Goa: India's second great freedom struggle
Goa, Thu 25 AugCorruption, the ugly rot at the heart of India's system. Anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazaré has stirred a nationwide series of protests in support of a strong and independent anti-corruption body. The people are fed up, the politicians aren't keen to change. It's India's second great freedom struggle. I join the campaign at Madgao.
Photos: (1) A proud citizen wears an Anna Hazare cap outside a fruit stall. (2) A young boy in Anna dress leads the protest march in Madgao. (2) Campaigners gather outside the headquarters of the Madgao municipal corporation.
Parambikulam: Eco-aware wildlife reserve
Kerala, Tue 16 AugThe Parambikulam wildlife reserve provides jobs and incomes to local tribal families so they benefit from carefully managed eco-tourism and are incentivised to prevent poaching and preserve wildlife.
Photos: (1) A tribal lady runs a teashop where tourists stop just before boating. (2) Bananas at the local grocery store (3) A boatman paddles a bamboo raft on the beautifully serene Parambikulam lake
Goa in the monsoon
Goa, Fri 12 AugThe sweeping sands of Cavelossim Beach. Great storm clouds gather, whipping up the waves. We run to a fisherman's hut for shelter. Tropical rain for ten minutes, then calm returns.
Photos: Cavelossim Beach
Goa: The Benaulim Resort
Goa, Wed 10 AugOff season in the beach state of Goa. I settle down for a month of book writing.
My first week is in a luxury resort, courtesy of a generous uncle who is a member.
Photos: (1) Motorcycle taxis ply the streets of Madgao (2) & (3) Royal Palms Resort, Benaulim
Nagpur: Gather thoughts
Maharastra, Wed 27 JulI am resting in Nagpur before the next trip.
Photos: (1) At the Uttam haircutting salon, I take a haircut with refreshing head, shoulder and neck massage. Total cost £1.10 (2) A signboard predicts my future (3) I get my Aadhar identity card at a makeshift local centre. On a massively distributed scale, one billion indians are voluntarily queuing up across the country to have their iris scan, fingerprints and details taken for the new universal ID.
Amrawti: The wedding talks
Maharashtra, Sat 23 JulCousin Adhiraj will get married to Utpala ! I travel up to Amrawti with mum and an aunt to represent the family at the wedding talks. It's a 'love' marriage - the bride and groom met and agreed it themselves. Utpala took some months to gather courage and tell her mother about this romance. Then, everything went quiet as mother took a while to come round. And now a breakthrough - Utpala, her parents and aunt are coming by overnight bus from Puné to meet the groom's parents. Look, here they are now . . .
Photos: (1) The wedding talks take place over a warm snack of flaked rice. How many guests will each party bring? Venues? Which senior relatives will be given gifts as a mark of honour and respect? How much gold will the bride come with? Which gold ornaments will the groom's family provide? (2) Grandma charms the bride's parents. (3) And it is agreed. Utpala is annointed before a purifying flame of ghee.
On location: Rural Rajasthan
Rajasthan, Sun 17 JulThe script team moves to the villages of the Rajasthan hills. Brooding monsoon weather creates an atmospheric backdrop for the second act.
Photos:
(1) The day begins with yoga on the terrace surrounded by forest and mountains (2) Dark clouds gather on the hills around Silised Lake (3) What ideas will we find in the cupboard today ?On location: Rural Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh, Thu 14 JulThe script team moves to rural India, staying with a boisterous and characterful joint family in a simple village among fields of barley. Wierd and wonderful things happen to us. It is almost as if the movie is writing itself !
Photos:
(1) EXTERIOR. COURTYARD. DAY. Strangers arrive in the village, arousing much curiosity.
(2) INTERIOR. TEMPLE. DAY. Seeking solace, our heroine sits alone by the village temple.
(3) Seated on cots outside the temple, two script-writers work on their Macbooks.On location: Urban New Delhi
Delhi, Sun 10 JulI am working on a movie script ! Two professional script writers are helping me, one from Europe and one from India. Both are here with me now, experiencing first hand the type of locations in the story - urban and rural. First stop: New Delhi
Photos:
(1) EXTERIOR. SECRETARIAT. DAY. An old ministerial car pulls out of North Block. The wheels of power are in motion.
(2) EXTERIOR. JANTAR MANTAR. DAY. Pensive, our hero sits down, his silhouette framed by the striking monuments.
(3) INTERIOR. ITALIAN CAFE. NIGHT. A chance encounter. Two characters hatch an idea.
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