I’ve resisted commenting on the Mumbai attacks in this blog because I don’t think that my take on the disaster is at all relevant. I was, thankfully, not in Mumbai at the time, not even close, and I knew none of the victims. I cannot pretend to understand what Mumbaikers are feeling – though to […]
November
25
Photos of Srinagar
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
Since it has been a while since I’ve posted any photos – and since I seem to be scamming someone’s wireless signal in my Delhi hotel room – I thought it a good time to add some visuals. All these photos are from Srinagar, the largest city in the Kashmir Valley. (The man in the […]
Kashmir postponed
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
Sadly, I left Srinagar and the Kashmir Valley the other day without having visited the villages I wanted to see. My research plans were frustrated by the combination of snowfall-closed roads and the idiosyncrasies of elections in a disputed territory: general strikes, sudden blockades, and undeclared curfews. I will return to Kashmir in the spring […]
In Kashmir
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
Winter came early to Srinagar this year. It is rare to receive snow in the Kashmir Valley before December. It reminded me of my home in Calgary, where winter always catches autumn unawares and snow chases the still-yellowing leaves from the poplar trees. At least here in Kashmir, winter seems to have realized its rashness […]
I am in Assam, I am.
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
Assam must be beautiful. Tea plantations spread over the slopes, rice patties flank the river valley, and rhinocerous lumber in the national parks. But I haven’t seen any of this. Trying to get my research done means I am spending my time in bland cities and travelling by night. The Assam I imagine is out […]
After Meghalaya
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
I’ve just finished my tour of the villages along the Bangladesh border in the Indian province of Meghalaya. This is some stunning landscape: overwhelmingly green with slender betel nut trees, paan vines, rice patties and fruit orchards. Many of the people who live in these areas are known as ‘scheduled tribes,’ India’s official indigenous peoples. […]
November
02
The Archers of Shillong
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
Here are some photos of the daily archery stakes in Shillong. Archers fire arrows across a pitch at a tiny bamboo cylinder while on-lookers lay their bets with bookies around town. Tomorrow I am on my way to the villages along Meghalaya’s border with Bangladesh. It will be a fascinating trip. The fence that India […]
A First Look at Meghalaya
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
In spite of the day’s tragedy, the drive from Guwahati, in the state of Assam, to Shillong, in Meghalaya, was a wonderful one. This is hill country where smart slant-roofed houses line the highway and where the landscape is clean and green. I love the aroma of the forest. It reminded me of the days […]
Of Fireworks and Other Explosions
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
Just like the last Hindu celebration I witnessed in Mumbai, I don’t understand Diwali, the “Festival of Lights.” It has something to do with the blue-skinned Krishna’s victory over something or other. Every street in Calcutta had a temporary shrine to Krishna built. Some were tiny modest structures. Others were grand tents several metres high. […]
So Happy This Didn’t Happen to Me
posted by Marcello Di Cintio
(I don’t know if I am allowed to just cut and paste stories from The Globe and Mail onto this blog, but I can’t resist posting this one.) TRIPPING: RIDING THE RAILS IN INDIAFlush from embarrassment RITA PARIKH Special to The Globe and Mail October 18, 2008 It didn’t come crashing to a shrieking halt. […]
