This evening I took the Voice of America Bureau's PD170 Camera for a joy-ride. A long-line of beggars formed just outside a local Hindu Temple. Like a GPS system turned Lego, I positioned my camera before a steaming vat of orange-tinted beans. A golden-cheeked man shouted orders through his thick moustache to a pond of hungry eyes. He then drip dropped distorted lumps of orange into bowls held tightly by pairs of shaky hands... hands after hands after hands...
Most food-line grazers ignored my presence which is a big testament to the importance of this moment. In any other scenario, I'd have hordes of gyrating children hamming it up before the lens or the occasional tug on my jacket-sleeve ..."Please Madame, Will you take a picture of My Mother/Cousin/Uncle/Me." Capturing candid moments in India takes skill, cultural understanding, and patience.
Some of the cultural sensitivity I have to take into account has some political legs as well. I ended my lukewarm night of shooting by a stretch of road where a group of beggars gathered. As I attempted to record the chatter, men started throwing papers in my direction and yelling "no." I later realized they were conspiring in Hindi to break the camera as well. Their explanation for their resentment was quite clear. Media outlets have been shooting their actions in great numbers lately. As a result, the government is cracking down on beggars now more than ever before. In their eyes, I was just another cog in a government operation that grossly interfered with their livelihood...
I am going to string together some of this test-footage and post it on the site soon.
Meanwhile, I also went to an expat party this past weekend where I met some wonderful American foreign correspondents. A snap-shot is below. How grateful I am to be around such brilliant, gentle giants as I carve out my way in this chaotic culture...
Expat Party in Jor Bagh, Delhi (L to R): Washington Post's Emily Wax, Voice of America's Steve Herman, Me, Los Angeles Time's Mark Magnier
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