Friday, September 12, 2008

Dinner at Rajdani in Delhi I


This clip and the two below were taken at Rajdani, a "thali" restaurant where we had our first real Indian dinner. "Thali" means "plate" in Hindi and the food in these restaurants, which appear all over India and feature regional cuisine, is served in small round tin bowls arranged on a round tin plate, accompanied by Indian breads. You'll see.

Dinner at Rajdani in Delhi II

A Visit to the Kitchen of Rajdani


After our dinner at Rajdani (see above) I went back to the kitchen to congratulate the cooks on a great dinner. Here's the clip I shot.

Crossing the River Part I


When we visited the Adivasi Academy, our drivers came in on a road that crossed a small, dry riverbed and dropped us off near the main buildings. Then the monsoons swept in and it rained all day. The founder of the academy, Ganesh Devi, told us late in the afternoon that the rains had made it impossible for our drivers to pick us up where they'd dropped us off, and that we'd have to ford a river of rain to get back to the other side and to our cars. We thought he was kidding. As this video and the two below it show, he wasn't. Click here to read my original blog entry on our visit to the Adivasi Academy.

River Crossing Part II

Crossing the River Part III


Back to where we started in the morning and hanging out with the kids.

Autorickshaw Ride


What was it like riding in an autorickshaw in India? Have a look at this clip I shot it from inside one in Ahmedabad. I posted it on my blog but can't resist putting it up here as well.

Driving in Ahmedabad


What was it like driving around in a city like Ahmedabad? Have a look (this was shot after we passed a cart being pulled by a camel!).

A Discussion with Village Elders


Here's a video clip from our meeting with a group of farmers in a village outside of Pune. Katherine is asking them whether they would like to return to farming organically the way their parents and grandparents used to. The interpreter is our guide for the day, Ashwin Paranjpe. For my blog entry about the visit we had in the village, click here.

Dinner in Old Delhi


Dinner near Old Delhi. I'm actually in this one, as you can see. It was shot by Linda Heath.

Driving Through Old Delhi at Night


My blog describes a wonderful afternoon some of us spent in Old Delhi (and I posted a number of pictures from our walk). This video clip was shot from our van in the early evening as we headed back to meet up with the rest of our group for dinner (see the post above).

Train Station Porters I


Our guide, Ranjith, always hired porters at the train station to carry our bags on and off the train. As you'll see from this video and the one below it, these guys carried an extraordinary load on their heads.

Train Station Porters II

Pilgrim Train


During our time in the north of India many Hindus were on pilgrimage. This video was shot at a station where the train across from us was carrying pilgrims north as we headed back to Delhi. The voice over is courtesy of a guy standing next to me talking on a cell phone. At first I thought he was ruining the whole clip but now I think he provides a great soundtrack.

Political Demonstration Near Gurgaon Part I


As we crossed the border by bus from New Delhi to the brand new tech park city of Gurgaon on our way to visit a call center we encountered a political demonstration against the forced purchase of farmland for development. This clip and the one below record my interactions with the riot police, who where pretty interested in being caught on film.

Political Demonstration Near Gurgaon II


Part II of the Gurgaon demonstration.

Arrival in New Delhi


Here's a short clip I took at the airport when we first arrived in New Delhi.

Visit to Parliament Buildings I


Here's some footage of our group arriving for a tour of the capital in New Delhi. This is the first of three clips. The second and third are below.

Visit to Parliament Buildings II


Here's a clip of our wonderful guide and pal, Ranjith Henry, talking to us about the history of the Parliament Building and Presidential Palace in New Delhi.

Visit to Parliament Buildings III


Some video footage of the Defense Ministry and Parliament buildings.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Barbara's Red Balloon


Barbara had the wonderful idea of bringing bags of balloons on the trip, which proved to be a wonderful way to engage with children, and, as you'll see from this video, to meet their parents as well. Here, on a trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, she offered a red balloon to a little girl, and before long a whole group of us got involved in a little impromptu volleyball game.

Cooking at Navdanya V


This is the last of 5 clips shot when I was helping to cook in the kitchen at Navdanya, an organic farm we visited in the North of India. Please scroll down for Parts I-IV.

Cooking at Navdanya IV

Cooking at Navdanya III

Cooking at Navdanya II

Cooking at Navdanya I