Think global, act local

The shopkeeper in the pictures has his shop located bang opposite DLF Towers in Jyoti Basu Nagar, Rajarhat, New Town, Kolkata, the hub of the best IT companies in India. The upcoming township is dubbed as one of the most expensive locations in India. He too operates 24x7 and caters to the needs of the yuppy techies who keeps his cash register ringing.
He appeared quite relaxed while talking and puffing away on a 'bidi' on a lazy and humid Sunday afternoon in October 2010. He is comfortable in remaining bare-bodied for the better part of the day and agreed to pose for the camera in his natural attire. (Pictures by Krisnendu Sar and Sayan Sen)

Chickens being ferried for your plate

This is how chickens are ferried to retail outlets across India. Do you really feel bad after all?

Getting out of a bus - fast

Man trying to get out of a bus in Jammu. Another tries to capture the moments on his cellphone camera.

Mayavati's shoeshine boy

Meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayavati's shoeshine boy. In early February 2011, Mayavati's personal security officer Padam Singh wiped her shoe at Auriya, near Kanpur. (Courtesy: The Telegraph, Kolkata dated 9th February 2011)

That's blindfolded love

That's blindfolded love, etching out his name on a serene beach.

A fiery spot in St. Patrick's H.S School, Asansol

My schooling was from St. Patrick's H.S School, Asansol between 1967 and 1980. This was one spot in the huge school which I was absolutely paranoid about. I wonder why I used to be so afraid.

At work - Prakash Wagh, SI, Maharashtra Reserve Police

Prakash Wagh an assistant police sub-inspector with the Maharashtra State Reserve Police Force, the first policeman in the state to get a black belt in karate in 1985.

Durga idol being ferried across the River Hooghly

Durga Puja is the biggest festival in Eastern India and for Bengalis across the globe. It's held in the month of September or October every year. The picture above shows an idol being ferried on a country boat across the River Hooghly from Kumartuli in Kolkata to the puja pandal in 2010.

Cop saviour after road slump in Kolkata

Most cops in Kolkata are wonderful people. Aniruddha Kar, a traffic police sergeant with Kolkata Police rushed to hospital a Kargil war hero who collapsed at the the busy Hazra crossing on the the morning of 25th December 2010 after suffering a possible heart attack and even paid from his own pocket for his treatment. Please click on the above picture to read the complete article. The article was published in The Telegraph, Kolkata edition on 26th December 2010.

Privacy behind the umbrella

Youngsters from across India are hard pressed for finding the necessary privacy. These kids are innovative and will not stop at anything to steal the required moments of intimacy. In highly populated and expensive cities like Mumbai, joint families even from the middle income households comprising of 6 or more adults are holed in 450 - 500 sq.ft apartments. Kitchens double up as bedrooms for married couples during the night. Married or not married, how do they satisfy their basic instincts!!

And they say I love going to school

Poor kid holding onto daddy for dear life while on way to school at 7am in Kolkata, India. And that too during the chilling winter days. At this age and unearthly hour, the kid should have still been under the comforts of a warm and soft blanket at home. (Pic by Krisnendu Sar)

Advertising some stupid stuff on a Rs.20 lacs+ car

This bloke in N.Delhi moves around in a Rs.20 lacs+ Mitsubishi SUV but advertises some stupid stuff which promises weight loss and sold through the MLM route. Typical of these guys in Northern India, they leave no stones unturned to earn extra bucks.