Radioactive Waste Dumped by Delhi University

A scrap metal worker died when he tried to dismantle an irradiation machine sold by Delhi University at an auction. Several others that were exposed have been hospitalized. Cobalt-60 had leaked from the machine, and on investigation it was found that several scrap shops in the area had similar leaking machines. Apparently, they are still trying to contain the incident because only a few of the 48 Cobalt-60 pencils have been found. When respected institutions like Delhi University cannot handle radioactive materials responsibly (or at least without killing people) one can only wonder how the Government is handling such waste materials across the nuclear plants we already have.

Clearly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. A university chemist, Professor Ramesh Chandra says that 20 kg's of radioactive waste was buried on the campus itself 20 yrs back,

"...More than 20kg...was buried in front of the physics department during 1986-87." [BBC]

I can only pray that the authorities are going to come down hard on these criminals, quickly and effectively. Though that is probably just wishful thinking. Already the media has stopped reporting the incident, on to its next, more spicy topic of interest.

Woman on the Street

Stray Factory

Check out the logo I've designed for Stray Factory. They're an entertainment collective, who're into a lot of awesome projects, a majority of which are contemporary theater experiments in Chennai.

Want to see more? Check out this poster for a play called Dystopia

Update: Stray Factory and Indiblogger are hosting The Great Indian Blogologues to take blogs onto the theater stage for the first time ever. Any post of yours, be it a rant or a rave will be converted into a performance if you win! > Stray Factory is also in the press here.

Paint on Everything

Over time, a place literally soaks up its messy artistic functions, and collects layers and layers of paint, grime, acrylic and permanent ink. Let me introduce you to these kind of places:

Paint on the sink:

And paint on the tables, chairs, walls and staircases:

Signage from China

It's been a while since my China trip, but I felt these pictures were worthy of a post:

Found in a cave, this either means 'caution slippery' or 'tilting ground beware' :P

If it's on fire, please not to use elevator:

Mind your head (Clear Version):

Mind your Head (weird version):

Electronic Junk

Discarded adapters, fans, speakers, telephones, calculators and a toy robot: all lying on the same sheet of tarpaulin. This random stuff is sold at Sunday Market near Nehru Street. If you really look you can find some awesome stuff here.

I can spot a microwave, DVD player, mixer, boombox, and lots more:

The View from Ajanta

Ajanta is a hotel and restaurant on Beach Road. It's one of the few places which serve alcohol and have a sea view in Pondy. Heres the view from the tables in the balcony. The view from the terrace restaurant is pretty good too.

Here's a shot taken at night:

Garage Cafe

Tiny cafe spotted near beach road. Never seen anyone sitting inside though. The high ceiling is typical of the colonial-era houses in this part of town.

Menu Detail:

Midnight Procession

The photographs don't really do justice to this noisy and colourful procession that occurred past midnight in the heart of Chennai city. The generator that runs everything is also mobile, a diesel guzzling monster hiding in the back.

Krishna

A found object at a rented apartment depicts Krishna as a child. Stories about his notorious exploits to steal butter are common. But this image struck me as an uncommon portrayal.

Pondicherry Museum's Backyard

The museum is interesting if you enjoy looking at colonial era furniture and pieces of rock from thousand years ago. But compared to museum's I've visited in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune it's nothing special. I managed to sneak out my camera and take photos of the tiny museum's backyard. It was filled with broken and abandoned statue busts.

Sleepers

Walking the streets in a town or city in India is impossible without noticing all the homeless people that live their lives camped on the pavements. By taking these pictures I'm not portraying their poverty as something beautiful or romantic but as a daily reality we avert our eyes from automatically. This reminds me of a time when I was a student and I asked an old woman if I could take her photograph. Her face was so wrinkled I was fascinated and felt the portrait would be beautiful. She agreed and then said (in Gujarati): "You're taking my picture because I'm poor, aren't you. You're only taking my picture because I'm poor. My feet are so dirty, that's why you want to take my picture." I was so surprised I ran away as fast as I could, I couldn't even muster up the courage to protest.

Mumbai Landscape

This is the Tunga slum in Andheri, and the tall buildings in the background make up the edge of Hiranandani Powai. I felt that the contrast between the two radically different kinds of life in Mumbai was apparent in this picture (its really dark because it was about to rain and I still use my old faithful tiny Sony digital camera).

Rippled Sky

Street Colours

This picture seems to capture the colours of Pondy, with its overflowing Bougainvillea's, construction debris dumped on the side, and small bungalows.

Roadside Antique's

There are a string of antique stores on the East Coast Road (ECR) between Pondy and Chennai. Doors, pillars, cabinets, chairs, sculptures were arranged haphazardly all over the place. Although I can't vouch for their authenticity, you can find really interesting pieces here.

Temple Market

Do Not Dash

A hilarious reminder of the expected decorum around Aashramites in Pondicherry. Go forth...but slowly:

Crowded Sea

Church

Unlike other church's I've seen and visited in Pondy, this tiny one really stands out. It's a visual treat, especially the giant kolam at the entrance which covers the entire street.

Inside: