MARCH TO THE MELA

Above and below are a few shots from our first morning in Haijapur. A huge number of Pilgrims converge on Sonepur, where the Mela (festival) takes place down by the Ganges. The first two days have a religious focus, then the pilgrims leave and it turns into one big jolly.
Haijapur is highly polluted as the main mode of transport is motor rickshaw or motor bike. The cheapest way of getting around is squeezing together on a cycle rickshaw, watching some poor skinny limbed indian fella sweat it out as he carries your lazy arse wherever you want to go. On the pilgrim days, no traffic is allowed so the pollution levels dip a little and you have no choice but to spend the hour or so that it takes to walk to the Mela. All these are shots taken along the way. The first one below features Maciej beaming from the crowd.

Hellish Haijapur, Beautiful Mela

So, the Piyush, Haijapur had become our new home, and its staff, our daily tormentors. After just having come to terms with chaotic Delhi and the vile Satyam, this was to be our base for the duration of the Sonepur Mela (a huge religious pilgrimage site that turns into a massive livestock fair featuring hundreds of attractions).

While in Delhi, we had glimpsed how the wealthy lived, by effortlessly gate-crashing a huge, opulent wedding. It had happened purely by chance, as we investigated the area around the Satyam, following our instincts and rows of fairy lights, discovering where celebrations were to commence, a chance encounter with a shifty looking waiter, a quick exchange of cell phone numbers, an agreed rendezvous time and we were in. Within the course of our second evening in Delhi, we had met all the family barring the bride and groom. It had been a night to remember, brass bands, horse drawn carts, vast amounts of amazing food, dancing, incredible friendliness and hospitality, countless photo calls and fireworks. It was a dizzy experience. But that was all now firmly in the past. And there were no wealthy families in Haijapur.

HOTEL PIYUSH - HAIJAPUR

He had the sleepy eyed look and demeanour of a valium darted lizard. The manager of the Piyush hotel also had a vast sign that read MANAGER which spread broader than his own shoulders. Hanging above him, on the wall with the sleeping mosquitoes was a picture of a jolly looking pink deity – the only thing that was jolly looking in the Piyush.

Maciej had stayed here before and had mentioned that it was “a funny hotel…they are weird guys”. From the moment we were in the reception of the Piyush, it was clear that the staff were the ones in charge, we were just an inconvenience passing through.

They took great delight in the bureaucratic side of things. A huge leather bound volume appeared, which required many personal details, and we weren’t allowed to enter them standing up.

“Please SIT! SIT!” said the manager from behind his massive manager sign, indicating to one of the chairs in front of the desk.

A snake hipped porter with a sleepy eyed expression, repeated the request, jutting his hand towards a chair.

“SIT! Then sign book”

English was a language very thin on the ground at the Piyush , almost as thin on the ground as tourists or other real guests, which after one look at Haijapur’s filthy, insanely busy, smog heavy streets, was no great surprise.

As we were led up to our rooms, it was clear that everyone that worked at this hotel believed it was the finest establishment in all of north India. And it wasn’t even complte, they were building more floors on top of it – giving it a slightly bombed out appearance. Where they thought these extra guests would arrive from was anyone’s guess.

And here it was, our mosquito infested room. It consisted of one big bed and a view over characterless Haijapur and a pack of stray dogs vying for territory below.

“Ok said Maciej, first thing we have to do is kill all these mosquitoes” and with that, he grabbed one in the air and squished it to death in his fist.

Below are a few more shots from Delhi - some of the ones I shot on jpg, I can't seem to upload the huge RAW files I've been shooting on some occasions - which is a shame as some of the best ones are in this format.

Apologies also for the distinct lack of words here. It's been such a hectic schedule - either moving from city to city or hunting the best price on hotels, or else finding somewhere to eat that isn't going to have us clinging to toilets for days on end. And that's not to mention all the shooting - a vast amount of time spent hunting for the best shots. Looking back on the Delhi ones, I'm not so sure I like them now - there was a lot of chaff! Having moved several cities now, I think we're all working a  little harder on what we're putting in the frame - and if it's a portrait, learning how to deal with people - directing them a little at times. It's all about getting the natural (unsmiling) shot.

After Delhi, we moved to the Hell hole that is Haijapur - and then onto the Sonepur Mela where we took pictures of thousands of pilgrims on and around the ghats that edge onto the Ganges. Quite an experience - particularly when you're nursing a sick stomach after a dodgy vegetable biryani...

Scenes from Old Delhi

Here's a selection of scenes shot just wandering (and getting lost) in the chaotic and labyrinthian streets of Old Delhi. So much life here, but having been shooting for a while now, i think the way I'm taking pictures now has changed. Much more to follow when I grab some time.