Colours of Rajasthan

Put on my first ever photo exhibition in April this year - Colours of Rajasthan. I've included a sample of the photos below.

India is a country where at every turn the senses are suffused with a profusion of sights, sounds, smells and textures. The colours of everyday Rajasthani life are dazzlingly intense against its desert backdrop. However, like much in India, these colours are not purely decorative, but have a special significance.
As Hindus believe some shades of blue; green and white to be mournful colours, they tend to be worn by widows, while wives and unmarried women wear more cheery pinks, reds and yellows. Hindu married women are the most heavily adorned, wearing for instance chudas (arm bangles) and bichiyas (toe rings).
The colours of the turbans worn by Indian men, originally to protect the head from evil spirits but also to serve as armour in battle, also have a special meaning. The colour signifies caste, religion or occasion. Rajputs (Rajasthan’s warrior caste) traditionally wear saffron, signifying chivalry. Brahmins (priests) wear pink, Dalits (formerly known as Untouchables and officially known as Scheduled Castes) brown and nomads black. Jubilantly multicoloured ones are for festivals. White, grey, black or blue turbans are worn by Hindus to signify sadness, but these colours are also worn by Muslims.

 

 

 

 

Natassa and Fabrice's Wedding

This is my first attempt at creating my own blog and posting my photos. At last I seem to have found a good way of putting my many hundreds of thousands of photos on the web to share with everybody.

So keep your eye on this blog as I definitely plan to regularly update it!

These photos were all taken at Natassa and Fabrice's wedding at Adam's Beach Hotel, Ayia Napa, Cyprus on Saturday, 15 July 2006. The invitation promised us a wonderful wedding where their dreams would come true and I hope that these photos reflect at least in part the happiness and romance of the occasion - "il etait une fois... Si vous croyez encore aux contes de fee, venez nous joindre la ou le ciel, par une douce etreinte, enveloppe la mer de ses milles caresses bleues, afin de partager avec nous l'instant ou notre reve va se realiser."