Sisterly Care
Young girls smile unselfconsciously for the visitors as they fix each others hair on the front stoop of a blue Jodhpur house.
India!
Hot air and warm smiles.
Chaos everywhere: trash and cow pats underfoot, birds overhead, and roadways crowded with pedestrians, cows, cars, and bikes all around.
But it’s the colour that I love…
And the natural grace of the people: everywhere you look there are people, young and old, draped on doorsteps or leaning against walls, their faces open and staring – or smiling – at the visitors, seemingly just waiting to be photographed against the weathered, textured, colourful walls of their cities.
Jodhpur is Rajasthan’s “Blue City”. Houses in the older sections of the city – around the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort – are predominantly painted blue. Most guides will tell you that these houses belong to Brahmins, the “purest” of Indian castes: traditionally the priests and guardians of Hindu religious rituals and spiritual knowledge. Other sources suggest that the blue is more than just indigo tint, but includes the addition of copper sulphate aimed at eradicating termites.
Whatever the reason, the old city’s walls and doors are alive with colour – as I rediscovered on a wander throughout the streets and up to the rooftops of the ancient city with Photographer Karl Grobl and guide DV Singh late on a November afternoon.
Stand-Off!
Typical Indian chaos: as we try to make our way up the hill to Jodhpur’s Old City, our bus is completely blocked by traffic and roadworks. Smaller vehicles sneak past on either side, leaving us motionless for a very long time. Eventually, our guide got off our bus, engaged in several altercations with other drivers, and eventually guided our driver through the mess. Of course, we’d have to come back the same way later!
Woman in the Street
Meanwhile, people on the street watch on, …
Watchers in the Street
… fascinated by the strangers in the bus.
Corridors and Lane Ways
Finally! Our bus gets us up to the old city, where we wander the streets and lane ways on foot.
Bike and Textures
Woman at the Window
Blues and greens frame the faces of the neighbourhood. Wires hang everywhere.
Kids in the Doorway
A family poses spontaneously at their window: …
Kids in the Doorway
… always ready to smile at the strangers.
Textured Doorway
Rubbish in the Lane Ways
Waving at the Strangers
Boys on the Stoop
Boys at the Doorway
Woman at a Doorway
Old Jodhpur Street
Woman on her Porch
Woman in a Window
As the Autumn sun starts lowering, we are welcomed up to the roof-top of one of the homes.
Mehrangarh Fort
From the roof, we have a view over the blue-painted houses around the Mehrangarh Fort.
Dog on a Wall
Rocky walls, brambles, and piles of rubbish are also on view from our rooftop.
Textured Rooftops
Men on the Rooftop
Man on the Roof
Chai Dishes
We were treated to chai…
Our Chai Wallah
… made for us by the son of a prominent Brahmin: a dedicated engineering student at a local university.
Blue Walls in the Afternoon
In the lowering light, the blue of the walls around us seems deeper.
Chai, chaos and colour…
That’s India.
Namaste!
Pictures: 05November2013
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