In The Footsteps Of The Nawabs

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“My son, by all means desist from kicking the venerable and enlightened Vizier: for as a costly jewel retains its value even if hidden in a dung-hill, so old age and discretion are to be respected even in the vile persons of our subjects. 
Desist therefore, and tell us what you desire and propose.” 
(From “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis)

This is the entrance of the Hussainabad Picture Gallery in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
It was built by the third Nawab of Awadh, Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah in the year 1838 as a Royal summer house.
This place houses life-size portraits of all Nawabas of Awadh providing a good insight into the grand costumes and jewelry favored by the Nawabs.

Of all the Muslim states and dependencies of the Moghul empire, Awadh had the newest royal family.
They were descended from a Persian adventurer called Sadat Khan, originally from Khurasan in Persia.
In 1732, he was made governor of the province of Awadh.
His original title was Nazim, which means Governor, but soon he was made Nawab. In 1740, the Nawab was called Wazir or vizier, which means Chief Minister, and thereafter he was known as the Nawab Wazir.
In practice, from Sadat Khan onwards, the titles had been hereditary, though in theory they were in the gift of the Moghul emperor, to whom allegiance was paid.

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24-17-12

 

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“Any active sportsman has to be very focused; you’ve got to be in the right frame of mind.
If your energy is diverted in various directions, you do not achieve the results.
I need to know when to switch on and switch off: and the rest of the things happen around that. Cricket is in the foreground, the rest is in the background.
(Sachin Tendulkar – Indian cricketer widely acknowledged as the greatest living batsman, b.1973)

On Sundays Delhiites gather at India Gate cricket Ground in New Delhi where girls, Boys or mixed teams, all dressed in white, are meeting for friendly matches.
You may bring your kit if you have and join a team, some cricketers may also share their bat, ball and wickets with you and you might even be asked to be the umpire.
Of course if you have a French background like mine all this probably won’t make much sense however it will still be a great show and a treat for your camera…

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From the Soul of Souls

 

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“What can I do, Muslims? I do not know myself.
I am neither Christian nor Jew, neither Magian nor Muslim,
I am not from east or west, not from land or sea,
not from the shafts of nature nor from the spheres of the firmament,
not of the earth, not of water, not of air, not of fire.
I am not from the highest heaven, not from this world,
not from existence, not from being.
I am not from India, not from China, not from Bulgar, not from Saqsin,
not from the realm of the two Iraqs, not from the land of Khurasan.
I am not from the world, not from beyond,
not from heaven and not from hell.
I am not from Adam, not from Eve, not from paradise and not from Ridwan.
My place is placeless, my trace is traceless,
no body, no soul, I am from the soul of souls.
I have chased out duality, lived the two worlds as one.
One I seek, one I know, one I see, one I call.
He is the first, he is the last, he is the outer, he is the inner.
Beyond He and He is I know no other.
I am drunk from the cup of love, the two worlds have escaped me.
I have no concern but carouse and rapture.
If one day in my life I spend a moment without you
from that hour and that time I would repent my life.
If one day I am given a moment in solitude with you
I will trample the two worlds underfoot and dance forever.
O Sun of Tabriz, I am so tipsy here in this world,
I have no tale to tell but tipsiness and rapture.”
(Jalal ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi – Persian poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic, 1207–1273)

This was shot before sunset at the tomb of Mohammad Ghaus in Gwalior in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The light and shadows were playing through the jalis (latticed screen) in the galleries surrounding the Sufi saint mazaar (tomb).
The building, built in the late 16th century in the typical Mughal style, is enclosed on all sides by delicately carved lattices over which rises a large dome.
This place is a pilgrimage centre for both the Hindus and the Muslims and make this place of devotion is a symbol of brotherhood as this is where anyone can express his faith.

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Subject and Form

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“You are asking me what makes a good picture.
For me, it is the harmony between subject and form that leads each one of those elements to its maximum of expression and vigor.”
(Henri Cartier-Bresson – French photographer, 1908–2004)

In 1948 Henri Cartier-Bresson took several pictures of the old observatory in the city palace of Jaipur where shades of grey and captivating combinations of geometric forms blend in an amazing rhythm.
This picture is a tip of the hat to the Master, it was shot at sunrise at the Jantar Mantar overlooking Dashashwamedh Ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
This observatory was built by Jai Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur in the year 1737 who was a great admirer of science and technology.
This place was built to measure the local time, the Sun’s declination, altitude, the declination of stars, planets and to determine eclipses, it has several masonry instruments to record the motion, speed and properties starts and planets and study astronomy that are accurate and can still be used efficiently today.
This Jantar Mantar in Varanasi was built in line with Delhi, Mathura, Ujjain and Jaipur observatories.

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A Minute Part Of Reality

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“The photograph itself doesn’t interest me.
I want only to capture a minute part of reality.”
(Henri Cartier-Bresson – French photographer, 1908–2004)

This is a view of Mansrowar Ghat in Varanasi (Benaras) shot from “The Lotus Lounge” where I enjoy to have breakfast after sunrise whenever I come along the Ganges early in the morning…

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Crystal Ships of Benaras

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“Before you slip into unconsciousness
I’d like to have another kiss
Another flashing chance at bliss
Another kiss, another kiss

Oh tell me where your freedom lies
The streets are fields that never die
Deliver me from reasons why
You’d rather cry, I’d rather fly

The days are bright and filled with pain
Enclose me in your gentle rain
The time you ran was too insane
We’ll meet again, we’ll meet again

The crystal ship is being filled
A thousand girls, a thousand thrills
A million ways to spend your time
When we get back, I’ll drop a line”
(“Crystal ship” by The Doors)

This is a view of Bhonsala ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras) where the words of Jim Morrison echo through the ages…

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A Lightning Instant

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“The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box.”
(Henri Cartier-Bresson – French photographe, 1908–2004)

Lucknow, the mythical city of Nawabs, allows to travel in time.
I always enjoy to spend time in the Bara Imambara (or Asafi Imambara) complex for a sensory memory journey…

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Life Welling Worth

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“I could give you no advice but this: to go into yourself and to explore the depths where your life wells forth.”
(From “Letters to a Young Poet (1934)” by Rainer Maria Rilke – Austro-German lyric poet, 1875-1926)

 

This is the Sheesh Gumbad shot from the Bara Gumbad in the Lodi Gardens in Delhi.
During summers walking in this huge park among the mosque and all the tombs of this Pashtun dynasty which ruled Northern India during the 16th century is always a moment of bliss, mostly when come the monsoon showers…
Then clouds of birds try to defeat the sudden winds in the red sky of fire and from every corner, life is welling forth…

 

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Working with Atmosphere

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“Technique undoubtedly helps make photography magical, but I prefer to work with atmosphere.
I think that the obsession with technique is a male thing.
Boy’s toys.
They love playing… but once you’ve perfected something you have to start searching for a new toy.
I would rather search for a new model or location.”
(Ellen von Unwerth – German photographer and director, b.1954)

This is a view of a side of Man Singh Palace, one of the most beautiful structures in the Gwalior Fort.
The fortress stands on an isolated rock, overlooking the Gwalior town, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Within its rich history Gwalior Fort occupies a unique place in the human civilization as the place which has the first ever recorded use of zero.

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The Beauty of the Morning

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“Earth hath not anything to show more fair:
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty:
This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendor, valley, rock, or hill;
Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will:
Dear God! The very houses seem asleep;
And all that mighty heart is lying still!”
(“Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802″ by William Wordsworth, 1770-1850)

This view of Gwalior was shot from a window of the Karna Mahal, the palace next to Man Singh Palace, which stands on an isolated rock overlooking the city in Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

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