India Photo Gallery

Below are some fairly typical images of everyday life in India.

Certainly one of the most striking first, middle, and last impressions one has of India is the traffic.  The photo (left) of a street in old Delhi gives you some idea of the congestion and sheer variety of modes of transport.  The standard car, truck and bus traffic is everywhere in India.  But this photo shows some additional ways of getting around:  motor scooters, bicycles, bicycle rickshaws, and auto rickshaws (a three-wheeled scooter with a cab attached - great fun!).  That still doesn't exhaust the list.  On a given day (and depending on the locale) you might also see ox carts, tonkas (horse carts), elephants and camels as well.

Driving in many Indian cities (no thank you!) is a marvel of skill and strategy, not for the faint-hearted or hesitant.  Every gap in the traffic flow, no matter how small, is quickly filled by a motor scooter (sometimes carrying an entire family!) or auto rickshaw.  Signs cautioning drivers to keep to their own lane are apparently only suggestions.  Traffic must be prepared to stop abruptly at any moment for animals that, alone or in groups, decide to cross the street, such as this herd in Hyderabad (right). Despite the sheer chaos of Indian traffic, I was lucky not to witness any of the many fatal traffic accidents that occur on a daily basis in India.  In fact, the first accident I saw was when a man on a bicycle turned back to stare at our car and rode into a cow.  He hit the pavement but, other than a leg that was almost certainly blue in the morning, he was not seriously injured.  The cow was unfazed.

My love for animals was a blessing in India to the extent that they are, in a variety of forms, everywhere.  Some obviously belong to humans; others seem to be free agents who rely on the generosity, or at least patience, of strangers.

In a bit of irony, given their prevalence among the ranks of the strays in the U.S., I rarely saw cats out on the streets in India (with the exception of Mumbai).  My suspicion, confirmed by a driver, was that this was because of all the many stray dogs around.  This one (left), snoozing at the Baby Taj in Agra, is typical in physical appearance of the stray canine.  Cats, where they exist as pets, tend to live inside.

Tourist attractions are a common hangout for animals of various sorts, like these monkeys (r.) on Elephanta Island near Mumbai.

These goats were photographed at a mausoleum in Jaipur.

Right.  Varanasi.  Don't ask because I honestly don't know!

Signs of the sacred are everywhere and much more fully integrated into everyday life than they are in the United States.
 

For example, this Ganesh statue was in the lobby of the Connaught Hotel in Delhi, a hotel that caters largely to a business clientele.  Ganesh, one of the most beloved Hindu deities and the god of good fortune and remover of obstacles, is a common figure to be found in commercial enterprises.  The goddess of good fortune, Lakhsmi, is also popular.

India is a very hardworking country and someone passing through an area can often tell what the prevalent occupation on a street or neighborhood is by what is left lying on the ground.  The photo at right was taken in Hyderabad at the Lad Bazaar in a street where the bangle salesmen sell their merchandise.  Glass bangles are especially popular with girls about to be married.  However, their fragility means lots of brightly colored shards adorning the streets.

One of the most common, and colorful, sights on the streets of many an Indian city is the movie poster, like this one in Agra.  India has the largest movie industry in the world.  It is centered in Mumbai (Bombay) and has earned the nickname "Bollywood".

Two things that were never far from the minds of Indians during my visit were cricket and the conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir.  This sign, hanging outside of a pizzeria in Mumbai, combines the two consuming interests.  The cricket World Cup was played in June, with India defeating the much more highly-ranked Pakistani team.  The day of the match was probably not the best time to go shopping, but that's exactly what we did.  Our drivers raced us from shop to shop so that they could rush in and watch the match on the shop television.  Despite the loss to India, Pakistan went on to the finals.  However, the Australian team defeated Pakistan.  As one individual in Varanasi said, "All of India is happy."

Political sentiments turned up on signs in a variety of places.  This one was posted at a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Sarnath.

Souvenir stand at Elephanta Island.

"To keep Ganges neat & clean please do not throw plastic bags, garland & do not use detergent."  The sacred Ganges is actually one of the most polluted rivers in the world, though it is unlikely that those who love her would see it that way.  This sign represents an attempt to cut back on some of the litter on the ghats in Varanasi.  The prohibition on the use of detergent was soundly ignored.

A sign outside a facility for the disabled in Hyderabad.   The facility provided assistance to those with a variety of physical and mental disabilities.    The sign tells the story of a man named Ramulu who lost all of his limbs but is able to earn a living today because of the support people have given the institute.   Corporate sponsorship made the ad space possible.

Eat less, be healthy and drink Coke?  This sign was photographed in Hyderabad.   The "eat less" message is certainly an interesting, if counter-intuitive, sign to appear in a bakery, but that's where I found it.

Sign at the Sweekaar institute for the disabled in Hyderabad.

Sign at the gate of a Catholic Church in Hyderabad.  According to the 2001 WorldFactbook published by the CIA, Christians make up 2.3% of the population of India.

© 1999.  Jody Taylor Watkins and Peter Watkins.  Do not download or reprint these images without permission. Email