Cricket with Hanuman, a photo from Rajasthan, West

Photographer's Note

It has been three years since I was in Jaisalmer, the city sitting on the edge of the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, and I have to admit that memories of some details have faded somewhat. If I remember well, this picture depicts a part of the Lakshmi Nath Temple which has the deities of the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi and her husband, Lord Vishnu. Built in 1494, the temple is one of the oldest in Jaisalmer and was built during the reign of Rao Lunkaran. The temple has a Spartan look & is not really as decorated & ornate sculpted as the Jain temples nearby

In front of the temple, in a small opening a game of cricket was being played. The boy on the right is a ‘bowler’ as he hurls a ball towards the batsman (you can see him in this picture), who has to protect the stumps (made of stone in this case) behind him, from being hit by the ball. I liked the ‘interaction’ between the bowler & the painted picture of the famous Hindu God Hanuman, the monkey King on the temple wall.

The game of cricket , though is not the national sport of India, is miles ahead of the next competitor in terms of popularity and mass appeal. Even though Cricket is played by a handful of countries worldwide, (mostly erstwhile British colonies), driven my the Indian media, but visual & print, this game has whipped frenzy amongst millions in my country. The World Cup of Cricket started yesterday & India, one of the host countries starts as one of the favourites

CLODO, papagolf21, kordinator, bukitgolfb301, Nard, pierrefonds, hispic, Wanda1, josepmarin, Longroute, vasilpro, danos, Elaine_Blath, ciakgiak, jhm, InasiaJones, jafadabret, paromitadey heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

CLODO (45116) 2011-02-20 1:15

Hi Angshuman

Good decisive moment to catch the young man seeming to play with he painting. the woamn entering the door looks as a refereee, and her dress contrasts with teh warm colors of your shot.
Well done, my friend!
CLODO

papagolf21 (152607) 2011-02-20 1:22

Bonjour, cher ami Angshu,
Magnifique collection d'images. L'album est un véritable trésor. Cette photo ne fait pas exception, et l'intérêt de découvrir est toujours aussi vif.
Un grand merci pour ce partage.
Amitiés.
Philippe

prasun984 (5590) 2011-02-20 1:25 [Comment]

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kordinator (8738) 2011-02-20 1:33

Hello Angshuman
This is a wonderful composition with warm lighting, subtle colors and great pattern.
Lovely architecture of the temple.
Kriket in India,interesting story.
Almost all sports, I watched a cricket match, but I have not had a chance to meet.
Great job.
You writen very well informative note.
Have a nice Sunday
Respect my friend
Saša

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2011-02-20 2:46

Hi my dear Prof. Angshuman

So significant portrait/snap shot!
Very well considered framework and combination are admirable indeed. Clear presentation is so marvelous as usual. Thanks for sharing with your finest posting, have a good Sunday and best regards,

Takero from Tokyo

papera (14372) 2011-02-20 2:54

hello Angshu,
this is one of the most interesting photos of an Indian temple I have seen lately, because it shows not only its holy side but also the way a a sacred place interacts with its surroundings. here we see the boy playing cricket outside the temple walls, and this image reminds me of when I was a kid and boys were playing football outside the church where I used to go... and probably they still do :)
have a good Sunday,
c.

holmertz (102104) 2011-02-20 3:15

Hello Angshuman,
Certainly one of my strongest memories of India, when I get old and look back on my visits to your country, will be the boys playing cricket just about anywhere. There seems to be no place that can not be transformed into a cricket-ground, but this seems to be among the more unusual ones. It certainly gave you a fine opportunity to balance the bowler against the monkey god, then you just had to wait for the right moment to find a person in between. Very well seen and a fine pictiure with lots of interesting details.
Kind regards,
Gert

Nard (6972) 2011-02-20 4:28

Hi Angshuman

Nice and amazing picture which seems splited in 2 parts. I like the contrats between the white wall with the painting and the natural right part. The running man adds a dynamic touch. Well done
regards
bernard

pierrefonds (113716) 2011-02-20 5:03

Hi Angshuman,

The wall is framing well the temple. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the wall and of a section of the temple. The early afternoon light has a good effect on the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

mesutilgim (0) 2011-02-20 5:26

Hi Anshuman,
Wonderfull capture, with good pov and many interestimg nice details.
Perfect notes makes it a perfect TE entry. The graffiti on the wall at left seemes to be Central American (Aztec etc) rather than an Indian. But the world is small. Who knows, who has impressed whom !
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

lakshmip1949 (19081) 2011-02-20 5:44

Hi Anghshu,

Good shot with nice colors. The title is perfect. The boy is getting ready to bowl and Hanuman is ready to take the ball without the bat. Very funny.

Lakshmi

wolf38 (30) 2011-02-20 9:47

Hello Angshuman. A beautiful photo. Fine composition, natural colors. In addition, a very instructive text. Well done. Rgds, Wolfgang.

hispic (9658) 2011-02-20 19:39

Namaste dear Angshuman,
Fine and lively photo! Very attractive facade with two people in action has been expertly captured at an excellent timing. Interesting red mural has a strong visual punch indeed. Marvelous work.
Have a nice day, Hisashi

Graal (103040) 2011-02-20 23:58

Hi Angshuman,
amazing graffiti image and caught scene when the boy play cricket. Good note and well done photo.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

Wanda1 (15142) 2011-02-21 0:42

Hi Angshuman,
You have some fine elements in your shot; I like the kid in motion as he throws the ball and his red shirt tying in with the painting. I love the painting in its self and I myself enjoy to photograph them as they are irrisitable. Then you have that great division between the painted wall and the natural stone of the temple which in turn has some super details upon it. Of course the lady entering the temple is great too as it draws our eye there and makes us wish that we could see what beauty lies behind the wall.
Regards
Wanda

josepmarin (59385) 2011-02-21 4:44

Namaste, my friend Angshuman,
a scene of the daily life, full of action, with the boy throwing the ball in the game of cricket, while the woman enters the temple.
I like the spontaneity that you have caught in the capture, and the graphism that adds the painting of the God Hanuman in the front.
Excellent management of the strong light, and warm and agreeable colors, in a beautifully executed composition.
Best regards,
Josep

pajaran (115071) 2011-02-21 8:22

Pozdrav.
Dobar tekst i lep pogled na mural i stari grad ...
Dobar trenutak snimka i tekst kojim ste nas upoznali sa uspesima u kriketu i takmicenju koje je dobila kao domacin Indija.
Dobar snimka i kompozicija, lepa fotografija.
Sve najbolje sa uspehom u kriketu.
Paja.

Google.

Hello.
A good text and great view of the mural and the old town ...
A good time recording and text that you have instructed us to success in cricket and competition that has received a host of India.
Good shot and composition, beautiful photos.
All the best with the success in cricket.
Paja.

Longroute (19600) 2011-02-21 10:35

Surely you have plenty of outstanding monuments in India which deserve to be photographed! Even if this one has not the refined carvings or architecture details of the others you have photographed, to me it has a great appeal. The colours, the shape, the special light, everything point towards the direction "India"! Very picturesque and so rich in interesting details. And yes I like the boy plying cricket with Hanuman!
An excellent composition,
Donato

vasilpro (41801) 2011-02-21 13:26

Hello Angshu,
Wonderful daily life composition, interesting graffiti, beautiful game street scene, lovely light and colors, excellent POV.
Have a nice evening, Vasilis.

Fis2 (169903) 2011-02-21 13:26

Witaj Angshu!
Your photo is interesting.
Curious place.
Good frame, colors and sharpness.
Well done.
Regards
Krzysztof

yquem46 (38752) 2011-02-21 13:30

namaste Angshu
Hard to win at cricket against Hanuman !
You've summarized India (LOL, far from it actually) in a single shot with the national sport, a sari, a temple and one of the main gods
great
have a nice evening
Patrick

danos (110407) 2011-02-22 0:28

Hello Angshu,
nice the snapshot with the boy to return in the game, as carry the ball back to the game.Informative the WS with the other on the pavement to play and the design on the wall to dominates the scene.

Regards,Danos

Elaine_Blath (8471) 2011-02-22 4:12

Hello Angshu,

ha ha, nice capture! well framed and composed!

Good work, Ivana

nilotpal_patra (1688) 2011-02-22 4:31

Namaskar Angshuman Chatterjee,
It is realy, realy a good Picture. Nice Frame. Nice colour, contrast and sharpness. Nice POV. TFS.
Regards.
Nilotpal Patra.

ciakgiak (30) 2011-02-22 14:15

Dear Angshuman,
what a perfect moment you captured, three subjects in different places that balance the image very well. The boys on the right, playing cricket, gives a great dynamism to your photo, the colors are obviously superb, the quality is perfect.
Congratulations and TFS.
Best regards
Giorgio

jhm (211734) 2011-02-23 0:27

Hello Angshu,

This is really fantastic front of these temple, the specially drawing or painting make these picture very attractive.
High quality picture, sharpness and clarity be superb.
You chose a very well angle, this care for perspective.
Lovely natural colors, good composition and nice presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

InasiaJones (31566) 2011-02-23 0:56

Mister Banker,

I feel just like you concerning my first visit in India and memories of details beginning to fade... The second trip is definitely more vivid, certainly due to positive impressions that took over emotional shock from my first contact with India.

The only remedy for fading memory is to go back there as soon as possible... India have become a favorite place for all my senses and my camera... And looking at your photo brings back this overflow of "wanting to be there right now", with these irresistible paintings and zillion of temples.

You've captured this one nicely, waiting for the proper "photogenic" subject to come into the scene.

I feel the your choice of framing is ambivalent, whether too tight, trying to fit the roof and street properly, or not tight enough, as you could have opted to focus closer on the door details and the painting next to it, including the woman of course.

But one thing is sure, I appreciate your elevated point of view, as whatever is photographed under or above eye level rise the interest of an image, taking it out of the ordinary vision of the spectator.

Namaste mon ami,

André

Bluejeans (64251) 2011-02-23 4:49

Ola Angshuman ,
Muito interessatente esta pintura nesta parede , bom momento com a mulher a entrar dentro do templo , boa luz e cores, bons detalhes, parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2011-02-23 10:33

Wow, what a capture, dada. Nice realisation and fine presentation of the scene. Nice composition with the graphiti and the junior player, but the point which haunted me most, the lady on the door. She is not even bothering the action to her next, may be the cricketer also. Nice capture mixing the humour and daily life. Hope the hindu idol help our team to win this world cup. Anyway, I enjoyed this picture (and the workshop also) very much. Tfs.
Best wishes.
Subhendu

jafadabret (56501) 2011-02-23 23:51

Bonjour Angshu,
La photo est très belle avec cette interaction supposée entre le jeune-homme et le dieu peint sur la façade. J'aime la lumière et le beau graphisme.
Amicalement
Jacques

batalay (41261) 2011-02-24 20:31

Hello Mr. B,

As I look at this image, I am convinced one more time how similar some of the artwork of the Indus Valley is to wall paintings in the Maya civilizations in Central America. In Chicen Itza for example there are carvings on the building known as the "church" (so the Spanish Conquistadors named it), there are even projections on the corners evocative of elephant trunks. There had to have been some exploratory trips by inhabitants of the Indus Valley to the Americas between 2000 and 1000 years ago.

Wonderful note as usual. Have a good weekend.

Bulent

emka (157292) 2011-03-03 23:58

Hi Angshuman,

Nice view from the wonderful Jaisalmer. Very interesting scene, with the impressive graffiti of Hanuman and beautiful arrchitecture of the temple.It brings me nice memories ..

Warm regards

Malgorzata

paromitadey (623) 2011-03-30 3:42 [Comment]

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BennyV (34746) 2011-03-30 4:14

Hello dear Angshu,

A stand-out shot among your recent uploads for me. Looking at the big match today, maybe this ought to have been posted today? Funny opposition of religion and cricket, or maybe that's not really an opposition, is it?

Cheers.

Benny