India of the day: screens

Screening like this is used extensively in India. Sometimes it is part of purdah, the separation of the sexes, brought by the Mughals. It is also a way to modulate light and preserve airflow in enclosed spaces. And it makes for great photographic opportunities!

India of the day: Janelle

world traveler + best friend
(one of my favorite pictures from our trip)

India of the day: domes

fractile geometries and cocentricities

entrance gate to the Taj Mahal grounds

inside the Taj Mahal

at Qut'b Minar

at Qut'b Minar

India of the day: signs

Lots of things that are mechanized in the US are still done by hand in India with beautiful results. Some walls were so layered with paint that you could read names of now defunct hotels, shops, and cafes peeking from below as a history of a place.

India of the day: school uniforms

(tuk tuk school bus)

All schoolkids in India wear uniforms. But unlike in the US, they vary drastically from school to school and are a mix of western and traditional style. Hair braiding (for girls) seems to be a part of the code.

Watch out for the boys though... this group of tweens was following me around for a while till I took their picture.

India of the day: men in white

While the women are stereotypically decked out in all the colors of the rainbow, men in India tend to keep it pretty neutral. The most traditional dressers favor white from head to toe. I suppose it is cooler in summer, but I think there is more to it than that.

When I see a person dressed all in white, some words come to mind: minimal, ascetic, mystic. I think of the Hajj, Gandhi, Mother Teresa. Dressing to unify, de-emphasize differences, and to cultivate a common humanity. Despite the impression you may get from the caste system, I heard from many Indians the sentiment that "we're all in this together", and "all are born, all will die".

White looks beautiful against tanned skins, strong sun, and even once old, stained, and torn. It's dignity in clothing.

ps: I met one of the nuns from Mother Teresa's convent. She was way cool.

India of the day: knitting

I've been at such a loss as to how to sum up my India trip. There are so many individual things I want to share. So I'm going to attempt to do "India of the Day" posts on some of my favorites until I run out of steam.

Let's start, randomly, with a post on knitting!

I had no idea that hand knitting was so common in India. I saw women knitting in windows, doorways, and around corners. I saw yarns being delivered.

And I saw sweater vests, lots of sweater vests. Particularly ones knit from what we here in the US refer to as "novelty yarns" - all things sparkly and fluffy and not something you're likely to see on any man in NYC.

We were there in "winter" - temps ranged from 60-80 degrees during the day and a little colder at night (but not exactly frigid). I'm not sure if it's that they are actually cold, or if they just are celebrating the opportunity to wear layers, but Indians really seem to like to bundle up this time of year. This is especially true when it comes to kids:

eat me

Hope you had a good one!
L + I celebrated at home by making this pizza and dancing in the living room.
A good first married V-day, I'd say.