This is how a picture has been captioned by Mayank Soofi, a talented writer in Delhi.
Mayank’s photo-blog contains some interesting images. The photo below, taken recently in Delhi, highlights the contrast between the symbols of consumerist globalization and the have-nots..
I also found a related post with an apt title: Malls, Multiplexes and McDonald’s – The New Communist World Order.
This is a challenge of our times. How do we reconcile the world of statistics with poverty and inequality as a real human condition.
A friend also emailed me this piece arguing the need for putting aside “pride” about a growing economy and focusing on “the lives of average citizens”. I am not making a political statement given the “otherness” that comes with my citizenship of India’s much loved-hate[d] neighbour. I am more intrigued by the image and the tale it spins. If Scheherzade were alive, she could easily use digital images to save her life!
Again, thanks to Mayank, I also saw this photo with his thoughtful comment.
” Morning rush hour in a busy east Delhi intersection. … Commuters in confusion. A man, covered with a sheet, lying on the pavement. Sleeping? Dead? Who knows, who cares! “
A single picture can tell a thousand stories.
