284 - 25th - Never say die

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 25th Sept'08

How many of us would be willing to even step out of our house if we experience something even close to what this man in the image above is experiencing? Not able to see the world through his eyes, he is sitting on the pavement playing the instrument continuously without any signs of tiredness.

I was amazed by his attitude and the vivid expressions on his face. Life is tough but people like him seem to be tougher. Each time I feel let down by my circumstances, I remember him & immediately the heaviness seems to fade away. I learnt a lesson from him - nothing is tough if you really want to do it.

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255 - 27th - Popeye the sailor man

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 27th Aug'08

Popeye used to be my favorite cartoon till 3 years back [that was when I started working :( ]. I used to love the starting music and used to sing along whenever it was shown on Cartoon Network.

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man,
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.
I'm strong to the finich
Cause I eat my spinach.
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.

I was immediately reminded of Popeye when I saw this naval guard at the Naval Museum in Veracruz. After being declined to take a pic by many security guards previously, I wasn't sure whether he would would allow me to take a shot. But once asked he was in this definitive pose at immediately and I took some nice shots :)

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Click here to see one of Popeye's cartoon episodes

254 - 26th - Emotions

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 26th Aug'08

Seldom have I seen a face so distinctly etched with emotions. I was sitting in a cafe having some snacks when I saw this lady who was trying to persuade some tourists into buying the stuff she had. It was clearly visible how tired she was of doing what she had to. I could see the pain in her eyes and sadness on her face.

Not much to write about it. The picture says it all.

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248 - 20th - Under the umbrella

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 20th Aug'08

I don't know for what this lady was waiting, holding the umbrella in her hand and sitting on a rock with a straight face, but I certainly knew that she was going to give me a nice portrait. Since she was sitting at a deserted place, it was tough to click her without letting her know. So, I started pointed my camera here and there & took some shots in between. Though I tired to be smart, I think she came to know what I was up to.

BTW, the dress she is wearing is the traditional dress from that part of Puebla. Almost all the ladies in the town seemed to wear the same dress; young and old alike.

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239 - 11th - For the sake of living

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 11th Aug'08

Everyone expects their share of a peaceful rest after a long tiring journey. But for some the struggle of the journey never ends. They have to toil hard even when the end is near. They just don't have the option to relax even when they know that this may be the last phase of their struggle with life. Because even if its some handful of moments left, they have to fight to survive through them. They cant stop, they just have to move on - for the sake of living.

I saw this old man on one of the pavements in downtown Mexico City. When I first saw him, his fingers were striking against the chords of his guitar just to make some sound. As I got nearer to him, his movements became slower. By the time I clicked the photo & went near to him to put a coin in his bowl, we was already sleeping. He looked so tired and stressed. Even the sound of the coin striking against the bowl didn't wake him.

Just observe closely the things kept around him & you will realize how hard he has to struggle just to survive yet another day. I thank him to provide such a meaningful image to my blog and to teach me a lesson or two about life.

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196 - 29th - African shop

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 29th June'08

This dummy shop apparently run by an African, was set up in the middle of one of the sections in Africam Safari at Puebla. There were fruits, vegetables and many other things neatly arranged in various cartons.

The dark guy, most probably the shopkeeper, didn't look too much interested in the business though :)

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192 - 25th - Photographing the photographer

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 25th June'08

Its really amazing how a photographer looks while taking a picture. He becomes completely oblivious of his surroundings and all he has in his mind is the scene he is concentrating on. We usually find them in awkward positions; sometimes half bent, sometimes leaning backwards, sometimes almost lying flat on the ground :) Thats the magic photography does on serious pursuers.

I knew what the lady is aiming at, but I am still not sure what the guy sitting below is up to :P

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187 - 20th - Music on the streets

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 20th June'08

Talent they say can be found hidden anywhere. It doesnt need big concert halls, nor does it needs widespread appreciation. All it needs is a small world of itself where it can flourish and fly with it's wings spread wide.

This man whom I found with his guitar sitting in the mid of the road was a perfect example of lost-in-his-own-little-world syndrome. He wasn't sitting there for alms. Neither did he care if anyone was listening to him. All he cared was about him and his passion towards his music. When asked for a photo, he was all ready with a strange "pacified" look on his face.

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164 - 28th - Living in ruins

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 28th May'08

We sometime get so lost in our own little circle of comfort that we start taking things for granted. We don't even realize that some things which come so naturally for us are luxury for many people. The reality strikes (that too occasionally) when we see people surviving in much worse conditions. All they have is a temporary shed on their heads, small hungry mouths to feed and a really tough life to live.

If you see the photo carefully, you will realize many realities of life.

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155 - 19th - Sailing with the wind

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 19th May'08

I was passing by a nearby park when I noticed this old man sitting on a bench. He seemed so dejected and lost in his own world that it hardly looked as if he is interested in doing some business. It looked more like an obligation for him to sit there and try to sell what he had. He somehow induced a sense of sorrow in my heart and I couldn't help myself from just staring at him.

As I have highlighted more than once before, people really have tough lives and they don't seem to have any other choice than to just sail with the wind.

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127 - 21st - The donkey ride

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 21st Apr'08

A rare sight in a country which is famous for cow boys riding their way through on tall handsome horses. I saw this man treading through a hot Saturday afternoon on the outskirts of the city. Probably as heavy as the donkey itself, he was enjoying his comfortable ride with a typical Mexican sombrero on his head.

Different people, different means of transport :)

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122 - 16th - The clown

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 16th Apr'08

Its really thought provoking that what different types of work people do to earn a living. I shot this man. dressed as a clown, in front of a local restaurant window, trying to attract the attention of people dining inside.

How much would he manage to earn for a whole day? What would be his frame of mind while doing what he does daily? Can anyone of us imagine ourselves in such a role? Can anyone of us dare such an embarrassment (obviously an embarrassment to us) ?

This is the way people crush their inner inhibitions and shyness to earn a few dollars for a day. I feel blessed for having an easy & comfortable job & at the same time I pray for the betterment of lives of such people.

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107 - 1st - Weird

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 1st Apr'08

I couldn't figure out what exactly was she thinking nor could I figure out if actually the person was a "she", but the strange, absolutely silent posture in which she was sitting really made me stop and stare at her. It's not that her eyes were closed when my camera clicked, but she was sitting like that from the time I noticed her.

With a child pram parked next to her, with none-knows-what kept inside it, a book kept on her other side and a pair of glasses perched on her forehead, her face and hands covered with some white powder, I wasn't really able to decide what was going on there. Her face had a kind of unusual expression, one that I couldn't identify.

Just observe the photo closely, I am sure you will also start feeling weird.

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105 - 30th - Shoe polish

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 30th Mar'08

There are two things I would like to mention about this photo. One is the peculiar style of shoe polish shops that I have seen in Mexico. They make you sit high on the trolley and then polish your shoes. It feels as if you are sitting on a throne :) You can see these shoe polish trolleys all over the city and you can see people sitting on them and reading newspapers while their shoes are getting polished.

Second point is about the man you can see in this picture. It was a Sunday and hence not many customers for him. I asked him for a photo and he posed nicely for one. Then I thanked him and shook hands with him. He was so humble that you could notice it in the first glance. He was very hesitant in giving his hand over to me, but at the same time had a genuine smile on his face, as if feeling that someone cared to say thanks and offer a hand. I was really touched that time, by his looks and by his behavior. I couldnt stop myself from thinking about him for the whole day.

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83 - 8th - The cobbler

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 8th Mar'08

Different people do different things to earn a living. Some sit in air conditioned offices and surf through their day while other not-so-fortunate ones struggle endlessly, day after day, under the blazing sun.

This man, finding his way through yet another tough day of his life, working under heavy heat & unbearable humidity; when asked for a photo, readily agreed for it with a humble smile on his face. I drew endless inspiration from him and was thankful to God for making me realize some important lessons of life.

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70 - 24th - The paddy "sowers"

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 24th Feb'08

This is the season of paddy sowing in Kerala. Rice being a staple food of the state, you can see it being grown in vast amounts all over the inner parts of Kerala. This is the apt time for planting the paddy seedlings since monsoons would be hitting the state anytime in the next 2-3 months.

We were cutting our way through the lush green city if "wayanad" in Kerala, when we came across these ladies sowing paddy in one of the nearby fields.

Here are some more shots worth seeing
Photo-1
Photo-2

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17 - 2nd - The cleaning lady

Originally clicked and uploaded by - Pratosh Dwivedi - 2nd Jan'08

She is the lady whom I have been seeing for the past 5 months now. She is from the house-keeping section of the hotel and comes to clean my room daily. Most of the days, I don't meet her, because I leave my room early for work. Today, being down with fever, I took off from work and so I got to see her after a week or so.

She always has a sweet smile on her face and is very very humble. She doesn't know even a word of English, so when she has to convey something to me, she writes it on a piece of paper and I translate it using Google. Compared to other rooms, my room always has some extra work, because of all the cooking I do inside the room. But I have never seen her complaining or frowning for anything. She does her job to utter perfection.

Now, the reason for which I like her the most. From the day I saw her, I developed a sense of attachment and respect for her. She is such a 'motherly' figure, and love and affection just flows along with her words. Sometimes, I feel really bad when I see her doing all this work. Somehow, I dont like giving money to her, because by doing that I feel like insulting her, like giving money to my mother for doing something for me. But I know, that is the only way I can show my appreciation and that is the only way she will feel happy too.

I asked her for a photograph today, and she readily agreed. Her face actually reminds me of my grandmother; and I told this thing to her after I took her photo. After five minutes she knocked my door, handed me a note and then left. I translated that and here's what it said :-

"I know you miss your family, so far away from your home. Tell your mother that I will take good care of you."

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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.


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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.

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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