INDIA - VIBES for your SOUL.
What were my first impressions of India?
Well, I was struck by the amount of people! It was a very different place, with the culture, the food, the different religions. Things were much more visible, people lived their lives more in public and it was just another kind of world. India had, to me, completely different music, different architecture, different food. You’re always kind of hyper-aware of your surroundings because everything is a bit strange and alien and hypnotic.
The holy river in Varanasi, ghats filled with life, winding alleys and mystical spirituality make this a magical city to indulge from very early morning right through to long after the sun has set.
Or the mystical Rajasthan, thanks to its splendid palaces: with tangle of winding, glittering, medieval streets, which never seem to lead where you expect them to, scented by incense and roses, with shops and bazaars selling everything from trumpets and temple decorations to silver and saris. Its bustling network of colourful alleyways, busy markets and traditional industries.
It was more about trying to find the essence of the place, what was unique. What was it about this place that made it intriguing to me as there is no guarantee that you’re going to make good pictures just because you happen.The same rules of photography still apply: light and composition and a particular moment. You may be in an incredible place with an incredible story to tell, but you still have to craft it in a certain way.
Read the story below…
A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. A Smile in front of the blue wall - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
Above The Ganges. Meditation at the Ganges river in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
The City - Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Resting boats- sunrise at the Ghats of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Bathing Men - Galtaji temple near Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
Curious Passenger - New Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi, India. © 2013 www.martinvogt.ch
Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act. Woman waiting - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
The Tea Drinker - in the streets of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
I love getting dressed up versus I am ready. Family Affair - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
Watching - Street portrait- in a side street of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. © 2013 www.martinvogt.ch
Two women - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.
I learned the value of hard work by working hard. . Street portrait- in a side street of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Shining Kids - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.
There are no traffic jams along the extra mile. Rickshaw driver - streets of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Curious fellow - streets of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Getting to know someone else involves curiosity about where they have come from, who they are.
Girl opening backyard door- side street of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
I learned the value of hard work by working hard. . Street portrait- in a side street of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Magical Stripe-Shifters Stripes- New Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi, India.
• Connect the world • Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Brothers - playing at The Betwa river in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India. Chic dressed and smiling
Mysterious man - late night along the Ghats on the Ganges river in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Silent place- Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India. There are times when silence has the loudest voice.
Posing kids - side street of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Kids can amuse themselves with almost anything.
Sādhu reaching out during Kumbh Mela- Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals.
Accountant - Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Street portrait - in the streets of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.
Street chess players - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.
The wise man does not grow old, but ripens. Street portrait- Market in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
• Tonsure • at the Ghats of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Hair is a symbolic offering to the gods, representing a real sacrifice of beauty, and in return, the offerers are given blessings in proportion to their sacrifice.
Clean-up at the on of the Burning Ghat on the Ganges river in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Human remains in the Ganges. After the cremation the bones and ashes of the deceased are thrown into the Ganges.
Benares wakes up - Streets of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing Construction worker having a break at the Lakshmi Narayan Temple- Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Sadhu Meditating over River Ganges - at the Ghats of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
The Truth - Street portrait- in a side street of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• The 3rd Eye • Portrait in the streets of Varanasi, India © 2013 www.martinvogt.ch
My way - Going to school early morning in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. I've never let my school interfere with my education.
Sadhu Meditating over River Ganges - at the Ghats of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Tell me your story - Street portrait - in the streets of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Street portrait - in the streets of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Train Number 11078, JHELUM EXPRESS operating service between Jammu Tawi and Pune Junction stations Distance as little as 2173 km/ 1358 miles or 1day 16hrs 50min Exciting traveller - New Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi, India.
THE STORY.
TRAVEL DIARY Martin Vogt
March 2013:
"It was my maiden train trip in North India. Embarking at New Delhi, destination Janshi. Train: New Delhi-Bhopal express. Departure from New Delhi: 6AM.
Everyone is travelling to different destinations and everyone has a story to tell. Everyone on the train has different reasons to travel by train. It is always a journey that we all enjoy than the destination or the means of travel!
I reached reached New Delhi railway station by 5.30 AM. For many, the gates of the train station is their sleeping choice. Getting down from a tuk tuk on a moderate March morning was a chilling experience considering the steamy day times. Local ‘coolies’ (helpers) approaching like houseflies swarming unprotected sweet meat.
Train pulled up the platform quite on time. For an A/C chair wagon, I had legs space more than sufficient compared to many airlines! It was a 5 hour journey to Janshi which was at a distance of 426km and the train would reach a top speed of about 100km/hour.
While traveling by train is quite convenient as you get free bottled water and breakfast incl. morning chai. Travellers enjoying their train travel – while some are immersed in reading news papers to keep abreast of what’s happening around the country, others are more relaxed watching Bollywood soaps on their laptops :-)
I just picture this how this would look back home in Europe .....Who wants to miss the joys of Train travel in India?"
A cleansing bath in Varanasi: "Brace yourself. You're about to enter one of the most blindingly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetically indiscreet places on earth. Varanasi takes no prisoners."
Explore. Dream. Discover.