The Dusty Mic Chronicles

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

I have based this talk on Osho's hour-long talk on creativity. While I recall little of the original talk, a few fascinating snippets have stayed buried in my brain, waiting for me to dredge them up from my memory bank. If you take nothing away, at least think of the approach the Japanese carpenter adopted. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acces...

In this short podcast, I talk about an hour-long lecture I listened to many years back. This was a lecture by Bhagwan Rajneesh, before he called himself Osho. He opined that 'saints' get so bored chanting mantras that sometimes, enlightenment breaks through. How can we respond to boredom? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes...

In this podcast episode I talk about Jean Renoir, and how all technical refinements discourage him. How many of you have heard of 'Wabi-Sabi,' the Japanese concept that seeks beauty in slight imperfection, decay, even death? 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

We are cutting down trees, poisoning rivers, and the soil. We wish to mine and treat the earth as a resource. Apart from the changing nature of photography, we must ask if we are digging our own graves. 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 I ask you to question yourself, and ask yourself how you define the word, 'gross.' 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

Hello everyone! My name is Rajiv Chopra and I definitely hope that my microphone is recording. It is recording. I haven't done a podcast on Substack for a very long time. I would say it's been over a year since I've done a podcast here, and I intend to stick to my plan to make this as extempore as possible without reading through a speech, because I just can't do that. That also means I'm going to...

No words. 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

Songs of the New Day. "Sunrise, and the new day's breaking through The morning of another day without you." These are the opening lyrics of a song by Uriah Heep. While the song is excellent, I consider the opening lyrics depressing, with a person whining about their lost love. I much prefer "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens, a song that celebrates the dawning of a new day. A new day breaks at da...

Vrindavan is a strange town. Like most towns, Vrindavan is strange and has its own contradictions. Yet, because of the Yamuna River, its deep links with mythology, its temples, and stories of the enduring romance between Radha and Krishna, it has a unique character. I did not explore Vrindavan during my days as an upright, uppity, respectable corporate citizen because the business potential was in...

Our Brief Trip to Govardhan & Gokul Our trip to Gokul and Govardhan was brief. You might say we made a lightning trip to the villages. Some refer to the two places as towns, but they are not much more than glorified villages. As in most places in Braj Bhoomi, the legends, stories, and myths of Radha and Krishna saturate the towns, so I wondered if the villages only perpetuate the old stories. Pilg...

The Three Musketeers travel to a riverside One day, the three of us traveled to a riverside. Memory can play tricks on us. I remember the discussion about the place, its proximity to the state border, the craggy rocks, fierce water, and its isolation. Yet, I don’t remember the name of the place, my mind being wiped clean, the disc space formatted, and data lost forever. I remember taking a bus to...

A new adventure one year after Nandi Hills. On the anniversary of our small adventure at the Nandi Hills , the five of us embarked on one more adventure. Our classmates, impressed by our maiden venture to the Nandi Hills, decided they wished to accompany us on weekend journeys. These trips included women, and gained a corporate flavor, with vehicle and hotel reservations made in advance. The organ...