Higher, pilgrim October 2011
Dawn on Sri Pada is sublime – a view that has attracted pilgrims as much as the sacred footprint of Buddha that is said to grace an area near the summit. On one winter visit, I had the good fortune to experience the classic mountain-shadow dawn. The energy and anticipation started to build in the inky, fluorescent-punctuated darkness. Pilgrims positioned themselves for optimal views, looking eastward. At first, the sky started to lighten up in the east and Venus rose above the Horton Plains horizon. Then Maskeliya Lake, shrouded in mist far below to the north, came to life.
Time stood still for a moment, and it was as if the world was born afresh. Warm sunlight bathed the gilded temple. Dew and mist evaporated from the hillside. The great mountain shadow gradually morphed into the side of the peak. The view and experience were breathtaking. Many of the pilgrims headed back down the Hatton path quickly. Muscles and limbs moved slowly but spirits had been revitalised and renewed. Yellow-browed bulbuls and Great tits fluttered by, competing for crumbs left by pilgrims. I lingered at the summit to breath in the moment, place and experience.
~ Ian Lockwood is a photographer and writer who teaches at the Overseas School of Colombo. For more, see highrangephotography.com
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People versus wildlife 17 May 2013
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Reassessing wildlife conservation policies in India.
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After the flood 7 May 2013
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The new realities of life for villagers in Hunza Valley who lost their homes and lands to a natural lake following a 2010...
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Disappearing foods 25 April 2013
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A collection of recipes that are fading from the Southasian palette.
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Eat, drink, write 23 April 2013
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A food writer dishes on the ins and outs of her profession.
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Brideprice 22 April 2013
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A new translation of Manik Bandopadhyay's ‘Namuna’ by Madhusree Mukerjee.
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Among the believers 19 April 2013
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An account from Varanasi, where bhang and thandai struggle to survive the onslaught of LSD and Coca-Cola.
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Behind the crystals 18 April 2013
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Capturing the lives of Marakkanam’s salt pan workers
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In search of food sovereignty 17 April 2013
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Shifting the debate on the Public Distribution System.
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Farms, Feasts, Famines: web-exclusive package 17 April 2013
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Missing connections 8 April 2013
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Girja Kumar’s book on the Indus and the cultures tied to it obscures a tremendous wealth of interconnected histories and...
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No place for picnics 4 April 2013
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Kashmiri women tell their stories of the conflict.
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'I bowled left-arm chinaman' 28 March 2013
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Shehan Karunatilaka speaks about winning awards, spin bowling, italics in fiction, and much more.
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Romila Thapar addresses invitees at the Southasian relaunch of Himal Southasian, IIC, New Delhi, January 2013. |
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China, Southasia and India
On May 19 2013, newly appointed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang arrived in New Delhi for a series of meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The visit is Keqiang's first outside of China since assuming power in March.
From our archive: Purna Basnet discusses Chinese engagement in Nepal vis-a-vis security issues in Tibet and broader geo-strategic plans in Southasia (April 2011).
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Fatima Chowdury relates the story of Calcutta's Indian Chinese community through the lens of political and economic upheavals in Southasia and China (May 2009).
Simon Long notes the importance of the Sino-Indian relationship for the rest of Southasia (September 2006).
J.N Dixit ruminates on the strategic concerns of the 'Middle Kingdom' in the wake of India's 1998 nuclear tests (June 1998).
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