tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71061490142835396172024-03-05T05:10:01.143-08:00Matt Bennett PhotographyMatt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-24314149378083528772013-10-14T08:47:00.001-07:002013-10-14T08:47:16.586-07:00Dushhera: Nasik<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few images from the Dusshera celebrations in Nashik, Maharastra.<br />
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Based on the Hindu epic of good triumphing over evil, Dusshera celebrates the defeat of the demon god Ravana by the hero Ram and his followers.<br />
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The temples were full all day with devotees making offerings to the gods, kids were dressed up as the hero<br />
Hanuman, and in the evening a huge effigy of Ravana was burned in true wicker man style.<br />
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-15929388756305564442013-10-02T04:54:00.000-07:002013-10-02T04:54:07.333-07:00Gandhijayanti<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>" First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win"</i></div>
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It's Gandhi's birthday today. The Mahatma was born 144 years ago and 65 years after his death he's still the revered father of the nation, an icon to all Indians.<br />
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Looking back at some of his principles and ideas, his approach to non-violent protest and the abolition of the caste system, it's sad to see although India has moved forward so much since his struggle for independence, many of the same problems remain in today's modern society. Politicians are still filling their pockets at the expense of the common man, the dark shadow of caste is still hanging over the rural areas, honour killings continue, race riots explode at the smallest spark, rape is becoming more prevalant, and you only need to walk through one of the poorer areas of any major city to see that poverty is a long way from being a thing of the past.<br />
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I think Gandhi would have been proud of many aspects of India today. Cities are booming, young people are taking an active role in politics and Indians are respected all over the world for their hard work and diligence in bettering themselves and their families. But in this explosion of wealth and prosperity many are left behind, cast aside as obstacles by the get rich quick crowd who seem to pull all the strings at the higher levels, shoved into the corners so as not to be a hindrance, a burden.<br />
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The Times of India today runs with the headline " Big Daddy's Day Today". Not on the front page, but page four. The previous pages are full of stories on terrorism, tit for tat arguments between princeling politicians, mining mafias, corrupt minsters, female suicides, and millionaire businessman buying European stately homes, the normal daily news feed for a country that still has twenty five percent of it's population unable to read or write.<br />
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I love India. Really. I love this country more than any other for it's warmth and humanity that can be found every day playing out on the streets. I love the character of the people that struggle endlessly but still manage to smile at a foreigner shoving a camera in their face, the glint in the eye of the children, full of hopes and dreams that they'll be the next one to make it big, to succeed against all the odds. Gandhi saw this, lived this, based his principles on the good in humanity to overcome together, unified and working as one towards a better world. Let's hope one day his dreams are fulfilled.<br />
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The following is written on the wall in his Ashram in Ahmedabad. Food for thought for all those who value their own riches over that of the richness of their own society.<br />
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<i>" I will give you a talisman. whenever you are in doubt, or when self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to control over his own life and destiny? </i><br />
<i> In other words, will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? </i><i>Then you will find your doubt and your self melting away."</i><br />
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(Photos taken at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, 2 Oct, 2013)</div>
Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-57099419570923566242013-09-29T19:11:00.000-07:002013-09-29T19:11:41.333-07:00Udaipur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Some faces from the streets of Udaipur, Rajasthan.</div>
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-81210206180081364812013-09-15T20:19:00.000-07:002013-09-15T20:19:59.754-07:00Kushti Wrestling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Kushti Wrestling at the local Mela, Mcleod Ganj, Dharmasala.</div>
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-88719045400117582052013-09-04T08:04:00.000-07:002013-09-04T08:04:48.408-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Up in the mountains working on a new website. Always nice to go back and find stuff that got left behind.<br />
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Omkareshwar. 2012<br />
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Hanoi. 2010<br />
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Ramallah,.2009</div>
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Vientiane. 2011<br />
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-71416730331790685062013-08-30T00:48:00.001-07:002013-08-30T00:48:49.954-07:00Monsoon Skies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> " Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> but to add colour to my sunset sky. "</span></div>
<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></i>
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<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Rabindranath Tagore</i></div>
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-52017439752913841342013-08-16T21:47:00.000-07:002013-08-16T21:47:07.378-07:00Tuesday Rose Productions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW61JEbMJS0T2x7bQFinbX2JjRzH6vBmCEEyDp5H-ywr_bd-x3Q8g2Jj1MuYrpLPhithLQA1yJsQGHTXqJoR-XklyxBGqhyLp7v_MsuNFbsD3fPXIvjm0pxCHUXlgXkkzQbLrds2xjDYkN/s1600/TuesdayRose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW61JEbMJS0T2x7bQFinbX2JjRzH6vBmCEEyDp5H-ywr_bd-x3Q8g2Jj1MuYrpLPhithLQA1yJsQGHTXqJoR-XklyxBGqhyLp7v_MsuNFbsD3fPXIvjm0pxCHUXlgXkkzQbLrds2xjDYkN/s640/TuesdayRose.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Man on local bus, Hanoi<br />
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Some of my Lomo work has been featured on the Tuesday Rose Productions homepage. The company started this year and aims to fill the gap in the local Vietnamese film market and revive the culture of home grown cinema.<br />
<br />
It's a great setup, run by creative people and i wish them all the luck in the world.<br />
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The images can be seen at the following link <a href="http://tuesdayrose.com/gallery">http://tuesdayrose.com/gallery</a><br />
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-8975040375016344002013-08-15T02:12:00.000-07:002013-08-15T02:12:26.702-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Circular halo, Leh.</div>
Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-11833100462093044812013-08-01T03:51:00.000-07:002013-08-01T03:51:12.229-07:00Pattan Valley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhyD1hhKiwazO0CLrSga_v9HMs69KnZ7Ba26_cYHtsCdYZYMKzVCmlaHifmymzTknJkj_gUDrK1Xgvvund4U7gdgMRWB-JaajnjpcrodANEr1u0-nucZPEnm1aQO3eP84TiGsSoir6UR1/s1600/IMG_3168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhyD1hhKiwazO0CLrSga_v9HMs69KnZ7Ba26_cYHtsCdYZYMKzVCmlaHifmymzTknJkj_gUDrK1Xgvvund4U7gdgMRWB-JaajnjpcrodANEr1u0-nucZPEnm1aQO3eP84TiGsSoir6UR1/s640/IMG_3168.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Trilokinath temple, sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus passing a goods lorry on the road into the Pattan Valley. The driver later told me he'd driven across all the Indian states except nine over the last twenty years.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman working the fields outside Trilokinath village.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roadside shrine on the way to Udaipur, Pattan Valley.</td></tr>
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-85712790601436846392013-07-26T10:04:00.001-07:002013-07-26T10:04:46.331-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A woman walks past the crowd at the weekly Ladakhi league football match.<br />
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-66377794053376795492013-07-20T07:34:00.001-07:002013-07-20T07:34:49.757-07:00TakThok Festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hands of Tashi Putit, 85. Sakti village, Ladakh.<br />
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Sometimes it's hard to take out your camera .<br />
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Visiting a mask dance festival in the Indus valley this week I became part of something I try so hard to avoid, something that always feels slightly wrong.<br />
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I take photos. Of people, buildings, whatever catches my eye. And sometimes I don't ask before I do so. But when I'm shooting people, most of the fun is the interaction, the little chat that can come from a simple meeting, the invitation to a house or the introduction to a family.<br />
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At this festival I didn't see a lot of that happening. In fact, quite the opposite.<br />
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The old lady above was a perfect example of Buddhist calm. She sat there zen like, twirling her mala, almost oblivious to the five long lenses stuck in her face. Maybe she sees it every year, tourists travelling in groups, pockets stuffed with memory cards and brand new SLR's slung over their shoulders, jumping out of buses to take the same photos in five minute bursts before hopping back on board and speeding to the next destination.<br />
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It's not the way of travelling that bothers me. Most people only get a couple of weeks off work a year, and those coming this far to Ladakh are obviously the more adventurous ones, travelling far to experience a culture completely different from their own. Respect to them.<br />
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It's the zoo mentality I can't understand. Look, shoot, run. Then move on to the next local who looks vaguely authentic, vaguely exotic.<br />
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I shot her hands because to me they summed up her life. Creased and twisted, baked from the desert sun, they tell far more of a story than any portrait of her face could.<br />
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As promised, I printed the picture today and took it to the post office to send to her village. The woman behind the counter wouldn't take any money, instead she called over a local bus driver so he could deliver it to her personally.<br />
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He looked at the picture and smiled. A smile worth more than a thousand portraits.<br />
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-27562472889381790352013-07-16T23:43:00.000-07:002013-07-16T23:43:29.202-07:00Leh and the Indus Valley<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ritual mask to prepare devotees for their entrance to hell.<br />
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Thiksey Monastery, Indus Valley<br />
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Prayer books, Leh Palace<br />
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Monks at Soma Gompa </div>
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View from Thiksey, Indus Valley</div>
Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-89921658072855286502013-07-10T22:07:00.000-07:002013-07-10T22:07:08.265-07:00Back in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Monastery. Leh, Ladakh.<br />
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-76625667294044522662012-08-13T05:49:00.002-07:002012-08-13T05:50:28.116-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hanoi......and the rain keeps falling......</div>
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Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-55704000481987975782012-08-06T03:49:00.003-07:002012-08-06T03:50:44.607-07:00More Holga<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The sun came out......if only for a little while.<br />
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<br /></div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-58102106861541610122012-07-25T23:57:00.000-07:002012-07-26T00:41:28.160-07:00Digital Holga<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Apologies.<br />
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Been having a few geopolitical issues with accessing my blog .I could go into a long detailed rant about why, my opinion on it and how frustrating it is not to be able to get to my own content, but i didn't create this space to talk politics.<br />
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So back to the images.<br />
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Been playing around with the Holga that mounts straight onto a Canon DSLR. Have found the lens pretty impressive so far. The dreamy look of a Holga seems to transfer to digital well, and although it needs LOADS of light, between the torrential downpours that have turned Hanoi into a swamp this week, I've managed to get out and do some shooting.<br />
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<br /></div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-34099369739115665252012-05-25T02:57:00.000-07:002012-05-25T02:57:23.039-07:00Parvati Valley - Manikaran<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Some images from the Parvati Valley and the town of Manikaran. As always in India, there are a lot of legends and myths surrounding the town and the valley, too many too list here, but it's an important pilgrimage spot for both Hindus and Sikhs, with the temples lying side by side.<br />
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The hot baths keep people coming too, and inside the temple plenty of Sikh men take the opportunity to wash their hair in the holy water. Above the temple in the mountains lie meditation caves, holy shrines and plenty of local Sadhus taking time out to ponder on the beauty of the hills and smoke their way through copious amounts of the local produce.<br />
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<br /></div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-20489312770717792262012-05-06T06:55:00.001-07:002012-05-06T06:55:44.032-07:00Buddha Purnima<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s Buddha’s birthday today, so I spent a bit of time this morning at the main temple in town, mingling with the monks and nuns. A lot had come in from surrounding monasteries for prayers, big groups of them waiting downstairs to be called to their particular service. Funny to watch them gossiping and mucking about like kids on a school trip, and then this turn to reverence as they attended their prayers. Once the prayers were done, I spotted some of the younger ones outside buying stickers and looking at Hello Kitty flasks.<br />
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The Dalai Lama’s in town and everyone’s trying to get a look at him. Every day there’s a new rumor about a service He’s holding, a particular place He’s going to be, but all the speculation so far has come to nothing. It seems He’s holding private meetings for international groups, and camera toting tourists aren’t on the guest list.<br />
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I asked at the temple information desk where I could catch a fleeting glimpse of Him; “Where are you from?” asked the security guy, “England” I replied. Beaming, the guy was sure he’d found the solution, “Oh Great!” he tells me “Then you can see him in Manchester in June.” <br />
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Still in India.<br />
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</div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-55263887724903275862012-04-20T00:08:00.000-07:002012-04-20T00:08:32.854-07:00Dharamsala mourns Tibet Deaths<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Mass prayer last night in Dharamsala for two Tibetans who committed suicide in protest against the Chinese occupation. There's been a lot of self immolations in the last twelve months, including one in Delhi in March, which made it onto the front pages of most papers. Those happening in China get little or no press coverage.<br />
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Locals were handing out candles, with many Indians and foreigners taking part in the march around town of Mcleod Ganj.<br />
The leaflets they were distributing reads as follows :<br />
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<b><i>Fire rages in China occupied Tibet</i></b></div>
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<i>Two young Tibetans set themselves on fire in Dzamthang area of Eastern Tibet to protest China's occupation around 1pm Tibet Time. According to Tenpa Dhargyal, who has been in touch with people in Dzamthang Choephak Kyap, 20 (son of Geykor Songthar and Pema) and Sonam, 20 ( son of Semkyi) self-immolated near Jonang Tsangwa Gonchen Monastery.</i><br />
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<i>Tenpa said that the Self-Immolations happened at the same time and at the same spot. He said: my friends told me that the two self-immolators are related by blood, but it was a complete shock to the passersby in Dzamthang market".</i><br />
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<i>Eye witnesses in Dzamthang informed Tenpa that the tow young men set themselves on fire around 1pm Tibet Time today. " Just as the two young men went up in flames Tibetans in the market immediately surrounded the protesters. The large Tibetan gathering was able to protect the self-immolators from being taken away by the Chinese security forces, but they are both dead now." Tenpa said.</i><br />
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<i>Although the bodies of the tow self-immolators are in possession of the Tibetans and being kept at the Dzamthang Monatesry, the Chinese security forces are putting tremendous pressure on the monastery administrators demanding them to get the two bodies cremated by this evening. At the time of writing this report hundreds of monks have gathered at Dzamthang Monastery saying prayers for the martyrs.</i><br />
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<i>"As survivors of self-immolators suffer unending sequence of interrogations and beatings at he hands of Chinese security forces in police custody Tibetans in Tibet have to today recognize victory in the immediate death after the protest by fire." said Lobsang Sopa, General Secretary of Regional Tibetan youth Congress, Dharamsala.</i><br />
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<i>"Dharamsala stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Tibet, and to protest Chinese brutality we are organizing a mass prayer and public procession here in Dharamsala today" said Karma Yongdue, President of Regional Tibetan Women's Association.</i><br />
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<i>The last rites for the brave freedom fighters are expected to be performed this evening in Tibet.</i><br />
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<i>Regional Tibetan Youth Congress</i><br />
<i>Regional Tibetan Women's Association</i><br />
<i>19 April,2012, Dharamsala </i><br />
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<i><br /></i></div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-31467327597237007282012-04-18T05:46:00.000-07:002012-04-18T05:46:17.905-07:00Rajasthan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the mountains now. Nice to escape the heat of India, sit and watch the rain for a few days, and a good chance to go through some of the images from the last couple of weeks. I'll be working on a couple of pieces in Dharmasala this week, so will post more when they start to take shape.<br />
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Below some shots from Rajasthan.<br />
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<br /></div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-81439882968542226552012-04-09T03:04:00.000-07:002012-04-09T03:04:54.511-07:00Tikam Chand: Street Photographer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Most photographers start on the streets. To Tikam Chand, it's his studio. Using an old Carl Zeiss box camera manufactured in 1860, he takes portraits for tourists outside the Hawa Mahal, Jaipur. His 'one minute photos', as he call them, are processed on the spot using the dark room built in to the back of the camera and a bucket he keeps next to him on the pavement.<br />
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His Grandfather used the same camera back in the days when not everyone and his monkey had a DSLR slung over their shoulder, and a lot of locals would come to have souvenir photos taken of their trip to the pink city or for identity cards and official documents. The man's an artist, you can see in his movements, his love for his equipment, how he precisely positions his subjects in front of the black sheet he has hanging against a crumbling wall, how he manually exposes the shot by covering the lens for a fraction of a second. Everything this guy does is controlled, calculated.<br />
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He got me thinking.It's pretty easy to go out and blast off a memory card in an afternoon in the hope that a few good shots come out, that a couple of moments are captured in the hundred. But is this what photography's about? Has the capacity of digital cameras made us better, or just lazier? One thing's for sure, when Tikam gets home from a days shoot he doesn't turn on his laptop and spend the rest of the night trawling through images over cups of coffee and packs of cigarettes.<br />
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To be honest, I envy him.<br />
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<br /></div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7106149014283539617.post-28659737611736465732012-04-03T00:27:00.000-07:002012-04-03T00:27:57.552-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Having spent the last five years divided between living in Hanoi, with trips to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, India and Bangladesh I've seen a lot of things, met a lot of interesting people and travelled a lot of kilometres. Some more comfortable than others. But each new place has given me something of worth. Something to remember.<br />
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I've decided to try to put some of this into words.<br />
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Hopefully, this will be a space to share these encounters, my own reflections and the photos I've taken along the way. Feel free to comment, criticise, or just say what you think. Any feedback is much appreciated.<br />
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The last two weeks have been pretty special, wandering through Madhya Pradesh, India, visiting temple towns lying on holy rivers, chatting with Babas, laundry women, train inspectors and a whole host of inquisitive Indians. Being pretty much off the tourist route, foreigners are still a curiosity, and the locals I've met along the way have been both welcoming and affectionate. For me, there's nowhere in the world that can compare with India for dealing out surprises on a daily basis, every day like an empty page waiting to be filled.<br />
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Below are some images from the trip.<br />
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<br /></div>Matt Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00011587660595598751noreply@blogger.com3