Category: Asia
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At home in Kumaon
At home in Kumaon A row of old village cottages; the ground floor is for the animals, whilst the people live upstairs. All built, finished and painted in the traditional style. But times have changed. In the background, we catch a glimpse of a new building, constructed from brick and cement. And so the charm…
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The cow lifting game
The cow lifting game What do you do when a cow is lying right in the middle of the path, blocking the way, and has absolutely no intention of getting up and moving out of the way? You don’t often come across such a stubborn cow, but that’s exactly what happened here. It was only…
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Bhang
Bhang Yes, it grows in the wild in the Kumaon hills. I’m talking about the Cannabis sativa, the Indian hemp plant. The seeds get blown in the wind or are taken and dropped by birds and so, all of a sudden, you can have some hemp plants growing in your garden. Local farmers may –…
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Tap tap!
Tap tap! That is what you hear in the pine forest when the man who collects the resin from the trees fixes the cone back on the stem. Then he moves to the next tree, empties the cone, puts it back, tap tap, and he goes on to the next. The resin is used for…
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Like mother, like daughter
Like mother, like daughter Human life may have changed in many ways since prehistoric times, but on a certain level – namely that of the basic needs the body requires to survive – we are still the same, and in that respect not much different from other animals. We need food to eat and water…
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Lakhudiyar
Lakhudiyar Already in prehistory humans must have been enchanted by the natural beauty of the Kumaon hills. They have left their traces, as we can see for example in the rock shelter the board on the photo speaks so nicely about. Lakhudiyar can be found between present day Almora and Jageshwar. It looks as if…
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The Kumaon hills
The Kumaon hills By 2050, 66 per cent of the world’s population will be living and working in cities. Rapid urbanisation is also an ongoing trend in India. In the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, where I spend most of my time when I am in India, I see the flip side of this exodus to…
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A roof of dense foliage
A roof of dense foliage Without the support posts, this living monument would soon collapse under its own weight. A tree on crutches – not to walk with, but to stay upright.Whether it’s a freak of nature or a labour of love – it’s certainly impressive. Photo of the week: Nagamachi samurai district, Kanazawa, Japan 2008
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The woman in the trees
The woman in the trees A sound echoed through the forest, but I couldn’t work out where it was coming from. Then, suddenly, I saw a nymph moving high up in the oak trees. Surprised, I called out: “What are you doing up there?” She gave me a broad smile and called back: “Je fais…
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Legs in unison
Legs in unison The central image in the picture is one of 196 photos, fit in wooden screens, that together formed the installation by Dayanita Singh at the Kochi Biennale 2014. The Exhibition Guide says that the installation “is a year’s work presented as a series of interconnected movements in life and thought (…)”. For the viewer…
καιρός remembered 