India : Unlikely Yours

Tired of the same old Tourist twists on what India looks
like in the Entertainment Sections,


Fashion magazines


and in Travel Guides,


I recently decided to search for more realistic and meaningful
photographic captures that pay homage to the seamier side of
life there. The life that I saw as a boy growing up in India, long
before I immigrated to America.

Fortunately, I had a head start when I saw that three of
my Flickr contacts had already paved the way for my quest.
None of them can be pigeonholed, easily related to or
explained. Each one approaches their work from a Mission
standpoint. Each brings the full force of their lens to every
picture, which is a near-unachievable feat in my experience,
an experience not that of a Photographer but that of an adult,
one who has grown to understand and more deeply appreciate
true artistic talent. The kind that speaks directly to the soul of
Man, as I learned from my artist Father.


Firoze Shakir of Bandra, Mumbai has the approach of a
poetic soul and he rips it open, while hoping you won't rip
off his precious, personal mind-boggling collection. I intend
to tell you more about his tremendous achievements at a later
time - if that is ever possible - because I have yet to digest
the brunt of his prolific blogging, photography and outpourings
on Flickr, WordPress, Scribd, Friendfeed, Twitter, etc.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/firozeshakir/collections/


Psychiatrist Dr. Glenn Losack of Manhattan, New York
is a world traveler, Musician, and a National Geographic-
calibre Photographer among other things. A true humanitarian
and a Renaissance man, he was introduced to me online by
Firoze Shakir....they are like two sides of the same coin,
having shot Mumbai street scenes in tandem.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glosackmd/

Another great recent connection made thanks to untiring
Mr. Shakir, is Author Linda Schaefer

who teaches at ECU in Ada, Ok. This lady who has served
as an NYPD photographer and worked with CNN among
other things, considers one of her finest moments to be the
work she did at the Missionaries of Charity, an Organization
started by Mother Teresa of Kolkata. That icon blessed
Linda with her personal permission to shoot what turned out to
be the final photo documents of an exemplary existence.
A Single Mother, Linda tours the country frequently, sharing her
life experiences via speeches and photo exhibitions.
Linda is my idea of a true Renaissance lady.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/schaeferphotos/

And finally, to round up my list of great unknowns, may I
present the simply amazing talents of Roland Lubiger of
Dresden, Germany. His son Bertie was an International
Exchange Student living at my sister's place in Pearland,
Texas where I had the opportunity to learn of Roland's Travel
and Photography exploits. While Mr. Lubiger does not
display images in the same vein as the Trinity above, his work
is nonetheless in their league when it comes to quality and
content borne of sheer gusto. From climbing the highest peaks
in the Himalayas to up-close shots of the Komodo Dragons
in Indonesia, from dancing natives in West Papua to the
ruins of mountainous Machu Picchhu, Roland is fittingly
represented by fotocommunity.com

which feels like a broader-based European alternative to
the USA's National Geographic Magazine.

Find more photos like Roland's on Flores eco tourism

Click on all the links. Leave comments, for it is only
with your honest input that these artists receive appreciation,
inspiration and recognition.