India 2004 - a story never finished Photo Gallery by Maciej Dakowicz at pbase.com

India 2004 - a story never finished

This is all that I have from my trip to India - some resized photos which I uploaded to pbase during travelling, the orignal files doesn't exist anymore. Instead of planned 40 days I spent there only 14 days. I had to go back home - all my important belongings were stolen in Varanasi - my camera, lenses, notebook computer, hard disks with pictures.. everything what was important was in the backpack which suddenly disappeared on a train, when I was securing another bag, a few seconds. what a terrible experience.

Eventually, after two months I returned to India... That time the trip was more successful.

THESE PHOTOS ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN HIGH RESOLUTION

On the ground	Coke activities	Girl and a cow	Woman near the truck
Around the motorbike	Kids in blue	Behind the gate	Tea lover
Sadhu boys	Life near the wall	Cool taxi driver	Surprised kid
Woman in yellow	Calcutta style shaving	Fixing the mirror	Nap in mother's hands
Jumping near Victoria Memorial	Wisdom and green	I know, I look stupid now...	A moment of rest in the corridor
Calcutta style taxi ride	Sleeping with flowers	Pumping water in Calcutta	Rest and meat
Am I in the camera?	No photo	Street portrait	Pee break
Three eyes	Double smile	Stare	Close look
My doggie	Photo me	Indian Charm	Life on the stairs
Varanasi boy	Praying at Ganges	Selling fire flowers	Prayer and girls
Praying in Varanasi	Praying crowd	Praying with fire	Hand and fire
Three women at praying	Behind bars	Holy men	Cows on the stairs
Umbrella man	My hair...	Woman at the entrance	Lost in thoughts

comment |

Michal Zielinski		05-Mar-2006 17:58
Jestem tu ju� po raz kolejny... Poprostu zdumiewaj�ce zdj�cia! Mam nadziej�, �e kiedy� si� wybior�. Szkoda, �e Tobie Ma�ku przepad�o 26 dni... Ale to co przywioz�e� po 14 jest nieziemskie!!!

Anna		21-Jan-2006 10:32
I think these pictures are very beautiful. But even though you had some of your things stolen you still have the memories of India in your heart. Your pictures have really captured what is really happening in India (Poverty). These children and people need help. And you have captured there beautiful smiles. It is really amazing that they can smile when someone takes there picture. When some of us only complain. We have all taken life for granted. We must see the little things like a childs smile and see how WONDERFUL it is.

Guest		25-Dec-2005 07:15
a lot of high class photographs, bravo!

muthukumar		14-Dec-2005 10:59
Dear Friend, I am from india, I love my country very much, i love it innocent beauty. i use to travel a lot and i request you to visit south side of india (tamilnadu, karnataka, kerala and andrapradesh)..i hope your camera will get more chances.. it is very nice to see my own special country through your camera viewport.. very nice.. thanks.

Jan Koster		06-Dec-2005 20:33
Very enjoyable gallery, especially the portraits!

Roman Moldaschl		10-May-2005 11:10
Dear Mike! - My experiance in India was complete different toYours.ALL AROUND the WORLD you find good and bad people......I was many times in India,but never missing one small thing!When I lost or forgette something anywhere the Indians kept it for me.In my Gallery "twoo month in India" I tried to show the real India with all Aspects of indian Life! - Roman

lauriejean		04-Apr-2005 15:22
thank you so much for visiting Kolkata! I lived there for three months and i miss it so much! I loved your pictures of rajasthani people too - i was there for a month. but i miss Kolkata the most, because that is where I knew the people and their welcoming, enduring, warm and strong hearts! I only hope you can return and take more wonderful pictures! you are a true artist!

Roman Moldaschl		20-Feb-2005 21:27
i travelled two month alone through india, and there was never a moment of fear - people are very friendly, some guys from "civilized countries" could learn there a lot

Dominika		07-Feb-2005 21:28
Maciek, Your photos are simply incredible. I loved all of your galleries and I added your site to my favorites. I'm waiting for more of your beautiful artwork. Bedac w tych miejscach nie zwracalam uwagi na niktore miejsca a tym bardziej na wyrazy twarzy tych wszystkich ludzi. Masz niesamowity talent ujmujac to wszystko. Powodzenia :)

Vinay		04-Feb-2005 19:24
Very very nice pics indeed. I'm from India and the pics dont really talk to me so much about the poverty etc as much as it does about the life and color in India and the people. I do think some of the comments that you have gotten about the depiction of poverty etc are not warranted as this is more an artistic work than you trying to show life in India. The link is now part of my fav list so I will be checking back to see more pics!

AnIndian		01-Feb-2005 01:03
Mike, If you are so scared of poor people of India stealing your expensive gear, maybe you should forget about visiting India. And guess what, you are more likely to get mugged and robbed of expensive gear at downtown Detroit (where I live) than in India. And by the way, my friend had his expensive camera stolen at Milan-Italy, supposedly a tourist's paradise. -AnIndian

Kirk Klein		31-Jan-2005 22:34
There are several fantastic portraits in this gallery. Great work.

David Johns		12-Dec-2004 18:53
These are really good compositions and expressions captured are priceless. Poverty? The problem is people in the West define poverty and wealth by how "nice" the things are around them. Ancient cultures, and simple lifestyles are much richer in many ways. I'm glad these scenes are being captured before the whole world has completed pouring itself into the artificial plastic mold of Hollywood and thereby becomes as poor blind miserable and naked as the West.

Steven Caudill		06-Dec-2004 23:34
Hello There.. I wasn't going to leave a comment, but then I saw some of the bizarre comments left by some people preaching about what you "should" or "shouldn't" take pictures of... The comment "think before you click" is especially arrogant. It's extremely silly... This gallery wasn't put together for educating people around the world on what life in India is like. I believe this gallery was put together as an artistic repesentation of what the ARTIST saw. I personally believe that a person should shoot whatever they want (as long as it's not illegal)... If some people have issues about the content they can simply choose not to view it... www.pbase.com/scaudill/india Steve

Mike Dekker		19-Nov-2004 03:29
Maciek - This is a beautiful form of culture shock. I too would like to visit India one day, but now carrying a camera scares me. Traveling alone can be dangerous in an impoverished area with expensive equipment. Dangerous. As stupid as it sounds, if someone takes my camera I'm going to try kicking their ass in first.

Chico Wedding Photographer		16-Nov-2004 00:42
These are very beautiful...it is a shame and I would be heart broken to have lost them. I love the man with the umbrella, and the lady standing in the door way with blue on. At least you got to go back and try again!

Daniel Chui		10-Nov-2004 07:53
Excellent, excellent gallery... all of this mumbo jumbo about only capturing the poverty/sadness of India couldn't be farther from the truth. You've got many photos showing all things of India... from happiness to sadness... and they are all documented beautifully. Don't sweat it! - Chui www.chewyphoto.com

Gavin Morris		08-Oct-2004 17:15
This is a great gallery and your pictures are incredible. I don't understand much of the criticism you've received here - you couldn't have taken these pictures in the West or Iraq and I, for one, am glad you did. It shows the strange nature of photography that some are left with a sense of the poverty and I was left left with a feeling of the amazing colours.

Guest		27-Sep-2004 13:11
MaciekDa: You are young, daring, and taken some excellent shots, but I want to say that I know how you felt when all your gear was stolen. It happened to me 60 years ago and I know the mixed feelings you must have suffered. The three of us had treked 3 days to reach a minor peak, Nag Tiba, in the Himalayas. We stored our gear in an old unused cave, to lighten out load while we climbed the last few thousand feet to reach the summit, about 17,000 feet above sea level. It took as all day, and we returned late that evening, only to find out back-packs gone, stolen. How we managed to survive that cold night I will never know. We borrowed whatever blankets we could from other mountaineers. We had to return to our hostels in one day, when the outward journey took 3 days, as we had no sleeping gear. We had to really push ourselves but made it back safely, Fortunately without our packs we did it. It could easily ended up in a tragedy. I know how you felt!

April Sims		26-Sep-2004 16:52
very nice gallery. the images are crisp and clean and i love the emotions that you captured.

G�nter Hofst�dter		24-Sep-2004 05:49
very moving gallerie, the message has arrived ! Great works at all ! G:)nter

New Yorker		22-Sep-2004 19:56
Man!! The pics are cool but it would have been nicer if you would have kept the balance. Let me ask you one thing though-how come you got all pics posted if you claim your camera and everything was stolen. That's questionable! Next time, I'd suggest try going to Bombay or Delhi and capture them. I am not sure if you are trying to show the poverty or what but that's in every country. I was just looking @ some pics of my country (USA) on http://www.pbase.com/kayakbiker/homeless_hungry_and_hurting and it was very touching. Next time try going to Iraq and picture the struggles people are going thru

SagiTTariuS		04-Sep-2004 10:00
Hi Maciek, I`m from Poland too, but this text I will write in English (sorry, my English is not brilliant) for other users. I want to say : Thank You. When I start to visit your page I`m falling in love with Asia and I start to be intresting in photography (now I learn using my simple Canon A80). Thanks YOU - this year I plan my first trip to Turkey - you inspire people !. Yours photos show me something important - other point of view for everything. Best respect - SagiTTariuS

christina		27-Aug-2004 23:54
Very nice gallery!i enjoy loooking at you work here and on treklens. Keep it up!

Shailendra		26-Aug-2004 19:44
I think its a brilliant gallery!!! All being said and DONE. I think our first world friends should start taking pictures in their own backyards, ghettos, union stations and homeless shelters. Thats what would depict the reality as well. I think people in the west need help too, if thats what these pictures aim at. I think its a choice that you make to capture poverty and grief in the third world not so much for their social upliftment but because you think its facinating to do that. Look closely in your own neighborhood and you will find interesting subjects too. Its easy to do this in poor countries cause people are mute and ignorant and uneducated and kind - You do the same in the west and if you get caught - you will be sued. Now lets starting clicking in our own backyard first before we go out and click pictures on our world tours.

Shailendra		26-Aug-2004 19:43
I think its a brilliant gallery!!! All being said and DONE. I think our first world friends should start taking pictures in their own backyards, ghettos, union stations and homeless shelters. Thats would depict the reality as well. I think people in the west need help too, if thats what these pictures aim at. I think its a choice that you make to capture poverty and grief in the third world not so much for their social upliftment but because you think its facinating to do that. Its easy to that in poor countries cause people are mute and ignorant and kind - You do the same in the west and if you get caught - you will be sued. Now lets starting clicking in our own backyard first before we go out and click pictures on world tours.

Weston Perry		25-Aug-2004 10:05
well i think everythings been said, other than great ass gallery@!

Dan B		24-Aug-2004 06:53
sha, isn't this a powerfull way to get out the message that these people need help?

Tom Higgins		23-Aug-2004 19:12
Another stunning example of West's fascination with poverty & grief in the third world!

Sha Jah		19-Aug-2004 21:57
Please dont get me wrong. I like your skills but I am sick of seeing such sad portraits from third world countries and the way they are depicted in the media. We are all responsible for how we potray these nations. I have had people here in the U.S. ask me if people in Burma and Pakistan and India go to Universities and if they have cars there or if they cook using gas or wood. How stupid and ignorant is that. We are all partly responsible for how people in the western countries think about people in other countries. Its me, you, abc, nbc and whatever network. Its the reality of life but my friend you are violating someone else privacy by posting these images on the web. Someone who will probably never know that his/her picture is on the web and people are commenting on it. Did you ever seek permission or compensate these people for the pictures you have taken. I have myself gotten extremely facinated by subjects in India, Burma, Pakistan, Egypt, UK and USA but as professional photographers dont you think we should think before we click. Good luck. Love your pictures but differ in choosing the subjects & sorry about your equipment- it comes with the job...I have had it stolen here in the U.S. once along with my other belongings.

YNW		16-Aug-2004 07:03
Maciek, sorry for your lost your belongings. We must miss many fantastic photos you took in India.

Henrik Wilche		08-Aug-2004 07:51
Outstanding gallery. The way you croop the pictures... good. Yeah shit happens in India. Regards Henrik ( Denmark )

Bappu Das		01-Aug-2004 00:08
Sorry to hear about the incident. It's always best to be careful about possessions (especially passport/ticket) wherever you travel in the world. Hopefully you get back all your stuff I was willing to buy quite a few prints but I found nothing new in the Kolkata pictures. It's just the same old portrayal of impoverished people. Nothing wrong in that though. Maybe no photographer finds the middle class (the majority) interesting because it goes against the popular impression that Kolkata is a poor city. After all no one will believe that or would want to believe that, not even some people who visit Kolkata regularly. For thos who may not know - it is illegal to photograph on the Hooghly bridges. The warning is posted everywhere and every Indian at least should be familiar about these rules. The rules may be archaic but why break rules and then blame the police? In the USA such activity would surely entail a thorough round of questiong from the FBI nowadays!

Marcel de Jong		27-Jul-2004 08:19
Maciek, Your work is incredible. Your people images are very powerful and technically perfect. Sometimes it looks like you took these people into the studio under very carefully controlled lighting conditions. I hope you will be up and running soon with your new gear. Cheers, Marcel

Guest		27-Jul-2004 05:28
Very sorry to hear about your loss. To other photographers who might be thinking of a photo journey through India, this should serve as a wake up call. I am an Indian who lived most of his life in India and the one thing that I cannot emphasize enough is if anything you carry is worth more than a few bucks, do not let it out of your sight. Maciek, your photographs are fantastic and I hope this horrible incident doesnt discourage you from continuing with your photojourneys. Good luck.

MBc		26-Jul-2004 22:49
Great pictures. Sorry to hear about your loss. You think only poor people would steal the camera ? Here is my experience in Calcutta. On my first visit to calcutta - I got on to the bridge on Hubli river and took a photo. Two guys, both wearing white shirt and a blue sweater on top, came to me and seized the camera from me. I wondered ? Why ??? I shouted - "Give me my camera back" !!! They told me they are from Calcutta police ! (I thought; Oh, is it ? You look dirty - I mean, the outfit). Then I noticed the name-plate clipped on to their shirt. So confirmed - they are from police ! I became polite: what happened sir ? police: Taking pictures of this bridge is prohibited. I: Sorry sir I didn't know that. Is there a fine that I have to pay. Police: Get off. We will keep the camera with us. I: Sir, please ... this is the only camera I have. I can either pay the fine or take the film out and destroy it. Police: No, get off from here ... or come with us to the police station. You have commited a crime of taking photos of the bridge. I know what will happen to me if I go the police station. I will be probably charged with some unresolved murder case. So I left ... wihout the camera... I am sure those guys would have sold the camera and made money. Now where will I go and launch a complaint ? At the police station ??????!!!!!! And ... I hate to say this --- I am an Indian ... and this is a real incident that happened in 1999.

Rao		25-Jul-2004 03:17
I have been to Calcutta many times (my in-laws are from a place near Calcutta). I think you have captured the essence of every-day Calcutta I know in some of the most powerful pictures I have seen. I hope you go back to India sometime and continue your journey. regards Rao

Sushil S		25-Jul-2004 02:02
sorry to read about your loss.. your images are so beautiful, it must have been heartbreaking to lose the images/equipment..

Deepak		23-Jul-2004 20:44
sorry Maciek, you have had a horrible experience in here. But dont lose out on what you have got. As Paul says, no one can steal memories (and I would say your talent). My best wishes for your future, Get a cam and start shooting!! Your photographs are very good. I like the expressions you have captured. Good luck and visit india again.

Paul Zimmermann		22-Jul-2004 21:20
I know how you feel. I've been drugged in Thailand and lost also my camera and even worse: pictures of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Phillipines and all my pictures of Laos. When I came back from the police station, an old man told me "they can steel your camera, but they can't steel your memories"...Even I feld fucked up, he was right. Good luck and take care. Greetz from Holland, Paul

Phil Douglis		22-Jul-2004 20:52
These images convey a sense of place, the character of the people, and the striking contrasts that capture the essence of India. They are a remarkable a collection of photographs of India. You are a talented photojournalist and a delightful travel photographer -- a story teller with a camera. As for the lost equipment, you had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chalk it off to experience, learn from it, and continue to build on your strengths. Good luck in all you try.

Ron Peregrim		22-Jul-2004 20:07
I liked your pictures,But if I knew I was in a bad part of town I would of gotten out of there PRONTO,Sorry your equipment was stolen,There are some real lowlifes out there that prey on anyone that they know is not from the area.

Guest		22-Jul-2004 06:51
Maybe that's the risk of taking beautiful pictures, sorry for what happened. You really captured the athmosphere in thos places in India

Rishi		22-Jul-2004 01:54
Sorry Maciek, Don't misunderstand me! Actually It's a common practice to highlight the poverty of developing countries like India,Pakistan etc. I'm curently in US and I've seen many beggar in streets. But if I take their picture and upload it in net, it won't reflect the whole US or a particular city of US. But don't wrap up photography! All the best!

Maciej Dakowicz		22-Jul-2004 00:38
>If everything were stolen then how did you recover these photos? i was travelling with a small notebook computer, i resized some pictures and uploaded them to the internet in India. and that's all i have now - some rezised images.

Rishi		22-Jul-2004 00:35
Really felt sorry for you. But inspite of showing the beauty of India, you pictured the poverty. There are so many attractive places in Calcutta,Varanasi and Agra. If everything were stolen then how did you recover these photos?

Felix W		21-Jul-2004 23:40
You are a talented photographer. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I don't know the specific circumstances, but from personal experience, you can only go so far in protecting your belongings when traveling in developing countries. It's the chance that we have to take.

David Plummer		21-Jul-2004 21:52
Maciek, you have so much talent with the camera it would be a real shame if you were not to continue with this gift that you have been given. There are so few people, including professionals, that achieve what you can do. Perhaps somewhere in this unfortunate incident some good will come out of it. I wish you good fortune and safe return home. DiaAzul/Mexmoon/David Plummer

Zane Paxton		21-Jul-2004 20:39
An exquisite gallery. Sorry that your gear was stolen! What a loss! Surrounded by potential images in such an amazing place was certainly worse than the financial pain.

Melanie		21-Jul-2004 15:11
Hi You do fantastic work!!! Sorry to hear about what happened. Good luck in getting restarted.

Wendy O		21-Jul-2004 00:21
Wonderful gallery! I'm so sorry about the loss of your bag, please keep shooting, you have a great eye and a great heart.

Guest		20-Jul-2004 17:03
Terrific images! Sorry to hear about your loss, but don't give up! My India images are from another region: Rajasthan. Don't you feel as if we could should India our whole lives and never capture it all? Cheers!

Guest		20-Jul-2004 05:08
Wonderful gallery, but am very sorry to hear what happened to your camera and equipment and notebook :( That really SUCKS :/

Narinder		16-Jul-2004 12:46
Hi, it's a beautiful gallery you have composed but you are talented so don't ever give up your photography. I have recently travelled around India, as it is my parents home country, I went in October 2003 to get married in a traditional Sikh way and I returned in February with my wife, and thousands of images I took with my faithful Minolta, but I am hae a bit of trouble scanning the negatives as there a so many of them. Hopefully they will soon be on my page; www.pbase.com/kp77angel (obviously not all of them!) But if you are interested then take a look and hopefully they will be there by end of September 2004. Email me and we can chat about how this country leaves you with many touching and mixed emotions. I know how you feel. But this is great work nevertheless so keep pointing and shooting!

Elizabeth Glass		15-Jul-2004 14:47
Beautiful and moving pictures of India. I'm sick to my stomach to hear what has happened. Please let us know how things work out.

Guest		15-Jul-2004 04:30
Maciek, I'm so sorry for you to have your camera and photos stolen. You're galleries are my favourite on pbase. Don't give up on taking photos, I think even with a point and shoot you could still produce stunning images...Karl

Carlos		13-Jul-2004 21:44
These are some of the most profound and beautiful images of India I have ever seen. Please keep up the good work!

roberta		13-Jul-2004 18:36
Powerful images. Roberta

Rebecca Tse		12-Jul-2004 08:57
Hi Maciek, Nice pictures. However, I would like you to take some to show yourself as well. Please take some tourist pictures. Anyway, I love to visit your web album and take care in India. See you in UK soon. Rebecca

Tom Lun		10-Jul-2004 12:10
Impressive collection of photos. Every photo deserves a vote because they are all great. The portraits are 10/10!

Clyne		10-Jul-2004 03:22
Consistently great quality of work. Your galleries are easily my favourites on pbase. Would like to see more lens and exif info though. Well done!

oochappan		05-Jul-2004 19:34
Impressive galeries you have here and on trekearth. Like Claude I travel every year to Tamil Nadu . Looking forward for the promissing photos still to come.

click on thumbnails for full image