Two front doors
This page shows a very particular quarter of
Bangalore;
a friendly, less affluent area, away from the city centre. Bengaluru (as it is now spelt, adding a 'u' sound at the end) is the capital of the state of Karnataka. The city has changed greatly since these pictures were taken, the population having risen from around 4 million to being in the region of 12 million in 2018. The main theme of this page is the making of
joss sticks,
an occupation promoted by a number of NGOs to offer employment within less affluent communities.
Pretend pigeon fancier - he reappears in two more pictures...
...in this one, with his friend, they are offering to introduce me to a cow, with which neither of them have any acquaintance
A loaded cart with huge wheels and pulled by an ox with painted horns. The painted horns can be seen in
pictures from Tamil Nadu.
There the cart has smaller tyred wheels as it does in the buffalo cart
seen in a village in Vietnam.
Mangos offered by the cow boys (above); now taking over the mango seller's wares
Tomatoes weighed out in hand-held scales; universally used and suspected
Palms offering dappled shade to add to Bangalore's already excellent climate. It benefits from its 3,000 feet of altitude with cool nights and warm, dry days
A western medic visiting a family with a handicapped child. Such visits as these happen in very public spaces, rather a common event in India
Joss sticks drying
Children free-wheeling
Woman working
The task of making joss sticks has the great merit of needing little in the way of facilities or resources - any shaded flat spot suffices where the ingredients of thin sticks, a fragrance and clay can be combined
Not that you would ever guess from the smart cleanliness of the people...
While working in the street is fine on many days, shelter is necessary if work is to be continued through the year. Workshops like this one offer women with various handicaps a sheltered and organised place to work
...but water is always a problem - here standpipes provide for the lanes
Doorstep family
Those boys...
A universal view of India from behind the driver of his 'auto', familiar to all who travel around the country. 'Auto' rickshaws, which originally came rom Japan, having, outside Kolkata, replaced human and bicycle propulsion
Trailers...
The next page
goes to a city twice the size of Bangalore and the fourth largest in the world - Mumbai (Bombay).
The next page
in the Mosaic Section - David Hinton on 'Sincerity'.
Or go to the contents of the Mosaic Section.
The last page led from hamlets to Cao Bằng City, in Vietnam
To a very different city - Singapore
