Journey with the Desert Boys
Batch 1 — one down, about a gazillion to go.
The following photos were taken in Jaisalmer, the magical desert city in Rajasthan, India. One of the activities one can partake of is to venture out into the desert on a camel safari. Because we were pussies, we only did a day’s safari: it is possible to stay a night or two in the desert (usually only advisable between October and March, the peak season; during which it is even possible to take camel caravans through the desert, towards Jodhpur). I am told that the desert gets astonishingly cold during the night. That day was one of the best days in India: the weather was perfect (oh, just about 46 degrees Celsius, only), the wind was in my hair, my feet were buried in beautifully warm, fine sand. My pictures that day turned out to be my favourite: that day, it seemed, I could do no wrong. The desert boys ran amok with me, dancing around my hair, making funny faces, posing for photographs, jumped off sand dunes and there, out there in remote Khuri, I found solace in these boys when they danced to the same Bollywood songs I loved. Z. and I climbed the sand dunes, mounted camels, and laughed, a lot. And I remember how I couldn’t stop smiling.
Jumping over sand dunes
Shadows
And silhouettes (Edited This one looked fine on my screen at first but too dark on every one else’s, so here’s a slightly edited version.)
Lost sheep
More beautiful children
A great host
One beautiful girl
After another
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Great shots!
Very beautiful pictures.
This is wrong !!
Half your pics should be of SC/STs/OBCs
(sheduled caste / sheduled tribes / other backward classes)
next time i am in india i have to do one thing:
pee on a SC/ST/OBC
– OK from Adri’s pics u can seee india is such a beautiful country… but these mofos are spoiling the whole beauty….
I AM REALLY REALLY PISSED OFF WITH SOME RECENT LAWS PASSED ….......
I assume you’re talking about the Reservations for Backwards and Scheduled Castes?
Wow! Gorgeous!
dui ! ! what backward classes… shit on them… the Govt now discriminates itself…. the first fundamental right of being indian is called “RIGHT TO EQUALITY”.. now no one is equal… now…...
Well, don’t you think that as these classes that have been discriminated against for thus long, economically and socially, giving them a little bit more equality is the way forward? Such as: the opening up of priesthood positions to qualified brahmins. Rejecting the Reservations on the basis of infringing on our (that is, non-ST/OBC) equality is pretty parochial, though I’m not Indian, so I wouldn’t know.
That said, I think the govt is just digging itself a hole by playing to such populist measures. How do you increase places for these classes in universities, when overall facilities are not and will not be improved, including overall intake of places and improvements in infrastructure and teaching staff? The bigger social problem at hand is the lack of elementary education (c.f. read Amartya Sen’s work on this). It seems they are trying to skirt the issue and play populist politics. While I’m still divided on the issue of affirmative action, I do think that other measures of improving the lot of the OBCs and STs are necessary, though some people are better off not helping them (e.g. Lalu Yadav).
Regarding first para: qualified non-brahmins, I mean.
Adri !
No one is being discriminated at all…. everyone is the same.. u know they already have a lot of benifits… and there is NO discrimination against an SC/ST when he/she applies for a job, instead there is reservation for them for the past 50 years….... if they cant develop in 50 years when will they… I have never seen a higher caste say anthing to a lower caste…. i have never heard anyone taking about the caste system in india…. no one discriminates….. there are very few (mostly politically motivated cases )
In competetive examinations for being medical docs and engineering…. if i score 80/100 i dont get a place,,, but an SC scores a – 30/100 ( that is minus 30) he becomes a medical doctor,... just becos it is reservation. Now its gonna be 50 % ............ can u imagine the situation..
at a time when india is coming up… only the educated and qualified people should come up.. and become captains of india.. they should not be divided in basis of caste. AN SC/ST can get admission whereever he/she wants.. so why dont they compete in normal ways…... .. and come up normally…......
Now, me and most of my friends in india and indian friends in singapore believe that discrimination will start now… Now if i find a SC on the road i am gonna ask him to fuck off…..becos he is CLAIMED to be lower caste and deprived off…...
I think this LAW will be a big blow to india’s development. Evryone in Germany asked me if i discriminated against lower caste ( they assumed tht i am a higher class so i had the opertunity to come abroad and work). I told them WE ARE ALL EQUAL… THERE IS NO DISCRIMINATION THAT WAS ALL IN THE OLDEN DAYS.
FEW DAYS BACK the german news papers were full of all this from India… what would they think .. i was lying ???
We have tried a lot to bring india’s image up in the world.. and look what Mr. Arjun Singh has done… I wish BJP WAS IN POWER…. NOW I OPENLY SUPPORT SHIV SENA…. BJP…. AND GROUP…
and i am not a BRAHMIN … i am a Khatriya , THE WARRIOR CLASS ( i asked my mom this today for the first time in 23 years of my life)
i have something on my blog… take a look..jokes…. about all this….
I don’t know, I’ve seen enough men and women in better positions say “Don’t talk to me—you’re not worthy to speak to me” (in India; not to me, but to like people in the streets or rickshaw drivers, etc), to be optimistic about ‘equality’. ‘Equality’ has become the concept that nobody really knows anything about. Men say: women have equality! Quit complaining about it! We don’t. Or ‘there’s no racism in Singapore! We’re all equal!” We’re not.
Can you honestly say that a dalit is capable of gaining admission into a good public school, on the basis of meritocracy, or that a dalit has equal access to the educational resources that everyone else has? Or equal opportunity for anything at all? I’m not convinced they do. Maybe to an extent, whether you’re dalit or kshatriya it doesn’t matter as much in Mumbai as it does in Bihar (though it obviously still does, if you read the matrimonials). Unfortunately there’s only one Mumbai, and the rest of India.
The worst measure of equality among castes is to hear from those who are not suffering it; I could very easily say, in my position as a privileged Chinese majority here: “there is no racism! we have no racial riots!” but how do I account for the numerous idiotic racist statements that so many Chinese people like to make? Read the academic papers and scholarly research on the different types and magnitude of discrimination, that the OBCs suffer from; then make a qualified statement on whether or not there is equality. You can oppose the Reservations (as I do), but please don’t transpose your anger towards the govt to the OBCs. A 22.5-29% figure is a ridiculous number even for American school practising affirmative action could reasonably hope to pass, and that is the fault of the govt’s – not the SC/OBC. It’s just pandering and populism. However, I still find it a little ironic that ‘equality’ should be the main flag the opponents carry. To blanketly say that ‘no such things exist’ and ‘i’m every bit as good as they are’ is a bit thick; I don’t think they’ve ever had the ability to say ‘i’m every bit as good as you are’, so what equality are you talking about. That said, this needs to be addressed in more realistic ways. We could start by making a Bollywood movie about it.
This legislation is a little like the politicians who promise electricity to villages, when the villages don’t have any appliances to plug in, and the people in the town nearby are like “hey they took our electricity and now we have less so we can only watch ZeeTV for three hours instead of four!”.
And I can’t believe you said you said you support the Shiv Shena. I hate Bal Thackeray and the Shiv. As much as I hate Bush. Or more. They’d probably say “we’re reserving 60% of places for hindus of the right sort, i.e. the shiv supporter sort”. India under the Shiv and the BJP would be one step forward and 1000000 steps back.
Well !!
But by giving 50% seats to ST/SCs , WHICH IS LIKE HALF, will we be able to change the mentality of people….... instead it will fire more up… Bihar! is a strange place… its a part of india that can vote for Lalooo… so i have no comments for biharis but finally they have done a good job kicking the asshole out of power…. LETS ALL HOPE BIHAR WILL COME BACK ON TRACK now… all these politically motivated problems will go now..
i know about racism in singapore, specially when i wanted a house… no one wanted to give a house to an Indian….... untill we were able to convince that we are expats and wont harm their property… i have also heard many singaporean girls say to me that their parents told them to be “careful if Indians” precisely never trust an Indian….. This is when he can SEE that I AM NOT A CHINESE… how can u make out that a person is DALIT OR NOT….........
Believe me Adri,... many of them just hide their SC/ST certificates at home….and just take them out during admissions…. rest of them time they are NORMAL DOUBLE KIASU indians.,..... If you ask people to come up and say who didnot get admissions because they were dalits.. i dont think many of them will come up except for the villagers….
As Far as SHiv sena is concerned…...i dont agree with their policies as well… but with laws like this i can see more people joining them…......
Coming to the development issue…. smart and educated people can develop india.. who can be a dalit or a brahmin or me…. So as far as the electricity and other issues are concerned i believe that when u have young agile , educated politicians they will do good to the country NO MATTAR WHAT …
Well.. :) Indian voters actually have the power to kick out politicians who displease them.. and that’s something not everybody has! I know I don’t!
I think I agree with Adri largely though I do understand the angst Bir is going thru – this is primarily a result of the lack of transparency and information about the 93rd amendment..
I would also emphasise on the need for clear criteria for providing the reservation. I would rather go with a combination of class/ caste + economic backwardness. This is to avoid the well-to-do from misusing the reservations.
Further, from my reading of affirmative action and reservation related judgments in both the US and Indian context, I have to caution the Government that this should not be implemented in a haphazard and air-fairy manner.
Quot homines tot sententiae…
India is an ELECTED DICTATORSHIP .. ONE WHO IS ELECTED IS THE BLOODY DICTATOR
aND Satya i am believe that it should be economic backwardness not social, so economically backward people should get reservations/scolarships etc…. I FULLY AGREE WITH THIS
I thought after living in a certain place, you should know better what a dictatorship is like… but oh, that’s a little different.. that’s a Selected Dictatorship.
Hmm. The problem, I think, is how economic and social backwardness is so frequently entwined with each other, i.e. there are many poor brahmins too, and how Muslims are outside the superstructure of caste, and yet also among the most economically and socially backward. Even though I identify as liberal, politically speaking, and I’d typically endorse affirmative action, in concept—in practice, I”m not so sure. I’m also not sure the Indian bureaucracy has the means to carry out reservations without choking and sputtering.
Satya raises a valid point here. If you look at the public scholarship system in place in Singapore, I would venture to say that it is those who already can afford it, who are receiving the scholarships. India would do well to avoid this; it would only make the gap between the elite, and everyone else, even wider than it already is.
If this whole thing is a case of aya ram, gaya ram... and vote-bank politics, then by this time next year we’ll have forgotten all about it. We’ll see.
(My magazine vendor in Little India asked me recently: “why you always buy Outlook India and India Today? are you Indian?” :P)
off this discussion, but around Indians in S’pore –
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050813/asp/opinion/story_5106740.asp
a few words for Bir –
A blind opposition to reservation is not a great idea. Caste/ class + economic backwardness should be the clear criteria. Let’s not get carried away by sentiments and emotions and scrap the policy for lack of proper implementation!
secondly, i think your knowledge and awareness of Indian political history is far too shallow for you to brand our country as a dictatorship! i do not think you understand some of the terms you are using..
some of the things which you say with great vehemence, e.g. “what backward classes… shit on them…” may be tantamount to hate speech. and your comment that “there is no discrimination in India” is infantile and shows your immaturity and lack of awareness..
your support to the BJP and Shiv Sena also seems to be half-baked as I am sure you have not even bothered to read their manifesto! The BJP manifesto states clearly that “The BJP is committed to the social, economic and political empowerment of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, so that the wrongs of the past are corrected in a time-bound manner for a better future.” (http://www.bjp.org/manifes/chap9.htm)
I think I should not bother dealing with any of your other ‘fantastic’ points.. do read a bit more and research before commenting on policies and issues.
Well your next girl friend should be an Indian… try to find an indian girl… u can tell that magazine vendor the reason then…
My next girl will be a super kiasu Hokkien….......
thanks for the discussion..
adri i still await yr reply…........
Well Satya !
Now that we all know that u hide a certificate in your locker that says….... you are from the “reserved class”.. i dont have furthur comments on it..
What i believe is that no one should be discriminated on basis of caste whether higher or lower.. if a SC guy is less capable and a brahmin is more.. brahmin should be given the chance and NOT A SC because he comes from a lower caste… similarly it should not be vice versa…
Secondly.. India is an elected dictatorship was from a recent Strait times review.. i dont have the reference sorry…
It simply means that the one we elect in india.. becomes a dictator because he can do what he likes…........... there is no psudo control over him… he can murder and run off.. he can rape and run off….
Thirdly…. i am sure about what i am speaking.. i have seen some really really rich SC getting all sorts of benifits.. where as normal deserving young guys lagging behind…...
And if this law was so right.. not so many bright young students from AIIMS would protest TILL DEATH..
Bir – once u started launching personal attacks (hiding certificates in a locker etc.), i knew there’s no point debating to you.. but as ‘pro bono’ advise – (a) please cite the article, don’t misquote sources (b) your knowledge of politics (both in theory and practice) seem woefully inadequate! (c) please shut up before you make a bigger fool of yourself (a lot of Singaporeans read this blog) :)
Adri – I suppose there’s no point arguing with this “friend” here :)
Hahaha… the Straits Times cough national mouthpiece, is a great source to call the world’s biggest democracy an elected dictatorship and pseudo democracy :)
Also, please don’t resort to calling anyone who thinks contrary to you, a reserved class. If I was Indian, would you call me an SC too just because of what I said? Bear in mind that Satya and I both hold the same primary position as you do, i.e. against reservations; we’re only taking issue at some other aspects that you’ve added onto the debate. Do you feel as strongly about Muslim reservations, and against Muslims? But don’t answer that, it was only rhetorical.
Regarding Indian girlfriends… :) it’s OK, I’m quite happy at the moment, so I’ll pass. I don’t there’ll be any collective sighs of disappointment from Indian girls, though.
well thts what i have been saying all along..so many singaporeans read strait times too and the reservation issue was on the FRONT PAGE WHEN I HAD TO ANSWER QUESTIONS..
2. No one can here can actually comment on my political knowledge… I know as much India as no one ever can..
LKG-UKG- Class1 : VISHAKAPATNAM
Class 2-7 : Kolkata
Class 7- 12: Bhubaneswar
NDA : Khadakwasla Pune.
BAchelor : Ahmedabad.
5 years in the BSG (Bharat Scouts and Guides )
4 years in NCC.
I am well travelled around India and i know the heartbeat…
And i am sorry if i hurt ur feelings satya… it was personel only when u commented that i have no political knowledge…...
I will come back to you on that article if i find it…....
I am surprised that so many Indians read this blog and no comments for my side…...
And now lets behave like educated young people and end this discussion…............. it was healthy ~ now changing to wrong directions.. ...
Thanks a lot…
and also singaporeans who love indians…........
we have to understand “opinions differ in democracy and democratic dictatorship”.
Goodness gracious me. To think that all this started with simple photos of cute kids in a desert. I’m glad my great grandparents decided to go for a sail years ago.
was wondering because Indians are the minority here in singapore how about giving 50% reservation for them…......... in NUS/SMU/NTU and other schools, every private and public sector company has to hire 50% Ethenic Indian Singaporeans…......
How do you think the other locals will react ? .................
just a thought…......
– wonder if this happens, what would go in you/your friends think. The same thing is going in my mind now…........
bad english is regretted.. i was in a hurry
well…a more logical mathmatical formula for your hypothetical “Singapore reservation act” would be 25% chinese, 25% malay, 25% indians and 25%others. And by the way…there used to be quotas in Singapore..be it for Indians, Malays, women…whatever.
Actually…I can think of a few other reserves which may be more suited to you. They involve trees though…
That already exists in a country to our north, though you’ve got to mash up the formula a bit. There are racial quotas in Singapore public housing. There are/were quota for women in medical school, because “women get married and give birth and stay at home eventually so why waste our resources on them in medical school”.
But race and casteism is a very different thing, the latter includes many other socio-economic considerations than even the most backward races can’t begin to imagine.
interesting, Premila.. i will comment on your blog perhaps..
thanks Adri! indeed you are spot-on when you say that the considerations are diverse when it comes to casteism and the principles relating to racism cannot be applied directly.. It is a difficult area to understand; I have studied this for over 3 years in law school and wrote a paper on this but I cannot claim to be closer to a solution..
Precisely why you can’t compare the two…which is what our beloved Bir was trying to do.
And our racial quotas are (claimed to be) “for the purposes of integration” rather than anything else, which is APPARENTLY necessary to thwart the inevitable formation of evil single-race-cliqued HDBs (says the offspring of two civil servants).
....
Good thing we own a house.
P.S. I never had any issues (racial or otherwise) growing up in Singapore; but now that I am all grown up…
I still don’t.
(says the offspring of two civil servants)
thats great, Premila :)
well well !! it was just a thought….... but thanks for the input…
premila….. i dont remeber a girl calling me “beloved” !! thanks for that. :-)
thanks for yr time satya, adri and premila…. i think i am already much fed up with the political system in India.. mY hands are up….........
love u all ~
I’m ecstatic that sarcasm appears to be lost on you..
I have lost my sense of sarcasm after coming to singapore… be straight forward…. say what you mean is what i preach and practice…....... now …
update
:D
Everyone is going India, just came across a blog with similar Indian content.
http://www.leylop.com/