Surajkund Mela, Delhi

Every year in the month of January, an international crafts festival is held in Surajkund, India, a village on the outskirts of Delhi. Traditional craftsmen (artists, painters, weavers and sculptors) from all parts of the country participate in this annual celebration named as the “Surajkund Crafts Mela” or "Surajkund designer’s Village”. I lived in Gurgaon, Haryana in 2005 and 2006 and having recently returned to India and equipped with one of the first ever Digital SLR (Canon Digital Rebel), the mela was the perfect place to hone my photographic skills. The colors, the faces, the art was inspirational.

Surajkund Mela, Delhi

Every year in the month of January, an international crafts festival is held in Surajkund, India, a village on the outskirts of Delhi. Traditional craftsmen (artists, painters, weavers and sculptors) from all parts of the country participate in this annual celebration named as the “Surajkund Crafts Mela” or "Surajkund designer’s Village”. I lived in Gurgaon, Haryana in 2005 and 2006 and having recently returned to India and equipped with one of the first ever Digital SLR (Canon Digital Rebel), the mela was the perfect place to hone my photographic skills. The colors, the faces, the art was inspirational.

Delhi Haat, Market

Dilli Haat is an open-air food plaza and craft bazaar located in Delhi, run by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC). Dilli Haat is open 7 days a week, and unlike the Surajkund Mela which is an annual event, this provides an opportunity for photographers year round. Evenings are the best time to visit, as the city starts to cool down and multiple performers begin to make the crafts bazaar their stage. These dancers were so full of life, so cheerful and getting the crowd to relax and maybe be in a better mood when they were bargaining with the many vendors in the bazaar.

Amer Fort, Amber Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan, Incredible India

Elephant are the workhorses of the Indian tourist industry. As a young boy displaced miles from home in Jamaica, my new school mates asked me if I went to school in India on an elephant. To humor them, I nodded and kept the lie going. Decades later in Jaipur as I walked around the Amer palace, I noticed this mahut taking a break from giving tourists a ride, and in his eyes and in the elephant's I saw the "I don't care, I am taking a break and am not going to give you a ride" look. Money is not everything.

Snake Charmer, Amer Fort

India is synonymous with snake charmers. At least it was many years ago. There was this misconception that India is a land of mystics, of saints and snake charmers and elephant riders. Today it is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but still these snake charmers evoke more emotion when I talk about my travels. ironically, snakes can't hear, they don't have ears, but are merely moving to the movement of the flute and the snake charmer's head. The music is purely for your benefit.

Pragpur, Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh

While hiking from Pragpur to Chamba Pattan, a village on the banks of the RIver Beas, we passed by Garli, another small historic village. A group of kids ran up to us, and were the friendliest kids I had met. We didn't speak the same language but they pointed the way to our path to us and were just so excited when I offered to take their photo. I had more posed photos with better lighting but even with the overexposed background, this one was my favorite. This captured their faces as I remmber them.

Girl, Pragpur Heritage Village, Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh

This girl, unlike the group of kids I had met the day before was alone, wandering the streets of Pragpur. She didn't look lost, she walked with a purpose, and kept one eye on me. She was dressed for winter, and her sweater caught my eye.

Evening performance, musicians, Judge's Court, Pragpur, Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh

Judge's Court is a great place to stay in the Kangra Valley. It is often used by backpacking Europeans and weekend visitors from Delhi and the 10+ rooms get filled up fast. The kitchen serves buttery dishes and in the evening, the local bands and performers pass through the hotel. This band of bagpipers were our evening entertainement, and they had been together for many years. As he played, I noticed how his hands moved, the watch on his hands, and the effortless sounds wafting from his bagpipe.

Delhi Haat, Market

Dilli Haat is an open-air food plaza and craft bazaar located in Delhi, run by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC). Dilli Haat is open 7 days a week, and unlike the Surajkund Mela which is an annual event, this provides an opportunity for photographers year round. Evenings are the best time to visit, as the city starts to cool down and multiple performers begin to make the crafts bazaar their stage. There was a specific emotion in the dance and having seen it before I waited for the look in her eye.

Delhi Haat, Market

Dilli Haat is an open-air food plaza and craft bazaar located in Delhi, run by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC). Dilli Haat is open 7 days a week, and unlike the Surajkund Mela which is an annual event, this provides an opportunity for photographers year round. Evenings are the best time to visit, as the city starts to cool down and multiple performers begin to make the crafts bazaar their stage. These acrobatic dance performers had so much talent that now watching shows like America's Got Talent and World of Dance, I wonder how far these dancers would have gone if they had the same opportunities.

Gud production, Sugarcane, Jaggery, Uttaranchal, India

Fatehpur Sikri, India - Safeguarding secrets from an ancient time

Choki Dhani, Folk Village, Jaipur, Rajasthan, Incredible India

Surajkund Mela, Delhi

Surajkund Mela, Delhi

Red Fort, Delhi

Security, Golden Temple, Anritsar, Punjab, India

I believe in Faith. Not so much in religion and the rules and rituals that are tied to it but I do believe in greater beings, a greater purpose than just me. The Golden Temple in Amritsar had been impossible to get to as I was growing up, embroiled in wars that stretched across India's northern states. So in 2006, when I finally stepped foot into the complex, I gained a new sense of serenity and tranquility. Sikhism is a religion but somehow being in that complex strengthened by faith more than question the Sikh religion. In this photo as the guard stood in attention, I was able to see where there is now peace, there was once immense tragedy and thus the need for him.

Alwar, Rajasthan

A Scottish actor, Edinburgh, Scotland

Bagpiper, Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie with Loch Duich, Scotland

Scotland is considered to be one of the most green and scenic countries in the world. Miles and miles of lush green mountains, dominating castles, kings and queens that have ruled the world, thinkers and innovators that have challenged beliefs and a history that is old as time. When you say Scotland, an image of a person in a kilt, playing a bagpipe and standing in front of a castle comes to mind. Well, this was it. This was my image from Scotland that makes me want to go back now and experience it all over again.

People of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

Sugarcane workers, Umayalpuram,Tamil Nadu