More photos

These photographs date from the evening of my ninth day to this morning (my 12th day). I will post some more writing later on today.

A clear message

South Extension 2 from Alka's roof

Fair enough my man

A very sacred rubbish muncher

Pablo Bartholomew from my seat on the floor

Rain this morning in Paharganj, and an angry lad



Keith telling me about meeting Goldsworthy, Long, Nash, Fulton and Cragg

Me and my new barnett

3D image Shep

Dude from SixD with 3D imaging camera that he made the iimage above with

11

Today we are meeting to finalise the photographs for the exhibition. The meeting started at half Twp and half of the meeters are no where to be seen (its twenty to 3). Like mother like daughter.
For lunch I had the moist expensive meal I've had yet and it was only a burger and a coke. £4, Jesus. Daylight robbery.
Last night (and most of yesterday which is probably why I was angry at the guy on the metro) I was ill. I think its better now though. I thought I was being so careful with everything but obviously not.
Oh well.
This evening I went to a photography talk given by an artist called Pablo Bartholomew. I liked his style, it was all documentary photos from his time in Calcutta when he was the stills photographer for a film called The Chess players. I went with Alka and her daughter Mandy was there so we hung out afterwards and went to her acting workshop where this guy was reciting a monologue from Othello. We kinda walked in half way through and distracted him but after he'd finished they were all cool with the disturbance. She introduced me to her tutor who was a nice guy from America. Very much a drama school student. Then she had her driver drop me off very near Paharganj. Absolute result.

Ten

So I think I've had the bad thing that I was getting deja vu about, I pushed someone back on the metro because he was squashing my expensive stuff between me and a pole. He turned round and had a go so I took my headphones off and he asked me why, and I said it was because I needed to be near their door and I was moving him out of my way. Then he said how dare you push me like that, and I realised he was probably in as bad a mood as me so I just apologized. I did feel a little threatened since I was in a very confined space and everyone around was watching. And would probably have defended him.
Alka and I went to see the designer of the catalogue today and she was very creative and had a good sense of humour. She showed us some of the work and it looks great. Can't wait til its printed and part of the project is finished!
Have been invited to an Indian wedding too, can't wait. Its when Annu's here so she'll be over the moon.

Ninth day

Today I went it to work late and got myself some of Sitaram Dewan's chand chole bhature beforehand. Its a chickpea curry that comes with bhature - a flat bread stuffed with herbs and garlic (I think). I got my hair cut too. Its the shortest its been for ten years.
The old boy I met yesterday was in the gallery again. His name is Keith. He told me that he Rollerblades and that he goes to Manchester skate park and can do the hip into the half-pipe and some stalls. He's at least sixty-five. What a guy.
I had a McDonald's today, on purpose. Its been a while since I had any Western food and I felt like my system needed to have a bit of a relax. I should have had pizza. Man, more food talk!
Alka hooked me up for a walk this Sunday despite it being fully booked. It is nice being so well connected.
I feel a lot better today, no deja vu. Probably due to the long talk with mum yesterday. It is nice talking in English with no limits on understanding. And I was probably a little homesick too.
The photo is with the guy that works the 7 til 7 am shift at the hotel's rooftop restaurant every night. His English is very good so he was helping to translate between me and these other two Hindi guys who were up there. His parents live in Uttar Pradesh and are farmers but he works here because there's more money to be made.

Like waiting for a bus

A second photo post in two days. This one fills in the gap between my third day and today. Like yesterday, it is a selection of highlights in chronological order.

My 'station' at IHC

IHC at night

The rooftop of Hare Krishna at night

Delhi's glowing skyline

Hidden out of view

Ramakrishna Ashram Mission

Ravi and Rahul at lunch

Lohri celebrations at the IHC

Lohri celebrations in full swing

Smoggy Delhi - the walk back to Jor Bagh metro station

The rickshaw this morning

Photo Highlights Thus Far

So its my eighth day and all I have uploaded in the way of photos are blurry pictures from the tablet. This post, therefore, is a collection of images, in chronological order, from the first three days of this trip.

My first bed in Delhi

View from the hotel room, first morning

... and a slightly nicer view of it

A Hindu shrine set up at a rickshaw stop

Generally, not specifically

The only time you'll see one of these things not burning down the wrong side of the road tooting wildly

Canopy near India Gate from as close as I could get that day

The tomb at Lodi Gardens

The mosque at Lodi Gardens

A chipmunk reading a sign and a bird already at it

The India Habitat Centre (IHC)

Rickety scaffolding

A very safe crossing

A Hindu temple near Safdarjung's Tomb

Slowly getting the job done

Work being done on part of Connaught Place

This dog knew his green cross code

Paharganj entrance from New Delhi Station side

My second and only other Delhi bed

Eighth day

2 pm - I just got offered a bottle of whiskey for 700 rupees. By the guy in the photo in fact. His name is Yuvid. I don't know how you spell it.

9:56 pm - This evening I went to a book launch with one of my colleagues called Surbhi. The author was being interviewed when we got there and then she did the darkest reading I've ever heard. A vivid description of abortion and the main character becoming barren. The weirdest thing is it brought on this really strong deja vu and a feeling of dread like I've never felt before. Like something bad is going to happen involving work or something. I think it is probably just misprocessed home sickness. I have been having an awful lot of deja vu since I got here.

On a lighter note, I met this great man today. He was helping to put up an exhibition in the gallery which I work next to and as I was walking to my office he said hello and asked me where I was from. He is English too, but from Manchester. He told me that he'd just stopped teaching at MMU and was now working only as a researcher in art and design there. The stuff he was putting up where 3D prints so I was completely enthralled and asked him pretty much everything I could think to ask him about the process. And he told me about graphine as well. I hadn't heard of it but it is an absolutely amazing material. They are manipulating it at an atom wide and it is so strong that it will be able to hold up speakers etc. on a support no thicker than string. I can't wait to talk to him tomorrow and learn some more.