was the end of us all…but lookin at this rate of pollution, i am worried we have still less time in our hands..

Look into my eyes.

The story goes such that I happen to meet this tiny tot at a village near Talegaon (which itself is a small town) near Pune,Maharashtra,India. I am a MBBS graduate and in the curriculum, we are taught about the various programmed held by the govt. to help poor people residing in villages to excercise their right to education. But, at the same time i am a skeptic for such promises that we hear, and read about day in day out from the politicians.

But looking at the efforts that have been put up at this particular village to literate the young i was in tears of happiness. there is hardly any electricity, meager govt. money, poor medical facilities. But there are lots of kids being educated to primary level education.The place where it happens are called ‘Anganwadi’ and the people are anganwadi workers. though they are govt. employees but they share no laziness and arrogance like we are accustomed to from the babus of british raj. some of them have been students of the same village and have come back to teach the next generation. some are not formally educated but volunteer their skills and time. i could see so many future doctors, lawyers, scientists, journalists, entrepreneurs, in front of my eyes. and this was no uptown school. no fancy teaching aids, no worries of ‘status updates, facebook, gadgets, fine dine etc’ just simple living and high thinking. I was jostled back to urban reality at the roar of our vehicle, but those sights and happiness will never fade away.

biking to bhimashankar..!!

hey folks, my new travelogue is ready. i had been on a day trip biking to bhimashankar. it was a journey about getting close to nature as possible. highly un expected..!! you can check it out here

The Warakri – Published.

The Warakri – Published., originally uploaded by VISHAL TOMAR.

this photo got published in October 2010 Asian photography magazine.., pg 93.