I was given the opportunity to report from the tsunami-torn Rikuzentakata, Japan last week - to capture in video the beauty, fragility and challenges evident in the town's long-term recovery.

Many peers have noted: The sense of human resilience (and suffering) in my stories out of Japan are much more muted than my stories out of India and Africa. This is surely a matter of cultural differences. It leads me to ask, however,  if leaning less on overt emotionality has added more analytical depth to my latest batch.

Below are some of the videos I produced. Many are updates for a larger interactive package that tracks the city's growth.

Japan Sake Brewer: Rebirth in Recovery
In Japan, Can a Sweets Shop Make a Comeback?
In Japan, a New Hospital for Tsunami-Torn Town
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I've produced a number of feature videos for Wall Street Journal over the past 6 months as a Hong Kong-based employee.

This has marked a definite shift from my India beats: Inflation & economic growth, infrastructure bottlenecks, terrorism and gender disparities. 

Though I miss the more in-depth reportage, dabbling in lifestyle has been a great way to experiment with different editing styles. Think bells and whistles with a purpose. Here's a smattering of my latest.

David LaChapelle on Bruce Lee

Kung Fu to the Rescue?

Speedy Knife Work

De-stress with Aerial Arts 

Cooking Pasta with Michael White

HK Art Fair - Investor's Playground

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Conducting interview in delivery room at the Akanksha Infertility Clinic.
I reported on India's surrogacy trade for Wall Street Journal this week. 

It's an evolving practice that I followed closely during my two year posting in India. 

A year ago, I interviewed India's leading fertility doctor Nayna Patel in Anand, Gujarat for VJ Movement. The fertility doctor caters to infertile westerners eager to rent out an Indian woman's womb at five times less than it would cost them back home.

I post the original video here as a supplement to the WSJ report. (Give the site 30 seconds to fully load). 

I prefer this long-form interview format for a controversial topic like this. I was able to engage the doctor on issues like exploitation and rights of surrogates, financial gains and medical risks for surrogates and the surprisingly spiritual side of the practice.  
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India ramped up its police force in Indian Kashmir this past weekend in an effort to prevent violent separatist protests meant to catch President Obama’s attention during his India visit. 
But, hundreds of miles away in India’s capital New Delhi, the President said the U.S. does not plan to impose a solution to Kashmir directly, saying it is a long-standing dispute between India and Pakistan.

The Himalayan hot-zone, often referred to as a “beautiful prison” by locals, has been wracked by violence for decades as dozens of rebel groups fight for the state’s independence from India.

Violence reached a high point this summer as clashes between Indian police and protestors left more than 100 people dead, most young boys.


“It is very unfortunate for we people and very painful if Obama will not take into consideration the Kashmir situation,” said Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Leading Separatist in Kashmir. “It will be unfortunate and we will feel pain,” he said.

India officially sees the Muslim-dominated Kashmir as an integral part of India and recently appointed a panel of interlocutors in an effort to find solutions to problems in the state. Pakistan refers to the territory as disputed and up to the people of Kashmir.  

India further accuses Pakistan of arming Muslim militants who enter Indian Kashmir. Islamabad denies the charge, saying it only gives moral support to anti-India rebels.

If Mr. Obama tries to intervene in Kashmir, he runs the risk of alienating India or Pakistan or both. He could also jeopardize the past weekend’s efforts to improve economic ties with India, which has an added urgency following the Democrats’ recent elections losses due largely to Americans’ frustration with the economy.

But, many young separatists say they are still hopeful that Mr. Obama will eventually visit Kashmir and see the situation for himself before his term is up.   

In a curtain-drawn room three 20-something males sit, their faces covered with bandanas for sake of anonymity. Each one has spent time in an Indian prison for alleged links to anti-India militant groups. And once they were released, their background made it difficult for them to get a job, they said.

So, the young boys have taken to pelting stones at Indian police in protest of what they call “Indian occupation.”

One boy removes his shirt to show two large bullet wounds he says are from police fire last summer while pelting stones at a protest.   

Police officials respond they only do so when necessary to protect citizens from unruly mobs.

“Our future is nil,” said one stone-pelter, his eyes partially-concealed by a maroon bandana. It is up to us to solve this problem and unless we get freedom from India we have to live like this as stone pelters. We are hopeful that Obama and the US will do something to get us out of this hole,” he said

“Unfortunately what happens here in Kashmir is invariably the protests are always accompanied with massive stone-pelting and also then the mobs engage in arson,” said Inspector General Sahai. “When these situations go out of control then a little more than minimum force has to be used,” he said.
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I can only dance Bollywood-style for a minute before running back to my camera!
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Delhi Belly is a way of life for many foreigners who call India home. Oh how quickly a droplet of tap water on the bottom of my glass can turn my tummy into a hamster wheel. Resistance is, well...futile.

Local Indians offer culinary prescriptions: yogurt and rice or the infamous kicharee. Nothing better than slurping up tasteless sludge knowing full well that it will be making its encore in a matter of minutes.   

This American prefers popping massive quantities of Imodium. Three cheers for quick and temporary fixes!

With the Commonwealth Games being staged in New Delhi itself, the heart of the Delhi-belly beast, it’s no surprise that intestinal troubles are cropping up. A reported 8% of England’s 541 Athletes are suffering from gastrointestinal distress (Wall Street Journal). Are we sure that it was only used condoms that clogged those toilets in the Athlete’s village? (Daily Telegraph)

Many of the reported cases are swimmers leading some officials to question whether the swimming pool is contaminated.  Though most athletes and family members at the pool have rebuffed that claim. (Wall Street Journal)

Still the specter of Delhi Belly looms. And though I’m not the best person to offer advice considering I am toilet-happy at least once a month, I figured five tips wouldn’t hurt. 


*Boil, bake it, peel it or forget it. ‘Nuf said.


*Do not, I repeat, Do NOT sing in the shower unless you want tap water to snake its way toward your vibrating tonsils. Also, brush your teeth with filtered or mineral water and cover your toothbrush when not in use. I used to return home to a curiously damp toothbrush. I later learned that when my maid vigorously washed my bathroom sink the water from her rag would spray onto my toothbrush. For a weak tummy, a few drops could be disastrous.

*Graciously turn down offerings of Chai and sweets. The hospitality in India is unmatched. I am often offered a bevy of sweets and milky tea to slurp. The fact is, you never know how fresh the ingredients are so have to be wary. Turning down said offerings involves immense tact and strategy. The most common white lie I use “I’m fasting today for spiritual reasons.”


*Wash your hands repeatedly with SOAP. When you scrub make sure you clean each finger independently. I’ve noticed that soap is rarely refilled in dirty and clean public bathrooms across the country. There may be some random sliver of a soap bar...but that thing is likely to embed more germs onto your body than it rids. Try to bring your own soap with you in addition to your handy, dandy antibacterial gel.


*Finally, go where the locals go. If you must eat street food (and you better have a darn good reason) be a conscious consumer. A long line means a quick turn-around which equals fresher food. Still, it’s a good idea to take a peek below and around each side of the food cart or table. More often than not I’ve found bowls of dirty dish water or grayed rags. These are probably used to wash the cutlery used to cook and serve. If you spot this count your blessings.
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Candid Kerala 05/25/2010
 
Wading through the lagoons and sun ripples in Alleppey, Kerala. 
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Oktoberfest 2009 10/06/2009
 
I did some filming at d’Wiesn, the biggest beer fest in the world. This 12-day Bavarian beer binge is held annually in Munich, Germany.

Millions scoop up gingerbread hearts for their beer-drenched lovers of the hour. Ich liebe Dich!

Most sing and dance to canned American wedding songs as they topple off the table-tops. Folks gorge on Hendl (chicken), extra salty to increase thirst for more and MORE brew.

Be warned: the women who haul the big jars of beer around are masochists who find pleasure in elbowing unsuspecting Oktoberfest virgins *such as myself* in the aisles.

A nice substitute for the insanity of India.
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A showcase of my refined ability to multi-task.
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I went to what can best be described as a "cell phone picnic" at the NCPA Theater this evening in Mumbai.

Instead of being told to flip off their cell phone before the show, attendees were encouraged to call a series of mobile numbers. The corresponding mobiles were on stage set to vibrate. Each one was positioned at different angles over loose guitar strings.

Above is an MP3 snippet of the cell phone symphony in action. It was a fun way to hook into India's ubiquitous cell phone use. It was also a nice tongue-wag to theater etiquette.

I enjoyed it though the older couple in front of me exited the theater with an irritated gait. “What’s the point of this?” one asked me.

The performance was presented by German audio technicians Bettina Wenzel and Hans Koch. John Cage followers - to be sure. Koch joked with me after the performance “no one in India uses vibrate on their mobiles.” He hoped this would be an ear-opener.
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Organic Change 08/25/2009
 
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Indian farmer Havantro Deshmukh criss-crosses his 20-acre cotton plantation in Eastern Maharashtra - barefoot.  He wiggles his toes through the spongy mud, unearthing a snarl of cow dung and worms –instant markers of his organic street cred.

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Deshmukh converted his farm from chemical to organic nearly a decade ago. Since, then, he says his consistent profit has helped him to "escape debt" and conceivably death in a part of rural Maharashtra known as India’s suicide belt.
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In 2006, more than 1,000 suicides were reported in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra - that's one suicide every eight hours.

Deshmukh equates the suicide-prone quarter to a separate country all together. “This is Bharat, Bharat means Village,” Deshmukh declares. He points toward the road out of town. “That is India and India means city.” And in a single gesture, Deshmukh has encapsulated India’s rural-urban divide.
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I’ve been excavating this divide through a series of video pieces for the Wall Street Journal. I have just completed a print/video companion for WSJ on the benefits of organic farming in a drought-torn India.  Check it out

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