15 - 31st - Party time

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 31st Dec'07

When almost the entire city was deep in mad celebrations with loud music, long queues and unmanageable crowds, this restaurant at one of the back streets of Puebla gave a sight of peace and tranquility.

Not willing to join the crowd, I found this restaurant; with a hint of me in it, alone and in peace, away from the shouting and screaming, but a bit empty from inside, as if waiting for someone to come and fill up the space.


Click here to see the full sized image

14 - 30th - The tiny flowers

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 30th Dec'07

These beautiful purple flowers are planted just outside my hotel, on one of the side-walks. These are actually very tiny flowers, which in a bunch of 8-10, give the appearance of a bigger one.

I tried taking a close-up, but due to bright sunlight, couldn't get the best results. Still, it was good enough to be put here. :)

Click here to see the full sized image.

13 - 29th - Shattered

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 29th Dec'07

On the way back from office in the evening, I decided not to take a bus, as I usually do. I decided to walk, because it was still sunny and the weather was quite conducive for a lazy stroll. It was then when I saw a heap of broken glass lying on the side of the road. The rays of the evening sun were making the glass shine like diamonds, with a tinge of orange and yellow in the refracted rays.

Though I couldn't manage to capture the exact appearance in terms of color, but still I am pretty satisfied with the texture of the image. I took several shots. Of all of them, I liked two the most. One I have posted above, and the other you can see here.

Click here to see the full sized image.

12 - 28th - All packed up

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 28th Dec'07

I took this picture today at lunch. I was returning from a nearby restaurant when I saw someone lying down on a sofa kept on the pavement. I just leaped over and saw this man sleeping there. Completely packed up, from head to feet, to protect himself from the chilly wind.

Lost in his own 'closed' world, he seemed completely oblivious of the happenings in the outside world.


Click here to see the full sized image.

11 - 27th - A Black day

Benazir Butto - brutally assassinated.

I have been closely following Pakistani politics from the time Nawaz and Benazir announced their return to their mother-land. Somehow Benazir always seemed to be ray of hope amidst all the chaos prevalent in the country.

The headlines at rediff came as BIG shock to me. I just couldn't believe the cruelty and brutality displayed by the assassins in extinguishing the last strong flame of hope in Pakistani politics. Extremists who didn't want her to return to power again, extremists who couldn't stand a 'woman' rule the country, extremists who pose a grave danger to towards the destabilization of the entire Pakistani nation, have at last, in their second attempt, succeeded in their heinous plans.

I pay my condolences towards a brave lady, who dared to enter a well of fire and laid her life fighting for a cause.

10 - 26th - A tough life

He is an old man who sells covers for ID cards just outside the main exit gate of the Volkswagen plant. I've been seeing him for around 6 months now. He arrives at around 10 AM in the morning and you can find him standing there till it gets dark. The small brick on which he keeps his bag is all he has in the name of his 'shop'. He carries two covers in his hands and recites something in Spanish to the people passing by, most probably the price of the covers.

He made me wonder how much easy money I am earning. He stands there for around 8 hours daily and would be managing to earn some 30 pesos on a good 'business' day. He is of the age of my grandfather and when its the fading years of his life, when he needs to get some rest from the hard spent years (as his present condition tells me) he is forced to spend days at a stretch standing on his rather strong legs, to fetch for a mouthful of bread.

This is his favorite or rather most comfortable pose to stand, as most of the times I find him standing in that stance. He always wears that cap of his and keeps on moving his makeshift 'shop' according to where proper shade is available.

I took this photo from a distance, so as not to embarrass him and obviously, myself too. So the clarity of the full image is not as good as expected. But the message that it conveys, is loud and clear.

Click here to see the full sized image

9 - 25th - Merry Christmas

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 25th Dec'07

Today being Christmas, I am posting this cute Santa doll displayed at the reception of my Hotel. I was waiting there to get my internet access key for the week when I noticed this small setup of dolls at the corner of the front-desk. Though there were beautiful Christmas trees, elegantly decorated hallways, but still I chose this "small Santa" to be my post for Christmas'07.

I sent the same photo my friends as the Christmas greeting. :)

Click here to view the full sized image.

8 - 24th - The Football field

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 24th Dec'07

I came a bit early from office today, it being the Christmas eve. Usually it is the Popocatepetl that catches my attention, but today it was the football field. There is this field at the back of the hotel, in the midst of almost 'barren' land covered with wild bushes and half constructed houses. Every Sunday or on a holiday you can see some local teams assemble for a match or two. I have always thought of walking down someday and having a closer look, but that didn't happen till now.

Last Sunday they burnt all the tall grass and cleared up the surroundings. It looks much better than before and so I thought its time now to post it here :)


P.S - The full image looks much better than the one posted above. So please find time to click the link below :)

Click here to see the full sized image

7 - 23rd - The shadow

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 23rd Dec'07

I was sitting at an empty bus stop to take some rest from the excessive walking around I indulged in, during the day, when suddenly something caught my attention. I turned back to see my shadow in the lush green background lit up by the bright shining sun. It seemed so unusual. Unusual because I was reminded of something. When I was a child, I used to see my shadow and do strange things while walking on the road. I used to make weird postures, run around and try to leave my shadow behind. A sudden renewal of those memories made some strange feelings run through my mind. So, I just took out my camera and decided to capture the moment.

Click here to see the full sized image

6 - 22nd - The Green Peas

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 22nd Dec'07

While preparing for dinner, I kept the frozen green peas in warm water to make them return to their original texture. While I was frying the onions and cutting the capsicum, the peas were getting soft at the other corner of the room. Once the onions were ready, I returned to the peas to drain the water off and put them in the curry. As I came back to them, I saw this beautiful pattern of vivid green near-circles floating in the water. The next moment, I had the camera in my hand.

Beauty sometimes hides itself in small things and invites you to find it, through observant eyes. To a careless view it wont be even visible. But once discovered, it gives such a joy to your heart.

Click here to see the full sized image

5 - 21st - Taco Man

Originally clicked and Uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 21st Dec'07

I wanted to click this for a long time. This is the place where I am having my lunch daily for the past one month now. It's the Taco shop just outside my office. It is just a temporary tent set up on the roadside. But you can see everyone standing in the long queue in the afternoons, from the normal workers of the Volkswagen plant to the managers of the financial department.

The food is fresh and tastes awesome. The most amazing fact is the guy on the right speaks English much better and with much more fluency than any Mexican I have met till date. He is the person who actually 'prepares' the tacos, while two other provide the essential ingredients. Am providing one more photo below just to display the whole 'setup' of the place.

Originally clicked and Uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 21st Dec'07

Click here to see the full sized photo-1
Click here to see the full sized photo-2

4 - 20th - The Old Lady

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 20th Dec'07

I see this lady daily. Daily, when I go for lunch, just outside my office. Every 10 mins she gets up from those cold steel railings and wanders around the temporary food shops set up all around the place. She accepts everything, from meager amounts of money to a can of soda or even left over food. Everyday she comes to me too, saying something in Spanish, which I don't understand. What I do understand is the pain in her voice and the suffering so prominently etched on her face.

I cant really explain how I feel, posting this picture on my blog. On one hand I feel I am "using" her suffering as a subject to add just another post, while on the other hand I cant stop myself from doing that because she makes me realize some hard realities of life, which help me keep my feet on the ground .

I never give alms, but today I did, maybe to return the favor to her. The favor of giving this blog its first really meaningful post.

Click here to see the full sized image

3 - 19th - Hanging Beetles

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 19th Dec'07

Two things cross my mind whenever I see these hanging cars in my office premises - first why do they need to waste four beetles (thats the model of all the four cars, one of the most popular make of Volkswagen) and second - how the hell did they put them up there :-/

I have seen them closely and you wont believe, they are not dummy models, rather fully functional cars,as was later confirmed by one of the employees too. They have fully furnished interiors and original working Volkswagen engines.

Click here to see the full sized image

2 - 18th - Popocatepetl

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 18th Dec'07

I took this foto today evening, just when the sun was going to set behind the magnificent volcano in Puebla - Popocatepetl. The view was so much eye catching, that in the first glance itself I knew this is going to be the image of the day.

The volcano stands in all its majesty overlooking the scarcely populated city of Puebla. Its magnanimity creates varying thoughts in my mind - often of completely opposite nature. Sometimes it makes me feel so diminished and non-existent in front of itself & sometimes it inspires me to be like it ... stand so tall that everyone just wonders - WTF.

Click here to see the full sized image

1 - 17th - Chirpy evening

Originally clicked and uploaded - Pratosh Dwivedi - 17th Dec'07

I took this photo in the evening, outside my office. I was thinking about capturing this for a long time now, but since cameras are not allowed inside the Volkswagen plant, I was a bit hesitant to exercise my photography skills.

Daily in the evening, just about the time i start from office, there is this conglomeration of birds returning to their nests. There are hundreds of them, flocking the 10 odd trees in the office premises. They are flying in from all directions with chirping so loud as to be mistaken for a symphony. Their loud and continuous chirping creates such a magical atmosphere that it relieves you of all the tiredness and tension of the day. You feel like just standing there and enjoying the sweet musical show of mother nature.

Click here to see the full sized image