The Dusty Mic Chronicles

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Blind as a Bat. With due apologies to Meat Loaf Scientists say that bats are blind. Scientists also state that bats have excellent navigational skills because of their sonar capabilities. The same men and women also inform us that bats have robust immune systems. I am inferior to a bat in many ways, and it pains me to make this confession. We humans implicitly claim to be gods and to rule the plan...

In this episode, which I hope, gives some food for thought, I talk about classification, and why people love to classify everything and put them in boxes. But life is fluid and sometimes it is impossible to place people and things into rigid boxes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Adolescent memories of Allahabad and the discussions we had. Humans are strange. I consider myself stranger than most people. You may have the impression that I intend to launch into a dissertation on why people are strange and why I am crazy, but I won’t. When I was twelve, the Army transferred my father to a small village called Chheoki. He was in charge of the Ordnance Depot and Factory and was...

In this episode, I start by introducing a Dutch word I discovered a few months back - Niksen. It means, doing nothing. We have become so overwhelmed by busyness, we forget to switch off and do nothing. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Albert Camus, Seriousness & Fun Unleash Your Creativity: Break Free from Photography Norms! I have been discussing Albert Camus and his speech, ‘Create Dangerously.’ The speech is serious and can create the impression that the artists must send a profound message into the universe for us to consider them authentic and worthy of being presented to the public. This injunction can weigh on an artist’...

In this latest episode of 'The Dusty Mic Chronicles' I continue discussing the 'Create Dangerously' speech of Albert Camus and here, I state that you, the artist, must stand for something. Or, you can choose to stand for nothing but easy fame and proximity to power. The choice is yours, and yours alone. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

Every old town in India is ancient Every city, town, village, or place in India with some mythological or religious significance is considered ancient. It does not matter if you can establish a historical connection or not: we will ascribe divine connections to the place if we deem fit. Our ancestors roamed the Earth for a few million years, and many places on Earth are considered ‘ancient’, but w...

In this episode, I dive - superficially - into Albert Camus's speech called 'Create Dangerously.' While the obvious dangers are authoritarian voices, society, and social media apply subtle pressure also. Can you break the mould and find yourself as an artist? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/sub...

We visited Hong Village in Ziro. One of the ways we spent our time in Ziro was visiting the Hong Village, accompanied by a very uninterested guide. Our travel operator had enlisted her services, and I do not believe she had any interest in being our tour guide, probably because we were not going shopping and there was no way she could earn any money from us. Tribes and languages in Arunachal Prade...

I seem to have lost the part where I was to upload the transcript! This episode has a few editing flaws. But, it is a two part episode where I discuss a photo walk at the Qutb Minar. Many people believe that the Mughals built the Qutb Minar but, the Qutb predates the Mughals by over 300 years! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epi...

We must slow down, breathe, look around, and lower our blood pressure. Think! We allow busyness to overtake our lives, forgetting to relax! Berathe. In this episode I talk about time, and the importance of slowing down, letting go of busyness and your phone if you want to get things done properly. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

This podcast episode is a wandering reflection on Ziro and the Music Festival. I reflect on the beautiful blue skies, the music and the need to do research! I did not do enough research, and forgot that the sun sets earlier than it does in Delhi! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

In this podcast episode, recorded from Khan Market, New Delhi, I reflect on the propensity of people to go to exotic street locations to photograph 'the other.' This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

A few examples to kick off the post Ayodhya 1992 CE I last visited Ayodhya in 1992, one week before the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and two weeks after crazed Hindutva mobs demolished the structure. I could easily identify Muslim homes by the burnt doors, as well as the desolation that hung around their homes like broken ghosts. A few weeks ago, I visited Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and struck...

We finally reached the waterfall! We finally reached the waterfall. In my last post, I mentioned I may visit this or another waterfall when I make my grand driving trip to the five sacred towns . That trip will happen within the next few years, and if anyone wishes to join me, sign up now! Corporate travel is terrible for explorers. Tramping in India is a reader-supported publication. To receive n...

GB Road is one of the craziest roads in Delhi. This road will be the site of a future series of photoshoots and mini project. During the day, it is a road where traders ply their trade - oil, automotive parts. Ordinary people live on the road. So do prostitutes, and they come out to ply their trade at night. Yet, they accept each other. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with...

Thanks for reading Tramping in India! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

Recalling my previous posts about Chunar. I wrote about my wandering in Chunar Fort in my last post, and the entertaining discussions I had with the young lad . He must have failed history exams, but was a brilliant storyteller. If you want a brief but authentic summary of Chunar Fort’s history, read this post . While driving up to the fort, I noticed the village at the foot of the hill and determ...

We depend on machines, and have depended on machines for a long time now. Right from college when we started using basic calculators to today's world where we allow algorithms to run our lives, we are becoming dependent. What will happen to our brains and creativity if we allow machines to take over? Join the conversation! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscrib...

A quote attributed to George Eastman. "Light makes photography. Embrace it. Admire it. Love it. And, above all, know it. Know light for all that you are worth and then you will know the key to photography." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe

In this episode- I missed last week - is based on a quotation attributed to William Faulkner, Now, more than any time in recent memory, is there an urgent need for people to stand up against injustice. Now, more than ever, is there a need for creative people to stand up, take a stand, and create stuff that matters. If not now, when? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...

I am struggling with Sebastiao Selgado's quotation, yet remain convinced there is much truth in what he says. Then, I also reference John Donne's poem, 'For whom the bells toll." Too often, we forget our humanity, and when we refuse to recognize society and our diversity, we become poorer humans. How can you create if you are a diminished human? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss t...

Too often, we allow the labels we assign to people to blind us. We see them as Hindus, Brahmins, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, brown, white, yellow, black, and even orange. It is time to treat people as people, not as labels. The labels blind us. Tramping in India is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber...

This is the third, and final episode based on the talks of Rajneesh. In this brief talk, I expand on Baba Bulleh Shah's sentence - understand yourself, my beloved. If you understand yourself, you may improve your creativity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rajivchopra.in/subscribe