tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:58:58 +0000http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/blog.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)Blogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-2411410676450041508Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:28:00 +00002010-02-03T15:58:44.183+05:30committeeMiraclesMinisterCommonwealth committeeCommonwealth gamesShelia Dikshit<!--StartFragment--> I don't know who said Out of Chaos comes order, but I reckon that the minister in charge of the Commonwealth Games, Shelia Dikshit adds them to her prayers every night.Serious concerns raised by the committee regarding India's ability to bring the whole shebang together by October 2010 were greeted with personal attacks and an order to GET OUT of India. I am not a sports http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/02/praying-for-commonwealth-sized-miracle.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-4422115794535461081Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:07:00 +00002010-02-03T16:28:58.083+05:30Delhieve teasingsolo women travelIndia and women travelsafety for womenrapists I always know when it is time for me to take a break from India. Its usually when I get to Delhi and have to negotiate the eve teasers who are as ubiquitous as the potholed streets. I walk with one arm across my breasts and one arm ready to launch a surprise attack on the "Street Brushes"Street brushes are men who start swerving towards you in the crowds. In a seemingly innocent attack they http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/02/goodbye-delhi-and-thanks-for-skid-marks.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-4645989523038925718Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:31:00 +00002010-01-27T08:15:57.676+05:30IndiahavelliMarwari tradersKolkataSpice RouterailRajasthanBritishShekhawati Take a small detour from the famous Spice Route of old into a relatively undiscovered part of rural Rajasthan and one of the world's only open-air art galleries. Painted houses fade like painted ladies of old. Their stately presence, battered shutters and pigeon filled lofts disguise an ancient beauty now fading into red tinged sunsets. It their heyday, the famous painted houses of the http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/01/painted-ladies-in-painted-houses.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-4812616947119908262Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:28:00 +00002010-01-24T12:04:14.571+05:30cooking Indian foodrefugetiger population IndiapantherHungy tideRajasthanTigersKingdomsvillageswild thingsKolkataDelhi AirportSunderbanswildernessAmitav GhoshThe local paper Patrika is always a better source of morning information than the staid old Times of India. Patrika is published only in Hindi so I get to look at the pictures and make up my own story about what is going on in true journalistic style. In this way I cut out the middle man and go straight to my own imagination. Yesterday there was an interesting little montage of pictures in black http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/01/where-wild-things-are.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-1174470724987619670Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:36:00 +00002010-01-21T11:10:07.495+05:30shipwrecksDancing nakedScreening arrivalsIndira Ghandi Airportscreening passengerswomen and travelship of foolsloonie seasonfreaks IndiaDelhi Airport I first heard the trigger word "dancing naked' at around ten am in the morning. The two words floated above the usual cacophony of the crazy internet cafe. They were bait for a line to a story, smoke from a fire that floated away as I typed. Later I visit the office of Mr Information, he is my most reliable source for stories. But he wasn't there so i asked the boy and an Italian woman sitting http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/01/dancing-naked.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-3188463825782006193Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:37:00 +00002010-01-17T15:07:36.865+05:30 Speakers  on rooftops, music blares into the kite speckled sky, streets are alive with Kite Runners urchins weaving and darting through narrow alleys eyes trained skyward women inside are singing and dancing to the gods, food is cooked on huge pots in the streets and handed out to strangers, cleaners and beggars go door to door with drums looking for the kindness of strangers. http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/01/kite-speckled-sky.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-4966734205676966851Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:23:00 +00002010-01-17T14:53:45.387+05:30Indian roadsGreat Western Highwayfuneralslife on the roadHitchhikingNew ZealandThe RoadSydneyAustralia Many years ago in a childhood Sydney, one road marked the boundaries of my childhood world. The Great Western Highway was both the dividing line between my suburban world and school, we were never to cross The Road alone it was considered far too dangerous. The Great Western Highway stretched from the shores of Sydney Harbor across out west to the once impenetrable Blue Mountains. It was a http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/01/musings-on-road.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-571941441209022703Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:17:00 +00002010-01-17T14:47:44.258+05:30Mumbai AttacksIndian students AustraliaAbuJain TemplesracismRajasthanMtAustralia The jain temples at Mt Abu are a peaceful retreat in the busy mountain station high above the state of Rajasthan. The temples were carved in the 11th Century , it is said that the artists were paid by the amount of dust they created. This was to encourage them to carve the most intricately worked kaleidoscope of carvings. The whole feeling is as if the Milky Way fell down from the sky and http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2010/01/excuse-me-why-are-all-australians.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-3290402385738283117Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:29:00 +00002009-12-28T15:14:43.146+05:30Silent movement to curb eve-teasing - Deccan Chroniclehttp://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/silent-movement-to-curb-eve-teasing.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-2298835156719302853Fri, 25 Dec 2009 04:23:00 +00002009-12-25T10:17:30.492+05:30Visa IndiaPushkarVisaFBISpecial ServiceIsraeliIsraelRajasthanMumbai AttacksAmerican PassportSpyPoliceTerrorismC FormPakistanhotelsPakistaniStories rise and fall in the great cosmic oceans of stories that is otherwise known as India. Like the Truth, a story has a way of burgeoning out of its original constraints of time and facts to something quite another. They take own the flavor of each teller along the way, absorbs each small prejudice and takes on the color of their bruises and expectations. In a way a story grows arms like an http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/spy-who-came-for-dinner.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-212361491665523401Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:49:00 +00002009-12-21T13:27:10.529+05:30MusicansOm BabaShivaRajasthanwandering musicians http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/wandering-musician-of-rajasthan.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-3624357647251565343Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:46:00 +00002009-12-20T11:24:01.144+05:30human trafficBikanerauto rickshawwomen and travelRajasthan http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/mincing-through-rush-hour-in-bikaner.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-5293973017173547745Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:24:00 +00002009-12-20T11:12:10.520+05:30writing and writers solo women travelnotebooksIndiadinosaursInternet cafes Indiawomen and travel Indiafacebookwomen and travelTwitterChocolate SuperhighwayMichael FrenteToday I am coming to you live from my own chocolate superhighway. This lovely little mobile Internet connection, no bigger than a lipstick, has liberated me from a case of co dependency lasting many years now.Back in the days of the dinosaur, when travelers kept journals rather than tweeted, phoned home rather than face booked and waited until they had reached their own fair shores before even http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/chocolate-super-highway.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-8537990309276520949Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:40:00 +00002009-12-17T12:23:52.843+05:30JodphurBikanerJaisalmerRajasthanhttp://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/photo-essay-viva-rajasthan.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-6839941920185637182Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:04:00 +00002009-12-17T11:42:18.281+05:30Kiwiscooking Indian foodCricketKundaliniIndia and women travelcricket playersNew Zealand honestyNew Zealandliars and liestourism in IndiaWith Apologies to Daniel VettoriThere are a lot of lies being told out there in India on the tourist circuit. Yes Madam, this is the best price, the meal is coming, the quality? Yes, yes top quality! Look my face Madam! Would I lie to you? You can trust this man, this product, and this information. Lies are told with such emphatic certainty that you can sometimes end up wondering if you are http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/with-apologies-to-daniel-vettori.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-4681436517003272794Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:47:00 +00002009-12-17T11:29:46.061+05:30honeyBraRajasthanGujuratpromises and dustlocal busAjmer Dagarhwater crisis in Rajasthansolo travelwomen and solo traveljourneyspollutionSisterhoodI was reminded of the joys of solo travel recently when I busted a move on some friends I had been exploring rural Rajasthan with.A water crisis in the early morning after a sleepless night necessitated me to move from the crummy noisy guesthouse to a more salubrious location in the noisy polluted town of Bikaner. There I luxuriated in my first hot shower and soft bed for months and slept like a http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/random-acts-of-sisterhood.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-2151359983235077079Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:22:00 +00002009-12-02T11:03:32.528+05:30bridesmurderbaksheeshIndian societygroomsIndian weddingscorruptionwomen in Indiawedding seasondowry murderbride burningIt’s the wedding season here in India. Houses are erupting in celebration, women are cooking and singing and making henna patterns on each other hands and feet, drummers are drumming, grooms are being led on horses through the streets, stages and screens are being erected at wedding venues all over town and even I have been caught in the maelstrom.It is customary in this area for young men to http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/12/groomzilla.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-9216697472125699488Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:50:00 +00002009-12-01T11:49:02.032+05:30cooking Indian fooddesertsadhu babaAjapalIndia and women travelsolo women travelwomen and travelDr. SuessRajasthanAloo BabamonkeysmotorbikesmothersOm BabaThree o clock in the afternoon is not the time to start a mission to Ajapal I tell the boys, I am not FEELING it.but i go and hire a bike and get Ommie on the back and off we roar to visit Aloo Baba and cook kai at his shady refuge in the desert.Aloo Baba only eats spuds which makes him almost Maori or Irish but anyway he lives simply and quietly out in a beautiful valley in the desert where rainhttp://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/11/are-you-my-mother.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-673212625014779853Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:41:00 +00002009-11-24T12:25:08.116+05:30PaparaziCongressphotographyBJPSachin PilotIndia politicshttp://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/11/playing-paparazi-in-pushkar.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-6089988255736160077Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:39:00 +00002009-11-24T12:37:56.967+05:30photographyfansSachin Pilotfarmersbraceletselections IndiaCongressIndiaBJPIndia politicsmarginalised Indiapoverty IndiapoorrallyI think it’s fairly safe to say that in India there is never a dull moment. Life seems to roll from one festival to another, one celebration will follow another and a local event will keep us amused in between celebrating and festival-ising. This week the entertainment has been the local elections. There are banners and flags, drummers and bands, visiting dignitaries and huddles of shouting men http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/11/playing-paparazi.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-349992621450763470Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:20:00 +00002009-11-15T12:29:49.001+05:30widowMonty Pythonsariwomen travel IndiaIIndiaBasil FawltyamuletChaiI was sitting at Gopal's chai shop on the edge of town the other day, waiting for the mechanic to return with the motorbike. Time passed her hands over the afternoon where I had planned to be ripping along desert roads with the wind in my hair and my neon pink scarf trailing and billowing poetically in my wake. Instead I was stuck in a dusty noisy chai shop with men perving at me and beginning tohttp://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/11/things-you-only-see-in-india.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-8886338724043923087Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:03:00 +00002009-11-02T11:43:04.615+05:30cooking Indian foodsolo women travelstreet stalls Indiasnackswallahindian womenlocalsPushkar FairGopalstreet foodcachoricurrycartwomen travel solofoodIf you talk of Indian food to most people in the West they will inevitably mention Butter Chicken. In fact most Indians are vegetarian and there is a whole lot more on the menu than the ubiquitous gravy laden piece of chicken.Guidebooks will warn you away from street stalls, but I will urge you onwards. Look for crowds of locals around a food stall and jump right in I say!Most street food is pre http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/11/festival-food-part-one-hot-cachori.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-6064073613965647302Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:52:00 +00002009-11-01T11:40:39.892+05:30cooking Indian foodcasteHoly mendancersHijraTransexualindian womenHinduPushkar MelaGorgeous hot Hijra in the Pushkar Market. Hijra are neither man nor woman but a particular caste of dancer. They are wild and free and out there and I love to chase them through the market place as they go into shops and clap and flirt and threaten to be bawdy until the shopkeepers give them money to go away.I had a dance with the one in the blue, she let me feel her breasts (coconuts) and then http://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/10/hot-hijra.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-6614094516432372572Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:45:00 +00002009-11-01T11:29:52.322+05:30full moonVarrah ghatpujaKartikka PoonamPushkarghatsAartiPushkar LakelightKartik Poonamcandlesbrahminhttp://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/10/kartik-poonam-pushkar.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6361674718197208177.post-2964416965140443362Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:34:00 +00002009-10-29T11:30:54.134+05:30sadhufull moonsadhu babaHoly menKartikka PoonamPushkarNagaghatsPushkar Camel FairPushkar MelaFestivalshttp://www.diannesharmawinter.com/2009/10/baba-licious-kartikka-poonam-festival.htmld.sharma.winter@gmail.com (Dianne Sharma-Winter)0