Monday, March 30, 2015

Street Scenes from Kolkata

We're in Kolkata (previously known as Calcutta) — the former capital of British India and now the capital of the state of West Bengal. About 4.5 million people live here, many of them in shanties erected on the narrow streets.

The surrounding countryside is rich with rice paddies and vegetable farms, and we'll be meeting with farmers. But first I spent a bit of time wandering around and photographing  street life. 
Gleaning trash for something of value.
Getting a shave at a sidewalk barber.
Cows are owned, but often wander at will.
Gathering sand for a concrete project.
Boys in a taxi.
Roadside veggie stand.
Washing bodies, bikes and motorcycles.
Bengalis take politics seriously.
Trucks are often colorfully painted.
Political activism is characteristic of Kolkata. 
A high tech satellite dish on a low-tech urban cow shelter. 
Sidewalk cooking on a traditional clay stove.
The architecture is distinctive and colorful. 
Enjoying a popsicle on a hot day.
Dogs are everywhere.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful photographs which serve to remind us of just how lucky we are to live in the U.S. Virtually all of the people in that city would be content as long as they know where their next meal is coming from. GMO or non-GMO it doesn't matter. If it looks edible then it will be eaten!

ekcoll said...

As Unknown said Beautiful photography Joan.