tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25694218408879886282024-03-13T09:28:46.883+00:00Bharat ChoudharyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-17410162146110520362016-09-21T12:00:00.000+01:002016-09-21T13:56:55.558+01:00The Elemental Conversations Within (I)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-large;">*G</span>o on. You can tell me. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'This perennial restlessness. It is ruining me. It keeps my past alive, it clouds my future and is crushing my present. It lies awake; oscillating between deep nostalgia, agonizing regrets, fierce anxiety and unwarranted depression.. Such a profound sense of rejection, desperation and hopelessness. Nothing calms me down. Nothing. No place gives the warmth of a home, not even home itself. A constant grief whose source or reason is unknown to me. They say that it shall be over soon, it shall pass. But here I am; even after all these years it is still the same. Every day is an ordeal, like some kind of a trial. And I just cannot find a cure for this suffering.' </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*S</span>uffering is a good place to start, because everyone believes that he suffers in one way or the other. The Buddha taught that all are in suffering, because that is where everyone thinks he is. His own quest began by seeing suffering in his own city. He saw a sick man, an old man, a dead body and became aware of the suffering that his family was trying so hard to protect him from. He formulated a teaching that started from the statement that all are in suffering, and then he taught a way by which that suffering could be ended. When you believe in a myth, you have to start with that myth and then move away from it. This dream world you live in is a myth, a fantasy. Since you take it to be true, I will accept your complaint that you are suffering in it and I will give you advice on how to end your suffering and become free. But while I am telling you all this, never for a moment do I actually accept that you are really suffering, nor will I ever accept that the world you claim you are living in is in any way real. For you this myth is true. Samsara, creation, all gods: they are all real for you because you have not seen through the myth you have imposed on yourself. And we spoke about it, didn’t we? About the pointlessness of the <i>‘I’ </i>in our thoughts and actions. We will return to it later. But for now, talk. Let it flow. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGA3hXZvE93STHWZp3qgTY0L4oBziuOuiNrKMZEXYcKfB68_4bIgdApqZDiuKn3PHXObhyphenhyphen3TrbeNeMDzYEjuoYzN1D8ksjTbzELLAfVRbG48B7GPF1snnEiM3LtnSR_M0Oxup-8HrgRy0/s1600/B00001.png" /><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'Her dreams of future were pure and simple. The dreams of youth. She was young and simply wanted to learn, travel, see the world and be happy. Today she says 'This gruelling pursuit of happiness leaves you with nothing to be happy about.''</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTW0124UoR6fvbsKf2P0PtqzDgEs3csSuj5DxS3EfHay8AO_x6qCrSszkQ8PAoQl7fiVek1SVZzRvmzwZzlxivE7_sHHlF-4swkBpTGuuVwi2XV55JMsAXCV5sfzM6p79vQxqVpWTt3cs/s1600/B002.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2loqhEBZAq3OXW5LOkzsOyktK5denv7mP10h02-hx9D6DSkERkZTbCaODSxnx2z4yE78QwZ1-qGzmLCTta0A-WzGiGBlj_DsOv-YTecOlHIoguwB5JZHHzgMpme_A2W3_xsHjteVr908/s1600/B003.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'There were some problems between them. We discussed about it a number of times but for various reasons, I just couldn’t help them. When I was leaving, they came to drop me off at the airport. She was shaking as if having a panic attack. She said, “I am scared, too scared to even imagine what might happen”. I hugged her and urged her to be strong. I remember saying, “Don’t worry, this storm should be over soon. When we meet again, you might not even remember any of the problems that you are facing right now”. But we couldn’t meet again. Three months later she took her own life.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NdB8enlsTjvCWvDxznxK5sRv09P_cX-Nt31nuLgu-qng5uR6scPfHskW2dlf_IUDaBDEOCVx3FHWDAga0AYvWBYhOT4GurTawba-9kj5QEw0wybd3ae4OAa9aoNwXcAlitM7uKfWWyI/s1600/B011.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'How comforting it must be to have a good night’s sleep. But I feel like I haven’t slept at all in the past decade or so. As if I lost my sleep; kept it somewhere and now I can’t find it. The moon rises, there is silence all around, yet I just can’t shut off the noise inside my head. I just keep looking at the cold sky, the twinkling stars, the gliding airplanes, the translucent moon..'</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47geTf4XY_q4oxvVvgXo0oVHgzDOWLyy6N4lgyYZ6R4QppjTVODEfxMc4VeXKggLDjwlBsE7TuOTEWhEjmfZloQzpzk-UKPkcFtDinE43Z4DEnYDxQ8LzCMpPus3S97svYZuFdnN3Vvk/s1600/N.png" /></div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'They complain that I talk to myself during the night and it disturbs their sleep. So sometimes I just go out in the garden to breathe. But the funny thing is that as soon as I am out there, I feel sleepy. And when I return to my bed, the drowsiness just disappears. Then I feel like going out again. In the morning they say they couldn’t sleep well because I kept moving in and out of the house.' </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'But there is nothing more beautiful than to witness the Sun rising in the morning. Especially an early spring sunrise. The soft cold air and the warm golden light. Sometimes you can see the moon too. Such a wonderful sight it is.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbUxPaCkKyS2fxaYf04tNych01ahe-dTi3xjiu0BdtArhmP1uR31u3qYJIL_gBGxhWmJOCa-knJ8fG0swhuwAk69JvzPve0IyQ8BKKZBxhnpiFfp-MiX3bWZ_kZftHg5UuDuoOsGWJoc/s1600/B004.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'It happens a lot of times; I think the atmosphere plays a very important role in it. Especially some kind of a spiritual environment. You can look at yourself like you can look at some other person. Like you have just walked out of your body and you can watch whatever you are doing or is happening to you. Like you have two bodies, or souls; one which is right there as your regular self and the other one that floats around, observes you and knows what is going to happen next.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAlROFKonDktX3PydcqzU8ZpriLmFlnShj7S-u6uHj0R8jzf2If35wNa01KNwFloryQOw661WZmToZsBiAOdCxkTiAhSrPmEJKeFSpgtP4s7IzZjR1N2w4FJjmvF_h0R_emMbxVcZMH8/s1600/B005.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'Is this also one of the reasons why it is difficult to forget people, places and times spent with them? Is that why these memories are as strong as if it all happened just yesterday? Because you have lived them twice. Once as yourself, and then as someone else who was looking at you, observing and taking notes of your acts, behavior and emotions. You are the examiner and you are the examinee. You are the one who demands to move on and you are the one who pleads to stay.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsPPZXreuIWz8T5nfXUtKFdSeuFBIRdieh82sAH4bFwiGOadnL328yG7th3B-9sT79xyGXl3NcsvypTNhIsllLGtQnDB-yLMeUqInifqwRLW_GoGkLtU4jF1GcvfuzSYW43-righFFFU/s1600/B010new.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'She had the spare keys to my apartment. I would often return home to see her wrapped in my jacket napping on my couch.'</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrrcEgEJagiUVe3Xp2bdApEaeZrlXT7Ie50e8_HYUuih1Y2bFIFk97mpPn2L341FXv18ZbY7UpAjTvJHKMhAeJxLr6ruDjKNlFqwkaDUo5kun3Ny4a88svcP8mnKp5Sct5AKmEvRbQyc/s1600/B009.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'Her kohl-laden emerald eyes always gave away her secrets. She would pretend to be happy but all I saw was a deep quiet search in her eyes. Like soul mates, we could spend all our time together, talking about almost anything and everything. And we also could sit together quietly forever.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNYxDvc-yaQzZQOUSBVyp7L4abZ9X_Pl_o9giaZ_LOJLB2XLKd8WVIUdrBsY8DGcf4oxFOi2ABvFBOKb2hl9-dKzSLP30H0bw9K8HgATxZo77uncCRKeCVvuEbu66I_3M0VGGNoS_-Gs/s1600/B007new.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'Times when you connect intuitively; you immediately feel associated with their lives, experiences and feelings even when you don’t know anything about them. Sometimes it is the look in their eyes and sometimes it is just the way they walk. But you want to talk to them, tell them your stories and forge bonds. And then it becomes a habit. But you forget that there is only so much that you can take.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrr4rR3hIkYr6byuyoAh_IebT9n8M8iuOYKYpGndh4iAEfk0hHn2J_v_FmRIHicneGGOvUZDha3aLFRdOYphL_p130tgj3mexNbMKs-El6Fx-C4Frh6HvcTXZx8I4p7FS3UsWKrKiElk/s1600/B022.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'Alone, empty and abandoned. No one waiting for you as you walk inside. You want to be with someone, hug someone and just lie down for a bit with your eyes closed. But there is no one there. No one calls. You go to bed but you can’t sleep. Somehow you survive a night full of memories and melancholy. The alarm goes off in the morning. But you are already awake.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifr4A5iWTGu9TtMhLXM1BKnWTcvQ4L4vcfL-VEEuTLalPe89zECSmsep78VEdIZeVtEaYrSyEIqXmKL0N7aQbRd3JTxBwN3lLSFHE7si7Ebi9BT0NUAmm2nM6qRux1O-Rj6bbc-5MTuus/s1600/B012.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-1vVtGWpth28xRwJzLvWLMrlm_5P_HS32jOoxvRF6atvSbyGiSFru-t4FqQmCD_CWMIVW2dSOoXBrixPS2Noe0RfjtH0WNWJWNQ8vCfjGhus1WMAqdsChybe2i6FY8oyAouuDGk0BpA/s1600/B006+copy.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu03WU5Hz3cf1wEWU2pDhOW7tQpE36kmk7ArFI5Rj3p7pybQRLTeRHfwAhI7w6PvMYIjoIo0PmxBAqOXDJPqWfh55J8KkHK1XDCW9oGhd8OW4ckvr3GiMXZ36s6RO8ftrLaaXZs13hnyE/s1600/B016.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWaqWmLawnWy2X8bb05OoNefo2u9r1ffSfJ-Im1ldNWoo3PnGTOydInixlDvvLOSd3WWThV_p6dJKevyEPsqsUDphGLVqYqimhshBf40BAYxi6-xj53_a-98Jlt1KDkb6Mon6Ui_ARTk/s1600/B008.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJv-N-f-Pxtpi4_lMIK6yk0nuxgTxGPoBMfe8ROh1B3YTqNAsjkwsL_t1LDJmXoQUSBYdR2Qlmdo803PDap5zEJxbOfxPJtlAWtXLVN82HEAFpL6oxKl3p3gYE60fLwdjjjKwGFlRQ2WI/s1600/B015.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'An </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">artist</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">?</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> No, an </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">escapist</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">; that is what you are! Always running away from your responsibilities; just another individual with an average intelligence, mediocre abilities and a huge ego. So please get a job and help your self out of this self-induced misery and struggle. You can’t be like this forever. So shake off this false pretence and open your eyes to the realities of life. '</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9erS6BcoIl3dzJ353TiNwmXrrgveDKvalNRHaBx6vuCl5PV0whwuj7CgH0WTNSUmeOU2_PMxtcRWu9TT68FEUjGB8ctt83nS1uLf2zMNgADBiK9lHK-zcihOydBN4gcPmyH1su8yk8C8/s1600/B036.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*L</span>ook around; there are millions of people who suffer from hunger, disease, neglect and abuse. You seek to get rid of your pain. But if this desire ignores the sufferings of others, nothing will pull you out of this cesspit of despair. And if you seek to alleviate the sufferings of others, no matter how dark the night might be, there is always going to be a Light that will guide you towards the right path. And that Light will come from within, from somewhere deep inside your own self. As He said, ‘Do not seek the Light, realize that you are the Light’.</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvBrVYadpG28qryImKIVA2sOe2Y2_V8vQvPxcvyNsKa6vv27dZg5QwS8hdZ_G-d-yr15InDEadmGw4l5i26Gjj4PmGKDnk208oQ-ovWeh-A9VEKxqdHz1i6Q5vgpykFUxrXWV7YFBIko/s1600/B018+copy.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGloJbuH8f9O1pURsOs2i2GdgfI8b5lATASdaMTUOg_ivPzordGpX2Dj793lnrSRFVAY9rs6vfSMjekolYnJ2vzkzRYYb4ZUQOZaKkqxsdBE-ChKecbV-ZsxIwfKZEGFL1WCzpxgCe_k/s1600/B019.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUMxtoeobO0n851sNkNRxp4Aoor2iXSxpCCFsHXdE2FqVE2mG1bKStVZiWrSSAwEq1B7QwVLkNs3lJuIpjBO-vkBDdJXCWwt-fh1BVLiydocCsWWTKfucoc5YP7nuxNkQqYEb6a8vu9I/s1600/B030.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'You know that there is nothing there that would make sense to a normal eye. But you keep looking. Looking until something does appear and you start identifying with it in some way or the other. Like the faces we start seeing in clouds or on walls. As if one isn’t satisfied with what is real and, therefore, is in a constant search for an alternate reality, or a parallel universe, where every feeling has a face and every silence has a meaning.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORj3tG7Pj4VSsjZnE0Kd9fyQ4sM81xgXsf2k2cxIPJjWKyKXyu5uUiqV7FH6VpfF-3NumRDqNl2Ef554P0ivzNCrdCopoSh8auR_NjzFurCdeXBLAFidR7r6Y5n5k93iBxcrktjapqbg/s1600/B024.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisYqkpW1ZgMLp2AKYgTVfVCBsldh_TRYqi1TvzJCzjv7SaBD1CsGNFV7DmOq2u4aHBZQc_P_5GNKktCbCkJzysj0t67GA5_C3B35vFTrZLaU1l7KYagOEQil-fPXnYPzKhdg8-V32g0w/s1600/B013.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'It is nothing but simply a matter of perspective. Depends upon where you stand and what you choose to see. You claim that you are being punished for doing what you love. Ask me, I feel like I am being punished by being forced to do what I don’t love.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnRwOBWKwxyzIPKACOhkjXtmL38kspVmPxMfhyphenhyphen3lz7WRdWR6VbfaBSCiWVhSCpJ0nhV_f_07CU8Xw7RgusYM9Am0_KeMUiiA_d3v-CGRobaXtypf9eq1qpsc-bVSm0MlL8ZImCdSDV5c/s1600/B017.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">I was reading about animals a while back and there was this motherfucking scientist in France back in the thirties or forties or whenever the motherfuck it was and he was trying to get apes to draw these pictures, to make art pictures like the kinds of pictures in serious motherfucking paintings that you see in museums and shit. So the scientist keeps showing the apes these paintings and giving them charcoal pencils to draw with and then one day one of the apes finally draws something but it’s not the art pictures that it draws. What it draws is the bars of its own motherfucking cage. </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">Its own motherfucking cage!</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> Man, that's the truth, ain't it? </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3in7ILiCOKFXSkdA3I8qhvhCwcIPnByz8VuoCBBRQNTcYK9njlGBCDYMdZNz16oaeDfCKISMNIQPnXwSfoqPXnr587D2QKPM9mz5HYso776HKX-3OfSDyALcgSNBg4NLhKhe1-cP9bA/s1600/B021.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLUmp5_0CQE8yN8pybJb5hT09hcS3gafszXLkpMdfXqRodLUVATHwasDw6sTsf5JTrL5aCCkk1a4WrknQXeNp4_uuyiZF9AcVe5HO3H-tLDJvhCJGdpWK_xPS9xHhoFtmexGysPxgRCE/s1600/B023.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'The kind of love where you keep kissing each other for no reason. Standing in opposite corners in a room full of noisy friends and loud music, you keep looking at each other and then you walk up to her and whisper something in her ears. And she laughs and says, ‘Silly boy, you are so predictable’.'</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWooW826T3IqAMSIE4vXkDv9FOmrStjgpluP8_4wfx7Gg0hVLHznhNkfgW64mCgg-jnGMw2ieBEtW-W8pbqeULF3Xt_J27NgVxicUfIxteEYo24QvSZBPOusB8xIrpyM8KmGVnFEPlAU/s1600/B026.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'And then I see her pray. I witness immense glory in the quietness of her mind, in the purity of her heart and in the faith of her soul. As if the entire energy that drives this universe is right there in front of me, squeezed into this tiny fragile moment.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxODM-0ArmT5Yg8dlzxgSYinWYE-fG6eIqS1lNzarUbcnixUwSmr7zbLgg37efqpmj0pV18ctg4kjqrGWIlTz2seSnnPZiNPY_85T0q_7Sh5-ppf1ah0wOKTJ8lZ1E7WN0PeYkMoRjLaU/s1600/B032.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcKsrz5eZpZa2NcGuNy85VxlZv2Aok2xjFcXVUUi7KF2R0aTsNw2EwuNvKubc_TUjZJR9fixAEvu0Vy1pH3Wh7m3lrImpepoeFnaiFyob22LgnnxzJV32l_QcbiLiuWq5t_GFuBf2rEQ/s1600/B031.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSGHrwEyAMADNT1XaiXpSHx-3QeVaXvfNqInZceSHTAzQxJHMv28M3TP2duWfWs1DN2r8k8ahle2OofzuTkCK2hTVlZcGHqfajod8KuZbrk4pwQgrGJLrAYBVF1_DDl45Nwa7y0GELoQ/s1600/B033.png" /><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'You do not know how to swim. But you want to know how deep this lake is? You have heard that you cannot hold your breath for more than 87 seconds underwater. Then water floods your lungs, your body oxygen depletes, you start sinking and you can’t fight back. Soon you see a bunch of people staring at your pathetic lifeless body. And then you see your mother. And that broken helpless look in her eyes. She gave you your life. She gave away her everything for you. Why? Only to see you drown and kill yourself? And then she says, “You could have simply come back to me and everything would have been alright”.' </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW4FlaXXdfhqVvniTtL8GLu1591CnjpH0o5yqrLRMHtsoH_QCj2VigK3TwePgBIMj7t2piBhNm96V7KdnS7dZNoOOziBUBzSFEDfZjbXhTov4Ary99fpVHubhqDUl2Fx1Ignn76Y-p3E/s1600/B035.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">One of the first signs of the beginning of understanding is the wish to die. This life appears unbearable, another unattainable. One is no longer ashamed of wanting to die; one asks to be moved from the old cell, which one hates, to a new one, which one will only in time come to hate. In this there is also a residue of belief that during the move the master will chance to come along the corridor, look at the prisoner and say: "This man is not to be locked up again, He is to come with me.” </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">― Franz Kafka, Blue Octavo Notebooks </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtluVXxxawXLYlte90__n-fhdt35cdvdkeRjHlwtlT0nfongUBjjz6MNjCqtPQmNeAeBiEqNI6fyg-Mr_1oRqd4Ws7E1oZ6Oy0cezMF_-2dlHwidEnn39itF9FeE-9Fd3bgnN2UOxK_F0/s1600/B027.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">I would suggest that the prisons I incessantly create are not designed to lock me in, rather they are designed to lock the world out. And the oddity is that either way, I am a prisoner who has sentenced himself to a prison within which I do not belong.” </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> ― Craig D. Lounsbrough </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih0oO5FYYcHxfV6bl_sLa5j4O5UJg6LzZY1lGFs58S4xwHGAT-mGDuaM-7eTR9mNEybElaQIb-x4kvhPQ7ke21yYiDwCUW-F_CjG7NQdsK2RH9XNjRj5HTQbuvIvdB1kA9dvVYXQySLw/s1600/B028.png" style="color: #999999; text-align: center;" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7WtEUp9DVwJr1Ygs0mZQGzmTtY1YgHcaNe6zVIO7uA5gUpOTSeHuFKuteHAtea2aT-LeK0-acg6T7V3fFm7WDnAvBe2ZtfPzhUWZYJdddy5HIXwaTzuQ38fei6sjh1vWm771QzJ1Kvg/s1600/B025.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*W</span>hat you carry within are regrets; alive, fiery and numerous regrets. They have been holding you back and that is why nothing makes you happy or satisfied. So please, stop holding on to these regrets; your regrets about your parents, your career, your love, your life. Make an active effort to forgive and forget. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Let me read this out for you, ‘When you forgive you release critical judgment of yourself as well as others. You lighten up. You do not cling to negative experiences that resulted from decisions that you made while you were learning. That is regret. Regret is the double negativity of clinging to negativity. You lose power when you regret. If one person grieves at his or her experiences while another is able to laugh, who is the lighter? Which is harmless? The heart that dances is the innocent heart. The one that cannot laugh is burdened. It is the dancing heart that is harmless.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlfxnVYQqEue2daE3ipTLt6Dy5aFv78jqbR5NTsccH7Fr1HJXlXA8wzpCkyKaQDC8dcYCl5DHeEDTXTzvwdfRuNaTmmSuwI_7VeJoO0YhOVsEAjrBrTLuT2Rfg1bC7dWMdeeIGfTYXXk/s1600/B029.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'Would that help me to get rid of this pain?'</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*W</span>hat would you say if I told you that the source of this pain lies in your stubbornness to follow your idea of how things have to be like? What if all this while you have been ignoring what the Divine’s will is? What if you realized that all this while you have been trying to contradict the Divine’s plan? </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'I believe that if I want something, and if I deserve it, I will have to work hard for it and that’s what I am trying to do. But how can I know what the Divine’s will or plan is?' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*F</span>irst you have to understand what I mean by following the ‘Divine’s will’. You have to stop imposing your mind and vital will on the Divine. You should instead prepare to receive the Divine’s will and acquire the ability to follow it. You should not say, "This is my right, want, claim, need, requirement and why am I not getting it?" Instead, the better way is to surrender oneself and receive with complete satisfaction and joy whatever the Divine gives. You should not revolt, grieve or reject. This way, whatever you receive will be the right thing for you. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> 'And then how does one know what the Divine’s will is?' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*S</span>he says one does not know it, one feels it. And in order to feel it, one must will with such intensity, such sincerity, that every obstacle disappears. As long as you have a preference, a desire, an attraction, a liking, all these veil the Truth from you. Hence, the first thing to do is to try to master, govern, correct all the movements of your consciousness and eliminate those which cannot be changed until all becomes a perfect and permanent expression of the Truth. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcFeJPHVYNuuV5awEtfmrTN-7MUl_5af4SqgFVAlebgSeshIvAd6poP_g-4izSL7PzBp9V2Ki2x_m-Mu4Aak3kqKqPr-S3WUH2SAdVgGl-CAbEBKa33o7sMVA21lMjTkChOs5d1FUJho/s1600/B037.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*S</span>he further says that when She accepted Him as her guide, he emphasized the need for humility which disclaims the flaunting of one’s gifts or achievements. He said that every artist has got something of the public man in him which makes him crave for the stimulus of an audience, social applause, satisfied vanity, fame, etc. All that must go and his art should be a service not of man or of his own ego but of the Divine. You have to surrender your complete self to the Divine. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K1U8igAWQL_sUcQ3S_CLSU7HrVYOljUHzYC-7N29dc6cCWjBePLhMJM9pJb_EG7G0MjoBvpdQJ1M7I9AxUUB7jHyCozEFcn4zh3m4fipYDDlXNAraGLF61qil7FPDFd7GxGTsoIICJU/s1600/B039.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdByPnhLp50NpV962VXelAfaSpkFWGvHKM3R2oOwXhbNl7JgLxGsc__4sR6lkmsazsvIUlU0avYjgq-Vuyvll-Dsu8jbegQ6_Xe5wahNcJBX9CXvYG4SHo_hWjmF5SWIyWf35Zl4s9io0/s1600/B040.png" style="text-align: center;" /><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'But then what about the philosophy of working towards one’s objective or goal? Does that mean that I should do nothing at all and not pursue whatever that is difficult to achieve or stop trying if it cannot be attained in the first attempt.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">*I</span>f you surrender you have to give up effort but that does not mean that you abandon all willed action. On the contrary, you should hasten the realization by lending your will to the Divine will. That too is surrender in another form. But what is required of you is not passive surrender where you end up being a rigid block. Instead, you have to put your will at the disposal of the Divine Will. You have a will and you can offer that will. If you are surrendering passively, you will sit idle and say let the Divine tell me what to do. But if you have truly surrendered, you will develop an attitude that will help you say, “ I give my will to the Divine. I intensely want to do this. But I do not have the knowledge, let the Divine Will work it out for me.” Your will must continue to act steadily, not in the way of choosing a particular action or demanding a particular object, but as an ardent aspiration concentrated upon the end to be achieved. This is the first step. If you are vigilant, if your attention is alert, you will eventually receive something in the form of an inspiration of what is to be done. Only, you must remember that to surrender is to accept whatever is the result of your action, though the result may be quite different from what you expect. On the other hand, if your surrender is passive, you will do nothing and try nothing; you will simply go to sleep and wait for a miracle. And to know whether your will or desire is in agreement with the Divine Will or not, you must look and see whether you have an answer or not, whether you feel supported or contradicted, not by the mind or the vital or the body, but by that something which is always there deep in the inner being, in your heart. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcmELzlQJBVYw6jsePB60Gpjou_lvqnQ6CJrnqkHV-XsPd5zfHDvPQfyD0MdhwK8W0bCo5eeUoHQICJ2lWTeU_9XDCjevU_M_oZ-08G3VLYkU9vidar-n9sCknYeGfXjEv9g6C-qtfAI/s1600/B038.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-large;">*S</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">ome people came from the south to see Him; for His </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">darśana.<o:p></o:p></i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> Among them was a small boy about five years old. The boy paid obeisance and then approached Him and looked at Him lovingly. He placed His left hand on the boy’s head and asked him, “What do you want?” The boy replied firmly, ‘I don’t want anything’. ‘Oho!’, He said, ‘You belong to us’. Then addressing the people the boy came with He added, ‘If he remains in the “don’t want” state, everything will come to him’. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_fWZqw40SGjn8kwmtrEmF0nJkTmShRwkuxT_20qfmHfUgjB9jfrapPIiPnysjv2vPt5l4MaQbot-_FbtF8IBQTcSAXtK2fS6wsBRaCNXGo4x7oT1Z85107n9Ctxu9rfgQy_8xVDrdKk/s1600/B042.png" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">'But then how does one deal with this urge of – as you say – ‘not staying still’. The feeling of going everywhere, doing everything and being with everyone.' </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-large;">*K</span><span style="color: #999999;">now that all human beings are made up of a combination of several entities that come together, sometimes organizing themselves and completing each other, sometimes opposing and contradicting one another. An "entity" is a personality or an individuality. There are many such "personalities" in each one of us. If these personalities agree and are complementary with one another, they make up a human being, a rich and complex "person". If the personalities do not agree, this person's life will be incoherent, and that is not unusual: in fact, these cases are very common. For example, one of the personalities might wish to make some progress, to become more and more perfect, to get a deeper knowledge of things, to realize more and more, to proceed towards the perfection of the being, while another one may simply want to have fun and enjoy itself as much as it can; one day it will do this, the next day something else, etc. A person may have a great many personalities or individualities within him--ten or twenty, for example--and each one has its own destiny. What happens then? Conflicts, friction, inner disorder created by these individualities which are unable to get on with one another. The strongest one gets the upper hand; it is not only dominant over the others but curbs them to stop them from rebelling. So, in the end, the unlucky ones, the repressed ones, go to sleep. They bide their time, and when that time comes, they suddenly jump up and turn everything upside down. If that happens very often, that person's life will be a very disorderly one. He will take up one thing today and go on with another tomorrow and so on. A </span></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">truly harmonious personality implies a conscious arrangement of the inner individualities. This arrangement is achieved by means of a discipline, a proper education. But to succeed in this one must consciously take the </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">psychic being </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">as the centre and arrange, harmonize the various individualities around it. True harmony or inner organization is the result of such a persistent effort. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqL28D5QSOHiF40lf6UlSuH_7bTYaPIwWfIVDWrdMo0mqyC3TGBzyz3xTSthzQ2BcfMR30FzCsUyp6mg7NTLU4v9ug-h6Ozt1YpRd7GebbVyuYWXXY2WiezcNPAKWKjWHBxKfpv1-kpg/s1600/B043.png" /></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">The Elemental Conversations Within (II)</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bharatphoto.blogspot.fr/2016_08_01_archive.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_P0VoQz5Wc8/V-Jp6XT3AfI/AAAAAAAABdw/q0zHFJgCrdkDll4dqtJ52_gB8dh1zDJNwCLcB/s1600/B001.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "times";">Copyright © 2016 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b><span style="font-family: "times";"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">No image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span></b></span></b></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-51257702642762463852016-08-21T11:59:00.000+01:002016-09-21T12:20:13.997+01:00The Elemental Conversations Within (II)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-large;">"S</span>top thinking about anything else right now; just pack your bags and go home. Or to a place that feels like home. Even if your wise friends advice you not to do so, and call it as running away from the realities of life, or label it as escapism. Do not pay heed to their suggestions. Just go home. Because home is the only reality that matters. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And home is not simply a place where you were born or grew up or where your folks are. Home is a place that should help you understand what heaven might feel like. It has to be a place where your worn out body receives comfort, a place where your broken heart feels alive, and where your distressed soul finds solace. It has to be a place that shields you from all things that rupture your inner peace. It has to be your refuge from all the pain and suffering that the world inflicts upon you. And it has to be a place that restores your strength and fire for all the new battles that life is going to put you through. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Home is also about people. People who are well aware of but have absolutely no interest in reminding you of your flaws or failures. People who find their lives incomplete without your presence and without whom you truly are alone. People who happily let their lives revolve around yours and willingly accommodate all your necessities, uncertainties or eccentricities. People who miss you dearly when you are gone, and who joyously celebrate your homecoming. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> And home is about memories. Memories that warm your heart and make you believe that you have had a good life. But home is not only about memories of yesteryears. Home is also a place where you return to make new memories. It incites nostalgia not only for your past but also for things that haven’t yet happened, times that are yet to come and events that you are yet to experience. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So home is where you truly live. And I want you to go wherever you believe your home is. Go there and do not carry any baggage with you. As they say, travel light. There is no need to carry this burden of rights and wrongs or aspirations and rejections. And when you arrive, do not seek answers or any solutions. Like a child, let your mind remain pure and innocent. And try to seek peace and pleasure in whatever little or sufficient your home has to offer. Actively acknowledge and celebrate each and every moment of the time that you spend there. Let each and every experience of yours be filled with passion and excitement. Gaze at the sky and drink its blue, feel the sand and soak up its red, touch the light and shine in its gold. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And while you do this, I want you to do one more thing. Document it. Photograph, record, write, sketch, paint; whatever works for you, but document what you observe, feel and understand. Do not document with an intention to earn rewards from this experience. Because this experience in itself should be your true reward. Do not document to broadcast or exhibit. Because – believe it or not – no one really cares. And do not document to prove a point or to claim some sort of a victory over, what you describe as, your ‘inner demons’. Because this is not the end but just a beginning, a small step towards the larger goal that I want you to work for. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Document to recognize, document to appreciate, document to preserve. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And when you return, we will talk again. This conversation isn’t over yet."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">-------------</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d-Zwd0xUZKc/V-FzWWz5YHI/AAAAAAAABdQ/kjkTmSawulUHl-lYLVGE8ZLNS9giksFhwCLcB/s1600/B001.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">The ritual of <i>Sandhya Puja</i>. Beliatore, India. 2015. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqFKKU9JxTY/V-FmI3CH0pI/AAAAAAAABbI/q3L3EW1-Q8owRIdv_9UZOQ8ySgI4nopsQCLcB/s1600/B002.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">The festival of <i>Durga Puja</i>. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OKOkGZKQN8s/V-FmJUvwXjI/AAAAAAAABbM/CmqY2XsK764hareHtx2DNWwcpfMJ8YEjgCLcB/s1600/B003.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">During the festival of </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">Durga Puja</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l9sNBcx_0iM/V-FmSEknO9I/AAAAAAAABbU/tTt0_X2JPo4OOErym76ngsCgJ7qkGvacwCLcB/s1600/B004.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">During the festival of </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">Durga Puja</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SaRY3QGfeHI/V-FmT1IaxmI/AAAAAAAABbY/Eo_bfDpAvP8BikNH5fpvinBTQqQd9SnSwCLcB/s1600/B005.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Sonamukhi, India. 2015. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WyulLTB_ovk/V-FmUCbNDQI/AAAAAAAABbc/_0yCn-P-RSwj6y3HrUp5R6wEKzQZpobRwCLcB/s1600/B006.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">The Durga Temple. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4qEtSOqsbPI/V-FzwfVmyiI/AAAAAAAABdU/tub3lkS2lDQ28fI3p7AT6VZxbhW9_2gCQCLcB/s1600/B007.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">An evening recital of music and poetry. Sonamukhi, India. 2015</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uI0ZOGaxgIQ/V-Fz-YiWPeI/AAAAAAAABdY/mZN77QDtfhsPa6kDd2BVCOMELjqWCAjAwCLcB/s1600/B008.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">During the festival of </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">Durga Puja</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-50rhb8v0nr8/V-Fme3akCuI/AAAAAAAABbo/pHBR9bjhMxAYVPdEXucF_lHJfBO1gn4XwCLcB/s1600/B009.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">A <i>gaye holud </i>ceremony prior to a marriage. Durgapur, India. 2015. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rCvuSgMSJM/V-FmmSEAReI/AAAAAAAABbw/mYwCN058WBEDkG5mgOsc0MnoKjNcJAikgCLcB/s1600/B010.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">S</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">hantiniketan, India. 2015. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ToqKFDo-Ne8/V-Fmlg5WnZI/AAAAAAAABbs/vTEGCns7s802xpg2RQClkuqgxG3N7m_HgCLcB/s1600/B011.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, India. 2015. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJJDVP5MIuM/V-Fmn4XqJPI/AAAAAAAABb0/FZp8kb1Mt98RDhDQyuY_O8OY3k-KgynzwCLcB/s1600/B012.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, India. 2015. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FBrlz3kveSk/V-FmwbWAFWI/AAAAAAAABb4/vI9t8_T21-4NUtxK-FehT4v7DQhoOgQhQCLcB/s1600/B013.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">During a marriage ceremony. Durgapur, India. 2015. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8mF5UA2fQcs/V-FmxNn7zHI/AAAAAAAABb8/zS-BC_P_BdEUnRjwlFcssZ7Po8X_6qLiACLcB/s1600/B014.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">During the festival of </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">Durga Puja</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-irFCDkIk-rk/V-FmyaC7KNI/AAAAAAAABcA/H3i3sTunHjwfgLIkMY53EWpN7sDhpUzowCLcB/s1600/B015.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">A mother and her child. Ahmedabad, India. 2016. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bigePALFefo/V-Fm6OpZW6I/AAAAAAAABcI/XJ_XZ3AvJ7gp6oRaKSQhrrjBQQ6Y2Sy_ACLcB/s1600/B016.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">New Delhi, India. 2016. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oUPjvUFw2Mk/V-Fm7EX-VoI/AAAAAAAABcM/NDaX3LNaEHwL0M17pKSI16E_6Z26qTWHgCLcB/s1600/B017.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Bankura, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-30mWQiF-r5k/V-Fm5YA7cvI/AAAAAAAABcE/fmwg7HOIAU0YHjfzjv__rFXeshwlaD5LgCLcB/s1600/B018.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Morning at a vegetable market. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SeIdTC2Ui9I/V-FnDm7kR8I/AAAAAAAABcU/PxwF5_FM1tMY7jgWUPulJj_PpfLSDAYIACLcB/s1600/B019.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Sisters. Sonamukhi, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NbbmXsJz1uw/V-FnA1ZcSWI/AAAAAAAABcQ/HRJN_N__up4PL_0kZTyBzMzJ5IamOa0oACLcB/s1600/B020.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hQ7GfSeKEa4/V-FnGmNMTGI/AAAAAAAABcY/92HLTqGtuA4PkkaE2LXypTl4fziu9439gCLcB/s1600/B021.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQnOe9Q1MpQ/V-FnKGTyMFI/AAAAAAAABcg/KjlxyhT_wHIW4KUWCGdOs0WPRmkH7kfcgCLcB/s1600/B022.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrsdKWuU7ZA/V-FnJlhRaAI/AAAAAAAABcc/rzYcqTloaWYAM-wRfNnJFnaI57GdNPJ_QCLcB/s1600/B023.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IotuQHRy1yY/V-FnL4GtOBI/AAAAAAAABck/YJYnUJRBuTkzWTeX_3RXVIjDaMSHncTgACLcB/s1600/B024.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">At the hospital before a surgery. New Delhi, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3-aAg-2-ByQ/V-F03NCSy7I/AAAAAAAABdg/EyPUAHHOOvguKUKgM3gzXlJsxVF1vHnmQCLcB/s1600/B025.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3-aAg-2-ByQ/V-F03NCSy7I/AAAAAAAABdg/EyPUAHHOOvguKUKgM3gzXlJsxVF1vHnmQCLcB/s1600/B025.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">At a <i>Shiva</i> Temple. Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DGHnWMdbT-U/V-FnUiu5WnI/AAAAAAAABcs/W4L7IIKsi4AsZ7FMSSxNFTNz-uVhfPYrQCLcB/s1600/B026.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--X49p9ibmAs/V-FnWLghoLI/AAAAAAAABcw/xiKtBLegTHkL6iXYJyPS17oqKbBszzisQCLcB/s1600/B027.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Morning prayers at a temple. Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_8GvlwX9Nd8/V-FnZHynQeI/AAAAAAAABc0/xOsmAjuMVTM0CSYk8RAHd9q6HjN7SmCgACLcB/s1600/B028.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Near Durgapur Barrage. Durgapur, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HPQoe0RzEQ4/V-FnaXZiHZI/AAAAAAAABc4/JjCArHthvoQVW3agyYKKN1yRO-MyT0-twCLcB/s1600/B029.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">Barjora, </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">India. 2015. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"> </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--a_HgQS8UjQ/V-FncmUq-2I/AAAAAAAABc8/p6fHb8xApmQMZS-FTDRlImYjias5kvRhACLcB/s1600/B030.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">During the festival of </span><i style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: large;">Durga Puja</i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">. Barjora, India. 2015. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">The Elemental Conversations Within (I)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bharatphoto.blogspot.fr/2016_09_01_archive.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVhx7Vjzd7M/V-Jqu3kR7NI/AAAAAAAABd0/oe3QNZyOUpspaM8NIuftrawXudDdSKz_ACLcB/s1600/B036.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #999999; font-family: times;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "times";">Copyright © 2016 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b><span style="font-family: "times";"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">No image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span></b></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-49205099372792067502014-10-04T23:25:00.000+01:002017-05-06T14:07:34.373+01:00The Silence of 'Others': Marseille Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-large;">I</span>n
November 2011, I was in Chapel Hill to see a dear friend, Aseem
Hasnain, who was a PhD student at the University of North Carolina.
There I met Zaheer Abbas, another friend whom I decided to
photograph for The Silence of ‘Others’. I vividly remember how after
dinner one night we sat down for the ‘interview’. I took out my
notebook, voice recorder and the questionnaire that I had been using
since 2009 for all my interviews for the project. Since Zaheer is a
voracious reader and his PhD topic – Construction of Bengali Muslim
identity in colonial Bengal – is in many ways related to my work, I was
looking forward to an exciting interview with him. But I couldn’t
interview him. Because Zaheer and Aseem refused to be interviewed. They were keen on interviewing me. It all began as soon as I had
finished asking my first and the only question – Are you a Muslim? In
the blink of an eye, Zaheer counter-questioned, ‘What do you mean by
‘Muslim’’? Quite confidently, I mentioned a number of things, like a
believer in Allāh, follower of Islam, one who prays regularly, fasts
during <i>Ramzān</i>, offers <i>zakāt</i>, etc. My interviewers weren’t pleased.
Because my responses were directly or indirectly related to the
conventional idea of an organized religion. Zaheer and Aseem had helped me
to acknowledge a serious flaw in my research. Our discussion had led me
to understand that any attempt to study Muslims or their relationship
with non-Muslims, while viewing Muslims as a homogenous ‘religious’
group or analyzing their actions solely on the basis of their
religiosity, is incorrect and insufficient. This new learning has helped
my project to explore many contemporary and relevant issues. But
simultaneously, it has also made my work a lot more demanding. Because
in order to understand the hundreds of questions that surround the
Muslim community in today’s world, I now have to know more and be aware
of many other complex issues and subjects. Talking about Islam, <i>niqabs</i>,
beards or <i>maddarsas</i> in isolation is not going to help anymore. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Often,
my friends and colleagues interrogate me with an intention to prove
that Islam and Muslims are inherently flawed and violent. They ask
questions like – Why don’t Muslims publicly protest or criticize
international acts of terrorism, why do Muslims demand separate social,
cultural and religious concessions in non-Islamic countries, and why are
non-Muslims oppressed and discriminated against in Islamic countries,
why do Muslims migrate to Western countries if they do not wish to
‘integrate’, why do Muslims put their religion first and foremost in all
social and political issues, why only Muslims fail to make any social
or economic progress in an equal opportunity environment, why isn’t
there a single Arab Muslim country that allows freedom of expression or
follows democracy, etc.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span>D</span>iscussions</span> and concer<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">ns over<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> recent events</span> -</span> <span style="font-family: "times new roman";">like </span>young Muslims in the W<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">est fle<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">eing</span> to join ISI<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">S (really?)<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> - </span>fail to move beyo<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">nd</span> the <i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">'</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">bad </span>influence of Islam and Imams'</i>.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> Such discussions</span> are invariably wrapped in
the usual allegations that since Muslims uncritically accept <i>Quran</i> as
the final word of God, they are intolerant towards other religions, that
they believe it is permitted to kill ‘infidels’, their societies stifle
dissent, and they are women oppressors who refuse to alter their
outmoded way of thinking and living. My objection to the flawed premise
of their queries – one that views Muslims not as a social but as a
‘religious’ group and categorizes Muslims according to the length of
beards or scarves – is out rightly rejected. Added to the personal
prejudices and twisted perspectives of many debaters is their refusal to
critically understand history, historians, wars, immigration and
post-colonial settlement, the blunder of viewing propaganda as
journalism, the unawareness of complex ground-level issues and the
cultural, socio-economic and legal factors that manufacture or sustain these issues, the reluctance to accept the existence of race and class politics,
the failure to recognize and respect the diverse world of people with
different identities and varied affiliations, the myopia of labeling
senseless criminal, political or militaristic conflicts as religious or
‘Islamic’ wars, and the fetish of branding any and every form of
intellectual and civil resistance by Muslims as radicalization. I often
find myself trapped in many such insular debates where it is an
impossible task to prove that Muslims are much more than ‘religious
beings’ and just like every other individual on this planet, they too
have diverse interests and opinions on society, politics, culture, and
even their own religion. But many of us intentionally ignore all such
complexities and conveniently choose to categorize Muslims simply as
‘practicing’ & ‘non-practicing’ or ‘moderate’ & ‘radical’
Muslims. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> I
confess, that for many years I too could not move beyond such reductive
generalizations. But I am glad that I came to France. Because here one
can visibly comprehend the ambiguity of such simplified classifications.
In France, one learns that not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslim
immigrants are Arabs. One learns that not all Arabs come from the
‘Middle-East’ and that there are Black Arabs too who come from the
Comoros Islands and the Maghreb. Maghreb is in Africa and not in the
‘Middle-East’ but not all Maghrebis are Black. Yes, a majority of the
poor in France are Maghrebis but there are many Maghrebis who have
managed to succeed economically. As soon as one begins to respect these
differences, one also understands that marginalization of Muslims is not
always tied to their religion; a Muslim can experience discrimination
also because of her race, ethnicity, immigration or economic status. A
black woman can experience racism because of her skin color, but it can
also be because she wears a <i>hijab</i>, cannot speak French or because she is
poor. A young college graduate cannot be shortlisted for a job
interview if she has an Arab name, even if she is not a Muslim. And a
brown man can be subjected to ethnic profiling, harassment and
humiliation even if he is neither an Arab nor a Muslim. Even terms like
‘practicing’ Muslims cannot explain the differences in personal practice
like prayers and mosque attendance, Islamic dress codes and food
habits, openness to inter-religious or inter-racial marriages, etc.<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span>Strolling outside Mosques cannot tell us that a majority of the Muslims
in France are all packed in those tall shiny ivory towers that are
peppered in and around French cities. Built in the 50s and 60s, these
social housing buildings were meant to replace the shantytowns and to
accommodate immigrant workers. And of course, to keep them away from the
‘real’ French people. The result is that today, millions of people all
over France live a life of poverty, despair and ruin in these
ethnically homogenous and insular buildings. A majority of these
buildings are dilapidated and clearly unfit for human habitation. With a
pervasive atmosphere of barrenness and misery, most of the buildings
suffer from a combination of structural defects, water seepage,
insulation problems, out of order elevators and swarming population of
rats. Instead of providing safe and affordable homes to poor people,
flawed urban planning, institutional discrimination and government
apathy has aided the gradual transformation of these buildings into a
poverty trap and a life long curse. And even if some young individuals
do manage to get out of these areas, the deep-seated racial, cultural
and religious discrimination does not let them buy or rent a home in
better neighborhoods. That is why Muslims and immigrants return to these
buildings; not because of any genetic or religious tendency to flock
together. Schools should provide enabling environments where young minds
learn how to disregard inequalities, improve social relations and shun
segregation. But here, schools are the true mirrors of the
socio-economically unequal and highly segregated French society. Schools
in these areas have poor infrastructures, less resources and
overcrowded classrooms. Freshly recruited teachers, who rarely have the
skills to understand the multicultural needs of the students, are sent
to these difficult schools. Experienced and more qualified teachers get
to work at schools away from poor violent <i>cités</i>. The stigma attached
with these cités further ensures that their residents are never hired
for good jobs and the unemployment rate keeps getting worse. A majority
of the shops or markets built at the center of the cités are now closed
due to lack of capital and high crime. They have been replaced by an
underground economy that revolves around drug trade and stolen goods.
This has led to greater police scrutiny/harassment and increased
tensions with the cité residents. But simultaneously, police corruption
and collusion also permits an illegal weapons and drugs network to
flourish in these cités, which further fans the menace of crime,
violence and drug abuse. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">So
if we wish to understand the Muslims/Arabs in France, or anywhere else,
then we should be prepared to explore a complex mix of their personal
and social realities. It is very important to acknowledge and dissect
this complexity. Because, firstly, it informs and enables us to discard
our own ignorant and stereotypical ideas about Muslims. Secondly, it
reinforces the need to understand Muslims not as a ‘religious’ but as a
highly heterogeneous ‘social’ group. It tells us that scrutinizing the
<i>Quran</i> or dissecting Islam is not going to help; solution to their issues
will have to come from the social, political, economic, cultural and
legal realities that they live in. Thirdly, it demands that all of us,
who choose to study the Muslim community, should be willing to welcome
greatly diversified and sometimes contradictory opinions. Finally, it
tells us that if we so desperately seek an answer to the quintessential
question – Whether a Muslim can also be French (or
European/American/Indian) – then we should first try to define what does
it mean to be French. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Can words like ‘citizenship’ or slogans like
‘embrace the French principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity’
truly explain what it means to be French’? Citizenship is a simple
legal term and it does not take much to tell who is a citizen and who is
not. Though, there is still a need to thrash vague terms like ‘failed
citizens’ and ‘undeserving citizens’. But what about words like liberty,
equality, and fraternity. Who is going to tell what these words mean
and who decides whether those meanings are permanent or changeable? Dr. Jennifer Fredette, in her wonderful new book – Constructing Muslims in France – explains what it means to be ‘French’: </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>"In
France, as we are frequently told, the deserving citizen embraces the
principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. For those with even
the vaguest sense of French history, this is recognizable as the
perennial discourse of French citizenship that has remained dominant
since the revolution, except during the period of Vichy government,
which valued “Work, Family, and Fatherland.” Liberty, equality, and
fraternity, just like any other big ideas, do not have fixed meanings.
Their articulation by elites in today’s French political context
produces a set of characteristics that mark someone as a deserving
French citizen. Joan Wallach Scott, the feminist theorist and France
expert, identifies five characteristics that disqualify one from being
seen as fully “French”: anything short of complete liberality in sexual
relations; any reference to or sign of religion in not just political
but also social affairs; cultural pluralism; anything short of abstract
individualism; and ancestral origins beyond the countries of Europe
(Scott 2007, pp. 5, 11, 88, 125, 172– 173). Apart from the last of these
five characteristics, which has nothing to do with personal choice,
these characteristics are all defended as “French” because they are seen
as contemporary articulations of the French values of liberty,
equality, and fraternity. Those who do not bear the five characteristics
are seen as rejecting France’s national values triad.<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">"</span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">In
other words, one has to agree to a certain kind of sexual behavior,
should not overtly display or identify with her religion or culture in
the public sphere, and willingly mix with other races, ethnicity and
gender. And even a cursory reading of this clearly suggests that one
does not even have to be a Muslim to be treated as an outsider or less
French. Because even a traditional Indian Hindu woman in a saree and a
bindi on her forehead, or a Sikh man with a beard and a turban, would
never be considered as fully French or well ‘integrated’. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Dr. Fredette l<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">ater </span>sums up a discussion about how Muslims are treated as undeserving citizens: </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">"Muslims
are typically depicted by French elites as sexually aberrant (either
predatory or virginal), as so religious that Islam dominates all aspects
of their lives, and as unwilling to think beyond their Muslim identity
to the common good. Consider how the political, media, and intellectual
depictions of Muslims presented above associate Muslims with excessive
religiousness, immigrants and foreigners, violence, and sexual
repression. And because of stereotypes that exist about Muslims in
France, even those who vaguely identify as Muslim in a cultural sense
but have a weak attachment to the religion find that they are assumed to
lack these five characteristics that define the deserving French
citizen, even if they have them (or, at least, the first four) in
spades. Muslims, we are told, behave in ways that suggest they do not
share in the French values of liberty, equality, and fraternity. They
remain outsiders even though they bear the legal accoutrements of
citizenship: they may be citizens, but they are undeserving citizens." </span></span></span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">(Dr. Fredette’s book is available <a href="http://oapen.org/search?identifier=469365;keyword=fredette" target="_blank">online</a> with free access). </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I
have come to believe that our reluctance or inability, to confront the
complex, incites us to believe that Islam as a religion is the root
cause of all issues that plague Muslims as well as non-Muslims. This
loud but false perception of Muslims as ‘undeserving’ or ‘failed’
citizens is a direct manifestation of our unwillingness to challenge and
critically scrutinize our own social existence, politics, religion and
belief systems. We simply refuse to acknowledge and examine evidence
that proves that a multiform social process, and not religion, shapes
individuals and governs their actions. Instead, we expend energies and
emotions in exhorting Muslims to collectively explain or apologize for
rabid violent individuals who have Islamic names or use Islam as a
justification for their acts. And we do so while believing that all
Muslims have the same histories, ethnicities, cultures, beliefs,
opinions, identities and political orientations. All<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span>ground
realities and complexities are ignored and unanimously a conclusion is
drawn that Islam/Muslims/Arabs are incompatible with modern thoughts,
freedom, progress and empowerment. We refuse to accept any individual or
collective responsibility for any socio-political or humanitarian
upheaval. But we consider it as our right to blame Muslims for their
‘integration’ or ‘national identity’ problems and then raucously demand
for various changes in Muslims’ behavior as a solution to these
problems. I am seeing it in France and I have seen it <span style="font-family: "times new roman";">at</span> many other
places. But unfortunately, the situation is not going to get better any
time soon. Not because we can’t see the solution but simply because we</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span>refuse to see the problem.
</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8T1H4aa3-iOIKC5NuA8LUejrQmDeDcyk3-1UKOfrbEUF3-UiJb7ygoQ_0jtBkjxob79HEzsMw3VRleLQVq9KzQY5FzkHcIsRZCfyCg7Yl1zPo0DgaRgbBsv4Hpdq0iF30rPAlQLVtPI/s1600/Marseille_2014_002.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Radia (center) with her daughter (left) and her friend (right) at her home in the 3rd <i>arrondissement</i> of Marseille. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtNxP4chFSbWd9Zz0jw-vYM1sCESmDGUPAEFJP89pLGrG-T69M5KN_tE2rh6Ic_sgnt3nSKZowSZxaw1ZNh66twEDN2hBbdkObN1jOoifjO5-cYFLUy2wWGZQR7-osanE2ROUJ_Bn-gM/s1600/Marseille_2014_003.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Inside a room at an under-construction Islamic school building. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZu10DaSaWPxceVCbGtJvPjWZTeeYgGR9-9t618y6vQ4Ocsa1u_EiWdFs-hJk29TZI0_Owzj-L66mCE2X4FMNW4cFrAJWd99T5VAov58IpLBMuANPfhHN-Qb2YeGadSR7MxbJAETEcpM/s1600/Marseille_2014_004.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Community members gather at the office of Lakbir Messas (not in the
picture). Messas fought but lost the 2014 Municipal elections as an
independent candidate from 2nd <i>arrondissement</i> of Marseille. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnZ9TAQNsQgY9Qlfsqc4T60ptv6VspGmoD2PrDToAgLzAZG7A79jNxq-iLObZkQT3OkkVOW9JrXVOmYg397BtpmshP_ri5WW_gP8T6UivgQXC0vbEfUsTXYe3Kyqv7Cil-6MSvn0V598/s1600/Marseille_2014_005.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Ihlem Ouertani (right), 30, meets a friend at Agora Centre, a social development organization located in <i>quartier</i> Busserine, 14th <i>arrondissement</i>
of Marseille. For a number of reasons, including high crime and
violence, Busserine and nearby areas have been identified as ‘Sensitive
Urban Zones’ by the French government. Agora Centre works for the
socio-economic and political upliftment of the people living in these
sensitive zones. It implements several projects and organizes a number
of creatively engaging activities – computer & language classes,
dance lessons, craftwork, sports – for young men and women in order to
prevent them from falling prey to the drug trade's deceptive lure of
easy money. Young women, to evade the violence in their <i>quartier</i>, regularly use Agora Centre’s premises to socialize and spend time with their friends. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVj1WoTnRYJQKSIZJm0vOt7gn2mOdFE_DEZUGte4oQPLMx6RPJv_1NsWiIxwWe9eUVbaU1SCb2PtV4kN2DC-rXAjBYaM1KsIhrJD2VOIMrZeOSLH5el1dBsV6m8_865tBWcgGHXeqnC0/s1600/Marseille_2014_006.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> A young man at a kebab shop. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbIKlwPUMqt5JV7U1GXc-5Otn05bQ_QID_T6E1rk2xxpRea54RyY_2nH0cn7dZAfZAmFRhYIpo9CvzSant5q8oOYUsQN1tjafNXX-f0r4u7h8wj991rKSEOR6plWjIfRGkP1dYijQRtXE/s1600/Marseille_2014_007.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Mohamed Guelmani works to convert his attic into a bathroom. Guelmani
is a professional social worker and a self-taught carpenter, plumber and
painter. He often buys and renovates old dilapidated flats, and then
resells them for a tidy profit. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceqIHAk1HD3_PAcrJPEP8K4r_8CiJtbwRzyOhsnwp-8X9DigJiBJpkNjDI0KDmOiSl4-wdMCR6_o3rWp8zRyCnKs1l7sGA7FsxUVur26KXkSsBahlW6hqqT5Ak1qeduGVUVgYaPPvO_g/s1600/Marseille_2014_008.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Maeva, 28, gets emotional as she talks about her mother. Maeva lives in
a shelter for homeless young men and women. To escape poverty, she left
her home in Morocco and came to France with a hope to earn a better
life. But the person, who had promised to get Maeva a job in Marseille,
turned out to be a cheat and she ended up in a homeless shelter. The
shelter supports individuals like Maeva to return to school and helps
them to acquire professional skills for future employment. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGn8seP3vRlRrnjatMR2_z-LD58KqGPcUy7EjomDuRCq_3RcBkvksKvbvwYC4sNH2EuAskWpmthZoQUDAJO1b5eZ5bQOxPDKc-rXlYW1fHZpn5VPERaf7aReulaFFCnTCXXJaAzaoxG0/s1600/Marseille_2014_009.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Women prepare the traditional Algerian flatbread, <i>Kesra</i>, inside a shop at Noailles. Noailles is a neighborhood in the 1st <i>arrondissement</i>
of Marseille located downtown near the Old Port. Noailles is famous for
its old buildings, immigrant population and hundreds of shops selling
North African food and other products like crafts and fabrics. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloaKrbJJqktj8GI1FX-P9Hh0jSXkXnhQkGvf0GPnf7SCggZAE9-xnbP8tgQqn-x3MjWc5R4dhLqvrHfW2UI87_ouKuNfDHHPAmICAFRr1ierwCnxYU-e1VMAGEBMr0L3NYEALmUBBX5A/s1600/Marseille_2014_010.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Hamed Boussai, 22, returns home to his wife after an early morning
work shift at a local butcher shop. Hamed, a recent immigrant from
Morocco, has had a lot of trouble with law and has also served prison
time in Italy. But he said that his marriage has transformed him
completely as a person. He and his wife, a convert to Islam, met in
January earlier this year, fell in love and got married soon. They are
expecting their first child, which is due in November this year. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia9sc28ZWvSLM6GrisOlO5SoH-aIfPqj5_qqLMxSMeIsSHdlBvrJnLu5_NrBOMRXMUlJtw8rxaB9WxjK88L8WDjoqfmGBhb2L3CXvPI6ZUgQBqZGL2zeSPmrUWqa0a02mZQ02olo2IbVo/s1600/Marseille_2014_011.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Young men at <i>cité Les Rosiers </i>(City of Roses). Built in 1957 and infamous for drug trafficking and high crime rate, <i>Les Rosiers</i> has some of the oldest and dirtiest buildings in Marseille. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLV5ReV8SUrLHIPuVgTId_G5KlT9yEH3__jT8UTUcKj-DCKecxxr5PIr9sVOvKRcwDAYKnqK5DI_UHDTjpgbEBLlGvXzmsQjG-EygfNCQddCV9IpLDcdhUsfJHeHNyj6kd_66IKHWNv4o/s1600/Marseille_2014_012.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Inside a Lebanese restaurant. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDFb18-1WFbZNjC3eUc5mMcitsz31K8MgV1aZwV-CN_FRCsHxRyilVIv8BjLueVojYUszW15JcTYXlILCaQndyyo7yHuIFIH0HJGC3rdJ8_7cNIXI2W4VoaAu1sMbRlyeVh6Erk53ea0/s1600/Marseille_2014_013.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Ali, 22, works at a Pakistani restaurant. I had met Ali in 2012 when
he had just arrived in Marseille from Pakistan via Iran. Ali’s parents
helped him escape from his native village near Lahore when they found
out that Ali’s uncles and cousins, in order to settle a long-running
property dispute, were plotting to kill Ali. A trafficking agent got him
out of Pakistan but abandoned him, and several others like him, in
Iran. Ali was held in an Iranian jail for a few months before being sent
to France. In France, a social organization helped him to acquire
professional and language skills and later produced him in the court
that granted him with a French nationality. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5i55PvmEFIdDrrFs6YDAlwSv7cl2n4JP3d4F9DATQk5AonqQaSnFxNsOrXOItzBTzjTg56PhzlWtOOIf_wjIWpHh3kDhGlnf9QMBgwibU3IUxdff0r1mAoPbWT9p9m1ywckNTlPi7gU/s1600/Marseille_2014_014.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Sylvain Massoudi, 25, lights a candle at the Notre Dame de la Garde.
Sylvain, an Iranian immigrant, lives in Marseille but had never been to
the world famous basilica before. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGiQEuzZgfOeHc6Zux0kvxCAsPkP6UOkazifCDNKQFUBgW10L5uB-SiiFMvqAdoFklsJEPQcoiqv_zAPDX_nkFLK7Vv-djfuvQmmmh1F9N6oYUD4QjAO_bY7kOVvEC1VUP6wpvUxOBeY/s1600/Marseille_2014_015.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> A young couple embraces before retiring to their separate rooms in a shelter for homeless young men and women. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrS1te-iE_gBXbi70iyzh9KBhluklAmJRtmbVr5HkKzMbP80FN_mtle9l4Dy6Ypb97k42j8IbrHQBH5TzWfgq0i1HpQhyphenhyphenvLHv2h4ECL1r229oTdtzv-l87uiIj1u_4D7k3D-RNEg3Cms/s1600/Marseille_2014_016.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Mohamed [center], a Zumba instructor, during one of his evening
classes in a local dance bar. Mohammed, an immigrant from the Comoros,
works full-time as a social worker and is also a very popular dance
instructor & choreographer in Marseille. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbnV97MuPFrV2eYphalMRKfNvthNSABA0JkQ22pkIWHiBTtAZQ7mBrb0bWSEjkyNUlhUZldmuViCehGJnIW04CvYPfkvB9htATSwcV6GXrxHpWiCFWdsOQGdX9B5na4SYsS1RIh_b1jVo/s1600/Marseille_2014_017.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Friends and Nelson Mandela at Noailles. Often labeled as ‘The belly of
Marseille’, Noailles is an old but very popular neighborhood with a
rich history of immigration and post-colonial settlement. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgms03DNFW6SKLbUISypVldEfwG3iItDsm186Lq50tJ_BN4GJpIgtT-4sK6Ka0LnIUvC7RIcElYDANpCofIdsy6ECn6YLtj7TSnuTPisxUepezFjQJqFsoB3vUg49vXrlXaWEjH2rUuJME/s1600/Marseille_2014_018.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Outside a bar in Noailles. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdDAPONhVTetYpgkoInDPvM_xcfcAGDFZdTcs9sO2sgukcjff3DqkUS8cQlFJ7GpXIk9Vs5XWedmJ8UOJ5-FnyVpwLfm5MsubBwfxVWTuX7LP4oSEwar3ezfstsHt9drmm7LQTPkgN3s/s1600/Marseille_2014_019.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Samia Ouertani (left), a social care worker, at one of her client’s
home. Her client, F. Hamadi (right), has been suffering from mental
depression since many years and rarely steps out of her small 5th floor
apartment. Samia, her only friend, visits her 3 to 4 times in a week and
helps Hamadi with her medicines and grocery shopping. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdSW2QfUdfxoVzz-n0TG6hMEh2W9R4rSKKOSM9ybuYenIaPjHs3l7XlQtucTTz5Giw35z-Dg4bkQ-xaFoYihVEztmNgMccfxtSpW6cJEKC7IMjucjSY0WdAKpRdUgcN8O8PWvU6GqzjFI/s1600/Marseille_2014_020.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Inside a café – cum – library young members of EuroPalestine, a
pro-Palestine association, rehearse their acts and speeches a night
before organizing a protest theater against Israel in downtown
Marseille. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNA3bMhfCIuMJiU5Yj9EUc9nRe6uI8oQ5Cj5ROhnCjN3y7u3-vjbirJkEm9NFORqolu21tc9f-wpce1-npri-tsfHaELMdnhvuAi9Xf7BRo4WjW1Nvi2Ll7wXkVB_9va1L256s9KJx_o/s1600/Marseille_2014_021.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Inside his small room in a shelter for homeless young men, Daniel
(standing), 19, gives a haircut to his friend, Mohamed Chérif Spiga.
Daniel dreams of becoming a hairstylist and provides his services free
of cost to all the residents of the shelter home. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGq91Aj-ovEnRtv20nPGCHa5umRZFQmkpTQVMRum3PU-5XXA3spkm3VrVHL9UJHnu43zED-H0FEqCyDY65o6SoQXf4hi6kZ2hLT0B17Z5E5JaBZnwDi87TUegQQO2Us5QO71ZOt7rxhTI/s1600/Marseille_2014_001.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Near the Town Hall Square. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxQFmPyPDIlqopILPYWFnJM1_T8UL6CND5ClDUwFxS9w9XbqW69p_L6gCP64c2hKUHIu8zJIWbFBrF-l1Cwz9USZTXfGn6PbGSI2ChYbHg5F0nV0YgMSmyloXNBuzZJ56L-lov4I5YZI/s1600/Marseille_2014_022.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Students during a break between their classes at Adelies association.
Adelies is a social organization that works with children from troubled
environments, early school dropouts and juvenile delinquents. Its
activities are designed to promote and facilitate the overall education
of men and women, their development and taking responsibility in civil
life and at workplace. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNz5K-qjGds5v60Cj4l3RkZJWahnJShP_JuG_lOrrROwgNdZjLa8UrTfMgmE360z6QMFEPPPirGps8DpiWWY5l_UC7zba9NAdK0F2buL3UeS3gbGkn49pBCg6PtxxzoTTo6R8Hj7B2uac/s1600/Marseille_2014_023.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Young men at a technical training center run by Adelies, a social
organization. Many of the students at Adelies are juvenile delinquents
coming from difficult and diverse backgrounds. Adelies provides them
with language, mathematics, computer and technical skills to help them
succeed in professional environments. Using an approach of prevention,
mediation and training, Adelies works with families, educational
institutes and directly with young men and women on the streets to
prevent their exclusion, anti-social behavior and conflicts. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtjKrdS_c1myytU_QPJbGevluOEkV_I_YPkmOBP3Sf0jesp3LGCWJq0w3D4GwkaDHVQWV_MbkZxuKoGRlPYtTSk47qAas3y3Rhb8STd8w7fax9QQA4DyakohAyKAiN3Hf9I8JF0dc7cc/s1600/Marseille_2014_024.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> A student at an Islamic school in Marseille. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-Dcah1KfiBl4lUM7_HvyTeeNZU3wUynzd7uBVGxPMBI6DlCiiD_AgsbNa2SkBpJ0HrEJaZQXf0xPH81zRNXw21ygiQvfmCpHPbbehM_jUJOJ1E8yqmOA-7fEuXhOaldp4363x45JGIQ/s1600/Marseille_2014_025.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Camille (right), a convert to Islam, enjoys the view atop the hill of
Notre Dame de la Garde. On being asked why she embraced Islam, she said,
“A few years ago, while walking I saw many Muslim men praying on the
side of a busy street. I saw then calm and lost in their prayers in
spite of the heavy traffic and blaring car horns. On one hand, I was
touched to witness their devotion and on the other, I felt sad to see
them worshipping under such non-sacred conditions. Something inside me
changed that day and it encouraged me to walk towards Islam”. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GaNDGJS5OzZ8klghcNaiHFM-jMPEcDEEn1SwRqY257LNwSAsaEz39oIs8iI7GZwddAeNRM1WQqwuRie-oLiLGXqs3iSNt9drc2ILIY1gdrQy_hZYyP_VCo-NfIoYFXEYhKvbvErF7L4/s1600/Marseille_2014_026.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
Isa (standing) and his two daughters take a break during their first
visit to the MuCem (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations).
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nM3PaYuXa_eZQcC-StUENW7njMWu5n3-t5Aj7b8C6P5QYmG8yyjgCsu92w5Vaek2-qkG61Cspo-0pW2Hnaz_bRe8Yc1oUNG2M_747VroCC-TJyZ6n-UayVOF0PMfbWiRp_gppdEpGxQ/s1600/Marseille_2014_027.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Young men from Mayotte at <i>La Roseraie</i>,
an emergency shelter home for homeless students and unemployed young
people aged 16-30 years. Managed by the Association for Aid to Young
Workers (AAJT), the shelter not only provides housing but also offers
its residents free food and medical treatment for various heath
problems, like malnutrition, addictions and psychosomatic disorders. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNPNPKrQjlY_Oe97KapzZBXSw3RpGHK2tGo0Y7dDFsBdbDdqHmkytTmH55T6mgwZ5QbTFrlA_Cw2KZfbfgEHXfAIVGtBpxRUkg3jmUUyh5p0URWnv1eGrUJhXhxYKCYy6oOHn_zukzZ8/s1600/Marseille_2014_028.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> A child slides down the stairs at a street in the 3rd <i>arrondissement</i>. Home to a very large and diverse immigrant population, the 3rd <i>arrondissement</i>
is known for its deprivation and increasing poverty in comparison with
other parts of Marseille. With very high unemployment rates, old
run-down housing and low levels of education, the population of this
district is much poorer than the average, even by Marseille standards. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMAsE3BI-3ZWPPfHkzkut5P8jWzxfd67EWei8tGWbNzUvV1zxelLTu546_2rhDF-g0GY58Oub_ec31rZjroLdOl8jG_DxL-TLpwzzMWSW5sW_Zsbs7VQA6XfPuWQcAAGU_QSbT3FCs9g/s1600/Marseille_2014_029.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Soccer and candy apples at a social housing building compound. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1rFsZ8pAxb2Jge1ZvqGFNH779poTRrrre7wM59CsmxrHWAEPx8EeArlKW7fD1fIZcurkQTnEAMii8wAQ8ZZguQBsKpzFGZ7acGQE_XJIWL1gJCISAdRuufhOpH-cKBaxKg2v-T-cPCXI/s1600/Marseille_2014_030.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Young men honing their soccer skills outside a social service office at <i>cité les Flamants </i>in the 14th <i>arrondissement</i>.
This neighborhood has been identified as one of the fourteen sites for
the Marseille Urban Renovation project where a few decrepit social
housing buildings are being replaced with new colorful ones. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6SsbnQy8gp7AYsU2uYtwX5nbhxLI7sstILF5m-w-fRJVtUm9yV_eF_VhawOwTYMXr7OS00cWgol_IGtUTKqmJpO4uwmL3ydg8w8251vdYRe8TXH0hxdImzRbZ_CLS06lp205aK6_yc0/s1600/Marseille_2014_031.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> In front of an old social housing building at <i>quartier</i> Busserine in the 14th <i>arrondissement</i>.
The neighborhood, labeled as a Sensitive Urban Zone, is one of the
fourteen sites for the Marseille Urban Renovation project where a few
decrepit social housing buildings are being replaced with new ones. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0d3fnI0nIiiSfLTju_dIWjsGzDy-YGgGtiV7VJOqsSSsEa2STgb_x2M4muAnOE7L_DJU1d3spwQdBR9B-V3R15m8QkLKUPyzgWx5EhiF7eBxq8_0wjPgowbklW0Tz1KVndC4b6ej8fA/s1600/Marseille_2014_032.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> A child plays in the courtyard of Agora Centre, a social development organization located in <i>quartier</i> Busserine, 14th <i>arrondissement</i>
of Marseille. For a number of reasons, including high crime and
violence, Busserine and nearby areas have been identified as ‘Sensitive
Urban Zones’ by the French government. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJ3n0F3RH6PL1y8olbShZUC00Rg6YEPECLnjpumXdk3KSLNqxxqBCRz4PJ4W8hmoQMwim3taTBNCMoN6R655e0XHTEut9QGyQLro_21Ini3ZIsY7EURCU1j_nWaPpjZRdBhl05Ggrmu4/s1600/Marseille_2014_033.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> At a friend’s apartment in <i>cité les Lauriers</i> in 13th <i>arrondissement</i>. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsWkWqi6OWjmO3xrk-r6fya3x-Zf38VdBL5WO_JhlQROLJctd4dPmHCs-rOWeC50jmQpEPpfgvPbg5Nqualst72iyiI6jx9VWQxkldng-BEQxEXe9b9242JYsjxy9cn93NAOnheC9kvk/s1600/Marseille_2014_034.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Sisters share a joke outside The Grand Littoral shopping center. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiBfiqjqwUiyio16qh0FuC7k-0Cphv53XjqricSQu52ASpGoQ_uRz-FN1Wph8diJQkeXSSGT0zXKMVdcxMW9Zh9n6Lk4GOiFkqsLEBVYiycZc2zHSIOUnDx38lZhHP1CZShjjEb7WFh0/s1600/Marseille_2014_035.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> An evening of reading and kickboxing workout at the beach. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfa4JLRsNwkKKceZiUCJy_y8mFHcEIk3inmlXy_6LsJheeKXnPsguGp4rI1PlJlSz6qMUzMWvWhf-crHYpaP22fXclg6qKj0SSFKvzXrideyc7tQ_-bohRzLLV405DE_9wNYSEmHNTkPs/s1600/Marseille_2014_036.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Leslie Diebel, with her son Adam Belaadi (left), soaks up the sun at the beach near Promenade Georges Pompidou. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiePDjhKF4f_ygri22Ob7fgYiUORUEZr-97bHqwo74aizn88rJbWxlqSVEbjHwyuGpJ4vhOymId5Pmkz3l3CYfiCHsrMwDN2bmhlzxD7BKx19HRrZu8hgQUkO_bnApu2bB9ReUYfWyUras/s1600/Marseille_2014_037.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Malika Ibrahima with her boyfriend, Mathieu Cocly, at <i>La Roseraie</i>, an emergency shelter home for unemployed homeless young people. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lwYIme9PxEQ6YQYYKRjOkcC-srdvh9VtRMqxaNQu129sFq_aTJYvWzKgZq1kICA38X0YSvZLqg3x54OxKMPZ4c3NZtI76IHUw2clluj7rVWINWpbaTdFyLNc-QftILeR_KJ-yUnXnYs/s1600/Marseille_2014_038.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> Picking fresh flowers in the morning. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVs_ZClXBwHxeG1ErRptvN4tDqWmAD7pqHMixGI15HJWwk3Ktlhhx24Orx-GsKYHDz00CsepJ99VqqwrnvCvb0atnFCTOdnilSCz2lcqOb42Ww-1Kt70xeEMCuRrSYYDBCXvLUpjTHsmE/s1600/Marseille_2014_039.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b> A young man and his blue-and-gold macaw in a street near <i>Place Jean Jaurès.</i> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl9WZVFplCJjpsODmS1KLYjqWRskguTw14jVAIdIhJa1lg8enluAsUkhSNHf06wNbpmFaHFNuN3QFXPHO32HF8qSOTpIpSke7wjntWc7FGo-NIlTHul1opwEwWOOo__Ye_7uXm4NfE7g/s1600/Marseille_2014_040.png" /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2014.</b>
A young man does a wheelie in a narrow street even as his friend
(hand) warns him of a fast approaching car behind his scooter. A
youngster performing a wheelie is such a common sight in Marseille that
many people jokingly describe it as the ‘national sport of Marseille’. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;">Selected photographs from<i> The Silence of 'Others' (2009-ongoing) </i>can be viewed at the link below</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.lensculture.com/bharat?modal=true&modal_type=project&modal_project_id=39603" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.lensculture.com/bharat?modal=true&modal_type=project&modal_project_id=39603" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIS3LyVc0yqiu_K5Uou84u34geP02N9LmNhVIGltRICdMQC5Y2WzuPG1KeZqzo9lKW9JV5HWEWpLLSyr2AoKXOUyNML51vMLebp0PNnZfZay1iLYHB48LYxeIEfILeBZ-WlT4YBxZf73y/s1600/Bharat001+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "times";">Copyright
© 2014 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images/articles
contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the
property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b><span style="font-family: "times";"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">No
image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the
photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in
any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be
liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span>
</b></span></b></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-55888453694568991492013-11-09T01:22:00.002+00:002013-11-09T01:30:28.773+00:00The Silence Of 'Others' in Marseille<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span>arseille, France’s second largest city,
is an important port of the Mediterranean and a beautiful place with
lots of sunshine. It has a long history of migration and its present
complex and culturally diverse character is a reflection of the
successive generations of migrants who docked and settled here. Migrants
began arriving in Marseille in the middle of the 19<sup>th</sup>
century and their migration was closely linked with the French colonial
invasion of North Africa, beginning with Algeria in 1830. North Africans
were brought to work and develop Marseille’s port and industries. The
number of foreigners continued to grow steadily and in 1914, around
100,000 Italians arrived and settled in Marseille. There was a lot of
pseudo-nationalistic and xenophobic noise against, what many French had
termed as, an Italian invasion. But there is an interesting story that
must be shared here. Because such stories – past and present –
explicitly highlight the ignorance and hypocrisy of most of the
right-wing opinions on the issue of immigration. The question that needs
to be asked here is why did France permit thousands of North Africans
and Italians to settle in Marseille in the first place. Well, because
the French industrial economy, in order to expand, needed laborers who
could do dirty and dangerous jobs at the lowest possible wages. The
French workers demanded better salaries and safer working conditions and
in order to constrain these demands, poorly paid North African and
Italian workers were recruited in large numbers. These foreign and
colonial workers were effectively used to break frequent strikes and
weaken the French unionized workforce. Gradually, the Italian workers
got together, formed unions, began striking and demanding exactly what
earlier the French workers were demanding. Then the industry owners and
manufacturers brought in poorer North Africans to replace the
rights-conscious Italians. Like the oil manufacturers in Marseille who
recruited migrants from Kabylia, a very poor north Algerian region, to
replace striking Italians who were demanding better wages. These new
‘strikebreakers’ were now employed to replace those who had previously
been ‘strikebreakers’. So it is important to remember that the North
Africans and Italians did not just come to Marseille on their own
looking for work. They were ‘invited’ to work, allowed to settle and
employed to build an economically powerful France. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://kenanmalik.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/what-is-wrong-with-multiculturalism-part-1/" target="_blank">Kenan Malik </a>provides similar examples and lessons from the European history that xenophobic voices conveniently choose to ignore. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">
The second generation of migrants arrived
when after the heavy human losses in the First World War, France was in
desperate need of workers to rebuild and restart its industries. The
Italians and colonial workers were further encouraged to immigrate. But
along with them two new groups also started arriving. The Armenians who
arrived as refugees fleeing persecution in Turkey and the Corsicans who
came in large numbers and settled in the famous Le Panier (The Basket)
neighborhood of Marseille. The third wave of migration came with the
need to rebuild and reconstruct France after the Second World War. But
more importantly, it was the decolonization of former French colonies in
the sub-Saharan and North African region that led to the arrival of
large number of immigrants from the Maghreb. In 1975, around 60% of
Marseille’s population was from Maghreb. This huge influx of migrants
laid the foundation of the present north-south divide of Marseille. The
city did not have enough space for the newly arrived Maghrebis and new
housing projects, the <i>cités</i>, were constructed to replace the shantytowns and suburbs where these migrants had long been crammed into. And from these <i>cités, </i>I have begun the French chapter of The Silence of ‘Others’.. </span></span></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">
For the first three years of my work in
America and England, my objective was to document the impact of
religious prejudice and stereotyping on young Muslims. I shared stories
of a struggle for equality, citizenship and democracy in the face of
‘Islamophobia’. With this new work in Marseille, I have begun to
document how religious discrimination coupled with other factors –
racial profiling, poverty, dilapidated housing, high unemployment,
rampant crime, juvenile delinquency and illegal drug trade – contribute
to the disillusionment and alienation of young Muslims.<b> </b>I am
documenting the community’s experience: their struggles to belong and
the socio-cultural, economic and political system’s flaws that oppose
them. A majority of the Muslim population resides in the <i>cités </i>–
the shiny ivory towers spread all over Marseille. The purpose of my work
is to observe and understand how things and everyday events contribute
to the ‘lived experience’ of young Muslims living in and around these <i>cités</i>.
I am photographing their activities, behaviors, intimate emotions,
personal opinions, private lives and public interactions. The
photographs attempt to bring forth an understanding of how the Muslim
youth in Marseille views its personal identity, democratic citizenship,
social relationships, political participation, economic equality and
most importantly, its wellbeing. My work isn’t over yet. But I am
sharing here all that I have been able to do so far. In my interviews
with the community, I have tried to collect information on a number of
issues – identity, housing, employment, schooling, health services,
social relationships, public transportation, police and security. And a
lot of that information has been presented along-with the photographs.. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">
An overview of the findings reveals a precarious and complex state of the society in Marseille. The implementation of French <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La%C3%AFcit%C3%A9" target="_blank"><i>laïcité </i></a>has
led to an institutional invisibility of Muslims and they appear nowhere
in the public sector strategies and policies. In principle, <i>laïcité</i>
sounds too good when French politicians tell you that France does not
differentiate between job seekers, homebuyers or potential students on
the basis of their religion, and that every one is judged according to
their needs and merits. But in reality, in almost every sector, Muslims
are in fact excluded and disadvantaged. A majority of the young Muslims
believe that they are viewed as ‘non-French’, different and inferior.
Not many of them feel strongly for the Maghrebi countries of their
parents’ origin, but they also do not have a sense of belonging to
France. They believe that in order to be ‘fully French’ one has to
forget his or her identity as an Arab. You can either be ‘Arab’ or
‘French’ because the society, they say, is still not ready to accept
them as Arab French. Racial prejudice and discrimination affects them
everyday and it plays a very important role in keeping them away from
the southern part of the city. The city is not markedly divided into
‘French’ or ‘Arab’ neighborhoods. It is more of a ‘rich-poor’ divide.
But the high concentration of Arab families in the poorer northern <i>quartiers </i>[quarters]
of Marseille is clearly evident. The schools are perfect examples that
depict this ‘north-south’ or ‘Arab-French’ divide. Children of Muslim
families are concentrated in schools in the Northern working-class <i>quartiers</i>
of Marseille. In my discussions with some teachers, I was told that the
academic results of students from the Northern and Southern schools are
very different. Less number of students from the Northern <i>quartiers</i>
successfully complete their education and the number of dropouts are
higher as compared to the better performing Southern schools. This
underachievement, at a later stage in life, significantly shapes the
Muslim community’s experience and performance in the job market. Racial,
ethnic and religious discrimination in employment and careers is a
major and widespread issue for the community. ‘<i>I can not get a good job because I am an Arab and a Muslim</i>’
is the most frequently expressed sentiment in Marseille. Disadvantages,
like living in the rough parts of the city and having lower levels of
education, further reduce their chances of securing or performing well
in good jobs. High unemployment and low incomes ensure that most of
these young men and women remain forever trapped in the vicious cycle of
poverty and crime. I often ask them, “<i>What would be the first thing that you’d like to do if you have a job or some money?</i>” <i>“I’ll move to a better apartment” </i>is
always their first response. The crisis of immigrant housing has always
dominated the social and political debates in France. But the issue
still remains critical and partially unresolved till date. When the
migrants first arrived in the 1960s, they were settled in dormitories or
hostels. But these accommodations were not equipped or big enough for
families and so the migrants made their own makeshift houses. They were
then moved to temporary settlements where they waited for a private or
public HLM apartment [<i>Habitation à Loyer Modéré</i>] – housing at low
rent. A number of social housing buildings were erected to accommodate
the immigrants. But today, most of these building are old, rundown and
barely fit for habitation. And to access housing through the private
market, or in cleaner safer neighborhoods, is next to impossible for a
majority of the Maghrebi population. There are several studies that
prove the ethno-racial discrimination in the private and social housing
market of Marseille. The private and social market operators ensure
residential boundaries, separating Maghrebis from the French, are
enforced and perpetuated. This is one of the key reasons why the
ethno-racial divide between the North and South Marseille still
persists. There are poor neighborhoods in Southern Marseille too. But
comparatively, the Northern <i>Quartiers </i>of Marseille are more
densely populated with unemployed and poverty-stricken Muslims, who are
systematically excluded from the richer Southern part of the city.
Several public and private organizations are working to correct this
ethnicized socio-residential divide. But it is a tremendously difficult
job. Especially, with the growing influence of the illegal drug traders,
who control these <i>cités</i> and would do anything to keep these
neighborhoods poor and excluded. Drug related crimes and murders are
rampant and today’s Marseille is one of the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/marseille-europes-most-dangerous-place-to-be-young-8166738.html" target="_blank">most dangerous places in Europe</a>.
There are a number of reports, articles and YouTube videos on the
crimes, gang wars and Kalashnikovs in Marseille. The local community
feels that the solution lies in better and increased policing. But the
community also harbors a strong and long-standing resentment against the
police force. I heard several stories of police racism and their
mistreatment of Muslims and Arabs. And unfortunately, I also got to
experience it myself. But I’ll share that story some other day.. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">
Before you move on to read the photographs and their text, I’ll share these words from a report by Open Society Foundations’ <a href="http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/projects/home-europe" target="_blank">At Home in Europe </a>project
in Marseille. These words, I believe, should help you understand my
photographs better. The report says – “Viewed as Marseillais Muslims
(emphasis on Muslims), rather than Muslim Marseillais (or Marseillais
who just happen to be Muslim), Muslims are not yet accepted as citizens
with full rights. In Marseille, prejudices and presuppositions against
them are firmly entrenched: a tendency towards violence, self-isolation,
and segregation and support of radical Islam. While the city remains
deeply marked by its colonial history, most of the treatment currently
meted out to Muslims is unrelated to the legacy of the past and can be
construed as a result of the mechanisms of power: the treatment of
certain classes by public institutions and authorities with
subordination and dependency…In Marseille, the origins of Islamophobia
reach back in time far beyond the events of 9/11, and they are deeply
rooted in the history of the city. Hence a last paradox, which sums up
the previous one: whereas Marseille is often considered, rightly or
wrongly, by other Frenchmen and foreign tourists as the ‘most Muslim
city in Europe’, it is certainly not, at present, a city where it is
easy for one to define oneself as a Muslim, and even less so as a
religiously devout one.”. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bharatphoto.blogspot.co.uk/2013_10_01_archive.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img border="0" height="548" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rXGrw4o2dQc/UmpvXqvxAgI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/fsOH57jvZAE/s830/Snapshot.jpg" width="830" /></span></span></span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Times;">Copyright
© 2008-14 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images/articles
contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the
property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><b><span style="font-family: Times;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">No
image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the
photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in
any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be
liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span>
</b></span></b></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-29036459374093576812013-10-31T01:23:00.000+00:002017-05-06T14:08:02.556+01:00The Silence Of 'Others' - Photographs from Marseille<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iQgaU3FP-Kk/UmqkKsSziuI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/vCcwft9VYD4/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary001.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>France. Marseille. 2012.</b> Abdel
Benfrih [right] was trying to convince his uncle to let him drive the
car but his uncle refused, as Abdel is a minor without a driving
license. Abdel and his family lives in a <i>cité – </i>social housing project – in the northern 13<sup>th</sup> district of Marseille; an area notorious for its links to crime and violence.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Northern districts of Marseille were
once populated with slums and shantytowns, which were later replaced by
the social housing buildings that one can see today. More than half of
the social housing buildings are located in three districts or<i> arrondisements</i> – 13<sup>th</sup>, 14<sup>th</sup>, & 15th – of the <i>Quartiers</i> <i>Nord</i>.
The percentage of the Maghrebi population that lives in social housing
in Marseille is much higher as compared to any other group of
immigrants. They are more likely to live in old overcrowded apartments,
are often tenants and have very limited access to the private housing
market. Due to a very high demand for quality housing in Marseille,
there has been an incredible increase in real estate prices. Quality
housing is no longer available for the lower income population, like the
Maghrebis. Almost all of the South and the East of Marseille is out of
the reach of Maghrebis.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another interesting feature to be
observed is the presence of Muslims in social housing buildings where
there is a high concentration of immigrants of African, Maghrebi or
Turkish origins. Socio-residential heterogeneity can’t be observed in
these buildings and they are often more socially and religiously
homogenous. One can believe that probably these groups would like to
keep to themselves and stay away from non-Muslims. But the truth is that
market forces, discrimination, lack of opportunities and poverty has
ensured that these immigrants are kept at a distance. Very little is
being done to improve the spatial layout of citizens and the divide
between Muslims and non-Muslims is getting wider and stronger day by
day.</span></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrnyC2s4TIXtshzrZmACLfy3CrojUZdBOvxabUlIPRLXKgJjuF7DjdZ28O9nUkT2x-BjWqJtSZYr2MdAIehCQRZOH6ua6XGtcbCc2cPXpL_0DmSffe5G8lkRFj2jNpjk_jFmCZs5GDXwF/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary002.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> Young men, who work for drug dealers, photographed while being interviewed on the 7<sup>th</sup>
floor of a social housing building. The man on the left did the talking
while the one in the center, who identified himself as Laglu, kept a
watch on all movements nearby. Laglu, aged 22, was arrested a couple of
weeks ago and is now in prison after being convicted for a number of
illegal activities.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The right side of the wall was once a
door to a flat, which was later sealed by the police after an entire
family was murdered there by a rival drug gang. In memory of the slain
family, young men from the building chiseled their own names and heart
shapes on the cement. The word at the bottom of the wall reads ‘Bisous’ –
‘Kisses’ in French.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Drugs for long have been central to the
network of crime and violence in Marseille. Marseille was once a major
center for drugs processing, mainly heroin. In early 70s, more than 80%
of heroin in the US was trafficked from Marseille. Today, Marseille
still remains a major route for cocaine into Europe from South America
through West Africa, and for cannabis through Spain from Morocco. Drug
trafficking rivalry leads to a number of murders each year. In most of
the cases, the victims are young men between the ages of 20-35. In 2012,
there were 24 drug-related murders and more than 10,000 armed
burglaries and robberies. This year the number of murders has already
reached to 17.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gun laws are extremely strict in France
but there has been a phenomenal increase in the use of machine-guns by
criminals. Police authorities claim the new generation of drug dealers
has no fear for law and is not at all afraid to use automatic weapons.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise for a city where a Kalashnikov is
reportedly available for less than 500 Euros.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But how can such huge networks of crime,
drugs and guns operate without the connivance of local law enforcement
authorities? For years, apprehended drug dealers have been disclosing
that police officers allow them to operate after taking a cut from their
profits. Last year, almost half of Brigade Anti-Criminalite – Nord
(BAC-Nord), an elite anti-crime unit founded to control crime in the
Northern districts of Marseille, was suspended. A sting operation led to
the disclosure that officers of BAC-Nord were extorting drugs and cash
from Marseille’s underworld. Many of these policemen own luxury homes
with swimming pools and expensive cars. The entire BAC-Nord unit has now
been disbanded. A total of 30 officers were suspended, 15 indicted for
theft, extortion and organized gang activities. Four of them are still
imprisoned. But many citizens believe that BAC-Nord scandal, the biggest
in French history, is just the tip of an iceberg and the menace of
police corruption and collusion is far from over.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8u5sgOt9CvI/UmqkKng8RaI/AAAAAAAAA6U/u_d1mXllC4Q/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary003.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr align="justify"><td class="tr-caption"><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b>
Ambreen Beladi waits for her father [not seen here] as he talks to me
about the old social housing building behind their car. The building is
to be demolished and a new one would be constructed in its place soon.
Most of the social housing projects are decades old, in dilapidated
conditions, poorly maintained and overpopulated.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">According to a report, there are around 60,000 dilapidated buildings
in Marseille, which is around 17% of the total housing in the city.
Buildings are considered dilapidated when, among other things, they do
not have fully functional baths or showers and toilets. On a very rough
estimate, there are around 22,000 pending applications for social
housing and only 1000 new units are being constructed on a yearly basis.
The rest of the applicants usually have to depend on many such old
dilapidated buildings until they are able to find a better apartment.
There is a law that encourages municipalities to achieve a certain
target number of social housing units. Marseille hasn’t yet achieved its
target of 20% of social housing for each neighborhood.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">New housing complexes being built in the
suburbs are fast becoming attractive to families with better or higher
incomes. The middle and upper class sections of Marseille’s society can
afford to rent or purchase these new apartments. On the other hand, most
of the Maghrebis have poor credit records and very low incomes. And
very few housing units are being built for this disenfranchised section
of the society, even though the demand for such housing is significantly
high. In such a scenario, the only housing available or affordable to
them is the cheaper old dilapidated one, like the building seen here.
This situation has led to a fierce competition for social housing and
people have to wait for years before they are offered a place to live.</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RhPvP1SueN8/UmqkPoIn8QI/AAAAAAAAA64/VdWK2M_bbG0/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary004.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>Fadila Benchouia kisses her son
goodnight after reading a bedtime story to him. Fadila separated from
her husband two years ago after he started drinking heavily and turned
abusive. As a single parent, Fadila receives a number of social security
benefits, but she still works at two different jobs in order to earn
enough for her son’s education and future. Like a lot of single mothers
that I met in Marseille, Fadila too expressed her fear and concerns
about drugs, crime and violence in Marseille. Single-parent families
make up more than 10% of all families in Marseille; three times more
than anywhere else in France. In June this year, hundreds of citizens,
many of them mothers, marched on the streets and demanded an end to the
criminal violence that has brutally ended the lives of several young
sons of Marseille.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6NQ4qJMNYu4/UmqkOfu8TSI/AAAAAAAAA6w/paLalpVfJ-g/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary005.png" /></div>
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Drug peddling takes place quite openly in the <i>cités</i>.
Sometimes, young dealers can be seen standing in front of the
buildings. But most of the times, they use the stairways and portals of
the social housing buildings to sell drugs. It protects them from being
detected by the police and helps them to quickly hide their drugs in
case of a raid.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The drug distribution network is very
well organized and has very specific roles for each member of the
network. Young men like these often act as lookouts, the <i>chouffes, </i>or as dealers, the <i>charbonneurs, </i>selling
mostly marijuana and hashish. Most of the networks employ young men
from poor families without a father or an elder brother, which helps
them to control the lives and families of the young men. If the families
resist, they are often threatened or beaten. But mostly, they accept
because money earned by their young children often helps them to cope
with poverty. The dealers normally follow an unwritten code of not
bothering or harassing the residents of the building where they operate.
But this is not always the case and residents and visitors often
complain about the difficulties they face while entering or exiting the
buildings. I had been instructed, by the families that I used to visit,
to conceal my camera and to never reveal that I am a photojournalist.
The families were definitely concerned about my safety but they also
could not let the dealers know that they were sharing information, or
giving interviews and photographs to me.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3sGHWpCQR8I/UmqkRMvSfJI/AAAAAAAAA7A/7ZLJPK1s4e0/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary006.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>A large number of damaged or burnt vehicles can be found in and around the<i> </i><i>cités</i>
in Marseille. These are vehicles which had been stolen mainly to
retrieve and sell valuable parts, and also for joyriding. Most of the
stolen vehicles are often found abandoned at random locations or
employed further for committing other crimes. They are also used for
making false insurance claims or sold to unsuspecting customers.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is another reason why one may find
several burnt or damaged cars in France, especially near the poor
housing projects. On New Year’s Eve each year, joyriders and vandals
celebrate by setting fire to as many empty parked cars as possible.
Gangs try to outdo each other by burning more vehicles. This tradition
results in thousands of torched cars each year. On January 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2013, the French Interior Ministry reported that revelers had burned 1193 cars during this year’s celebrations.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0ej5PIkzpc/UmqkU5W23qI/AAAAAAAAA7M/SNwkN28aXQs/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary007.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> A young
boy feels homesick and spends some time alone in the backyard of his
hostel. He had just spoken over the phone with his parents who live in
the Republic of Guinea. The boy arrived in Marseille as an illegal
immigrant but is now being looked after and supported by a private
social organization.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Marseille is known as the refugee capital
of France. Thousands of new immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers,
cross the Mediterranean Sea and arrive in Marseille each year. But in
the absence of proper legal papers, many of them are detained and
deported. Depending upon their condition and backgrounds, some of them,
mainly minors, are allowed to stay in France. They remain in the legal
custodies of social organizations that provide shelter, food and
education to these young immigrants. The organizations work to ensure
that these young men and women are fully prepared to deal with their new
lives in France. After a few months, these immigrants are produced in
courts where a decision is then taken whether they should be allowed to
become naturalized French citizens or should they be sent back to their
native countries.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It all appears to be a clean and
transparent system but in reality it isn’t. Issues like corruption,
inefficiency and mismanagement of funds are worsening the situation
instead of facilitating a full-fledged integration of the newly arrived
immigrants. Many social organizations, which are funded by the French
government, pay money to buy papers for these immigrants illegally from
the black market. Most of the men that I met in this hostel, could
barely speak French, hardly interacted with fellow residents from other
countries and were single-mindedly focused on securing their papers. I
saw young men forming gangs based on ethnicity/nationality inside these
hostels and violently fighting with each other over petty issues. But I
do not think that these young immigrants are at fault here. Because it
is the organization’s responsibility to do more to provide these young
men and women with professional and personal skills that will help them
to live a fuller life once they leave their hostels. These organizations
should make extra efforts to help these immigrants interact with the
larger French society, discourage ghettoization and nurture a feeling of
belongingness, and not just stuff them with food and money. But in a
desperate bid to achieve project targets or sustain their funding
sources, these organizations have adopted the same malpractices that the
French society expects them to defeat.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RY6IZbjioMQ/UmqlNTWy3rI/AAAAAAAAA-E/Wl30hXjoGdc/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary008.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>Kamel
Berrouichat works as a nighttime caretaker at a hostel
for young illegal immigrants. Kamel used to be a policeman but after
five years he left his job. He says that the inherent racism and bias
against Arabs in the police system was getting intolerable for him.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From all the stories that Kamel narrated,
I think his own personal experience is something that needs to be
shared here. Once, while off-duty, he was driving on a street when he
saw two men fighting after a car accident. He tried to intervene and
break up the fight. The police arrived at the scene soon and without
asking any questions, they arrested Kamel. The other two men were
non-Arabs and were allowed to leave. But the police took Kamel to the
station, hurled racist abuses at him and detained him illegally without
any charges. He did not disclose that he too was a policeman because he
wanted to see how far they could go. A lady officer constantly kept
telling him, “It is because of you Arabs that we have so many problems
here”. After a few hours another officer walked in the police station.
He was Kamel’s friend and when he got to know what had happened, he
asked the others to release Kamel immediately. When they got to know
that Kamel too was a policeman, the other officers were embarrassed and
they requested Kamel not to file a complaint against them.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kamel said that police department has
been trying to recruit officers of Maghrebi or African origin in order
to improve policing and relationship with the immigrant communities. But
most of these officers are never promoted to senior positions and not
allowed to work on sensitive cases. There are ethnic divisions in the
police force and there aren’t many Arab or black officers in key senior
positions in Marseille.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DH0wBdRj1M0/UmqkVW5TXFI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/-kNSZv8ekzg/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary009.png" /></div>
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Members
of the French Comorian community were about to gather for a meeting in a
café and one of the organizers here makes some quick last minute
changes to the discussion points.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are more than 90,000 Comorians in
Marseille and a commonly heard comment about the community is that
‘there are more Comorians in Marseille than in Comoros’. A majority of
the community has migrated from Mayotte, a French overseas department in
the Comoros Archipelago. Around 97% of Mayotte’s population is Muslim.
The Comorians are viewed as the ‘gentler’ and ‘peaceful’ Muslims in
France. Probably, because they rarely participate in mass demonstrations
or protests. But as an elderly gentleman remarked, “This is no
compliment. It is actually an encouragement to remain silent and be
satisfied with whatever little we get”. In Marseille, the Comorian
community is amongst the poorest and excluded. The Comorians are
gradually realizing the need to voice their concerns and are now trying
to organize themselves socially and politically.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yJdVQOel2OA/UmqkW3eNDEI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/TWjbSB0cAl8/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary010.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>Two friends watch a suspenseful animated movie after a dinner of milk and chocolates.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span>_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GRoTz6bGmLM/UmqkajrGXSI/AAAAAAAAA7g/MAyjwv1AW3k/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary011.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> Sofiyan Benchouia [right] and his mother wait for our language translator at his apartment in a <i>cité </i>in the 13<sup>th</sup>
district of Marseille. Sofiyan is a very good student and is preparing
for his engineering entrance exams. His parents came from Oran, Algeria,
to France in 1966 after the Algerian War. In her interview, Sofiyan’s
mother said that she likes to live in Marseille and does not believe
that there is racism or discrimination of any kind against Arabs in
France. But Sofiyan holds a very different opinion. He said, “My mother
never had to go out for work. Her social life is limited to the Algerian
community in our neighborhood. How can she know what racism or
discrimination is? Maybe you should ask my father who had to work for
low paying jobs even after being highly qualified. Or wait till you hear
what I have faced in schools and on the streets”.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DhYL4xAypwg/UmqkboaB3jI/AAAAAAAAA7o/8heEdvyd0ig/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary012.png" /></div>
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Ilhem Hachemi [right], 30, travels with her mother to downtown Marseille from La Rose, the northernmost metro station.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is true that unlike Paris, where the <i>banlieues</i>
are situated away from the city centre, the housing projects in
Marseille aren’t really separated from the rest of the city. Marseille
is almost twice the size of Paris in land area. When France began the
large-scale construction of social housing projects in the 60s and 70s,
Marseille had a lot of available land space. So it was possible to build
and distribute these housing projects evenly throughout Marseille. But
this does not mean that low-income marginalized families can choose to
stay near the city centre or wherever else they want to. The rents or
prices of the housing units near the city centre are beyond the reach of
most of the Maghrebis and that is why they are concentrated in the more
distant poor crime-infested northern districts of Marseille. And a
majority of this population is detached from the rest of the city
primarily because of the public transport system.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have had a few discussions where people
have tried to convince me that public transportation here isn’t poor,
and that the northern districts are very well connected to the rest of
Marseille. But after living for some months in the northern districts,
without any personal means of transportation, I just cannot agree with
their arguments. There isn’t a Metro station nearby; walk for 8-10
minutes to a bus stop, a bus arrives after a gap of 20 minutes, which
takes another 25 minutes to drop you at the nearest Metro station. Spend
another 30 minutes in the Metro before you can arrive at the city
centre. Is this what it means to be ‘well connected’?</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3CD4C_2-Lw0/UmqkfL1mbdI/AAAAAAAAA7w/ChXkNEcsYWc/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary013.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Leslie
Diebel fell in love with Nil Belaadi, a French Algerian man, while
studying at the university. But her parents were against her decision to
marry an Arab. In spite of all her persuasion, Leslie’s parents were
not convinced. Leslie still went ahead, married her boyfriend without
their consent and converted to Islam. Shocked and disappointed, her
parents cut off all ties with Leslie and did not speak with her for
almost two years. But after the birth of Leslie’s first child, a
daughter, her parents gave in to their emotions, reconciled and accepted
Nil as their son-in-law.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Leslie’s father was born and raised in
Algeria and like other settlers, had to return to France after the
independence of Algeria in 1962. Amidst the chaos of Algerian
independence, around 1.6 million French colonists, known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied-Noir" target="_blank"><i>pied noirs</i></a>
or black-feet, returned to France filled with a lot of bitterness. They
have for long harbored anger against the decolonization of Algeria and
the decision of allowing Algerians to settle in France. Mainly, because
they themselves had been uprooted and forced to leave Algeria, a country
that they had known as their home. They view their coming to France as a
painful displacement and their relations with the ‘native’ French
citizens weren’t pleasant initially. Today, they are fully integrated
with the French society but their anti-North African sentiment still
persists, which is often exploited by political parties like Front
National and politicians like Jean-Marie Le Pen.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UYn-sBHiF4A/UmqkiMFEOLI/AAAAAAAAA74/vBrzw3cJBHQ/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary014.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Nassurdine Haidari [left], 35,
spends some time with his family during a lunch break from his office,
which is just across the street from where he lives. Haidari, a member
of the Socialist Party, is a deputy mayor for youth and sport for the 1<sup>st</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> <i>arrondissements</i>
of Marseille. French-born Haidari’s parents came from Comoros Islands
off Africa’s east coast and he grew up in one of the poorest
neighborhoods in Marseille. Haidari is an active campaigner of equal
rights and social inclusion. Last year, Haidari was attacked and beaten
by 20 men wearing masks and helmets as he was campaigning with community
members during the French presidential election. But Haidari remains
undeterred and hasn’t stopped working against issues of discrimination
and rising inequality. As Haidari stated during his interview, “We have
two fights to win. Against racism and Islamophobia. Because we are black
and we are Muslims”.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A6drIgLMpSA/UmqkmWavJ0I/AAAAAAAAA8A/6lzZ59KlgdA/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary015.png" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Saliha Sadelli [right], a private nurse, talks to her patient during a home visit.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During our discussion, I asked if the practice of not serving <i>halal</i>
meals in public hospitals was really an issue for the Muslim community
in Marseille. Saliha said, “Yes it is, and patients often complain about
it”. <i>Halal</i> means permitted in Arabic. Under Islamic dietary
laws, meat/poultry has to be slaughtered in the name of Allah, and in a
certain manner to be considered <i>halal</i>. Certain foods, like pork and alcohol, cannot be consumed and are not<i> halal</i>. French laws do not specifically talk about this issue but public hospitals, claiming to be followers of <i>laïcité</i>,
do not serve meals based on religious restrictions. But this isn’t the
point of conflict between the Muslim patients and the authorities. The
real problem is the fact that hospitals deny <i>halal </i>meals to Muslims but have a proper system of serving <i>Kosher </i>meals
to Jewish patients. The Israelite Consistory of Marseille has a formal
partnership with all public, private and military hospitals to
distribute daily meals to Jewish patients who request <i>Kosher</i> meals. But hospitals are unwilling to consider any such proposals for the provision of <i>halal </i>meals. The Muslim community considers this as racism and a discriminatory treatment of Muslims by the local health care system.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XcruEpXxpJM/UmqlNHQXDgI/AAAAAAAAA-A/ol0Yl4osudY/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary016.png" /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Children
of a Comorian family listen to their mother [not in the picture] as she
talks about her experience of living in Marseille. The family, living
in an old social housing apartment, has eleven children; the eldest
child is 16-years old and the youngest one is 15-months old.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">France, following the principle of
solidarity, spends around 33% of its GDP on social welfare benefits,
which is more than any other OECD [Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development] country. But with the economic mess that
Europe is in right now, and with a gradual reduction in the resources
that finance social protection, President Francois Hollande has been
persuading French citizens to accept drastic changes to their social
protection system. In order to revive the French economy, huge
reductions in pension and welfare benefits have been proposed. Such
proposals have been welcomed by those who have for long been against
unemployment and family payouts, especially to immigrants. Benefit
payments are directly proportional to the number of children in the
family. And during my interviews, many respondents, Arabs and non-Arabs,
blamed the welfare benefits system as an encouragement for immigrants
to have large families. But there were also many respondents who
criticized and rejected such generalizations by stating that even if
such tendencies exist amongst a tiny percentage of immigrants, then
adequate employment opportunities, better education and social inclusion
can easily correct them.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzKz41b2KF_NCaE8_le0PDgGuEuWL43J-j1rOAu9obPnrbD-youTCUchd6dsD8d_wsATDtBeoUlmBbJk4v2eabeEnknWW5t-XszfoQ2qQVmtcfERsjcarfxQ6mehwQKfURFzpn1Tiv_go/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary017.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>A young man tries to impress with his
soccer skills on a street in Le Panier district. Le Panier, the oldest
part of Marseille, is where the Greeks first settled and founded the
city of Massalia some 2600 years ago. Since then, Le Panier has
witnessed several waves of immigrations. Initially, the Italians and
Corsicans settled here, then came the Maghrebis, and more recently the
Vietnamese and the Comorians. There was also a time when Le Panier was
viewed as a hurdle in the modernization of Marseille. Authorities saw it
as a hill crowded with immigrants and dilapidated houses. But Le Panier
developed at a pace and mood of its own, and still carries imprints of
the successive cultures that gave its narrow streets their Provençal
color and allure.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span>_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5P-zBkP1Xv5cQyfhGnPFiLX-2VYrfcps_M7NQ2_DVDHr3itA5zKm9KZFI9KW7OevnZYVHn86lhr11nUZ4gck3ZX_yGaBAPuXtLH_KQQ3CtLDS2mdRz0WQBmh0WWcA4ejxbynL8UzG-Ch/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary018.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>Friends
of a young dress designer [not in the picture] wait for their car after
finishing a photo shoot for the designer’s catalogue. The girls are
wearing traditional hand-made Algerian wedding dresses. Such dresses are
elaborately designed to represent the Algerian custom of treating the
bride as a princess in her new kingdom.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The older generation of Muslims in
Marseille maintains very strong social and cultural ties with their
countries of origin. They still have families living there and
Marseillais keep in regular touch with their relatives abroad by every
possible means. Hundreds of Marseillais travel to their country of
origin, especially to Northwest Africa, during their annual summer
vacations. These bonds have ensured the preservation of Maghrebi
beliefs, customs and practices, which are now a prominent feature of the
French cultural and social mosaic.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span>_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2R4a46a06Y/UmqkueKDNmI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/xmVdFp5lc28/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary019.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>Wafaa Allal, 33, works as a part-time
Arabic teacher conducting classes at the basement of an Islamic
library. She is a single mother and has a 7-year old daughter. Wafaa has
a Master’s degree in Translation [Arabic, Spanish & English] and
has been trying to get a job for the past 5 years. She received quite a
few job offers from many private firms. But they all wanted her to work
without her <i>hijab</i>, which she wasn’t ready for. Fed up with the
situation, she no longer sends out job applications and now teaches at a
low-paying Islamic library for just two days a week.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In France, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La%C3%AFcit%C3%A9" target="_blank"><i>laïcité</i> </a>bans
the full-face covering burqa or niqab in all public places. It also
prevents the wearing of religious signs by students at public primary
and secondary schools inside school grounds. State employees are also
barred from wearing religious symbols like hijabs, skullcaps
(Jewish/Muslim) or crosses in public welfare offices or other government
facilities. But it does recognize and protect the right to freely wear
faith symbols, clothing or head coverings, at all other places. So if
you are not a public servant or a student inside a school, except for
the burqa or niqab, you are free to wear whatever you want to.
Therefore, the ban on Islamic signs, like the <i>hijab</i>, at workplaces is racist and illegal. Yet, it is highly prevalent.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is almost impossible for me to share here all the stories that I heard about the misuse of <i>laïcité </i>and
the discrimination that follows if one insists on wearing or displaying
Islamic symbols like the hijab. But I can tell you that <i>laïcité </i>sounds
good only in principle. In practice, it ensures the institutional
invisibility of minorities in France and weakens all efforts to promote
diversity and prevent prejudice. <i>Laïcité </i>is another example where
an ill-conceived and misused legal decree harasses, abuses and divides
instead of serving, protecting and uniting.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span>_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ykQPxL94diw/UmqkwNM6rUI/AAAAAAAAA8k/SLlMBvgxYfs/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary020.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Omar
Farhoune [right], 17, travels to Frioul Islands, a tourist destination
located approximately 4 km from Marseille. Omar arrived in Marseille in
early 2013 from Barcelona, Spain, with his father. Due to the economic
crisis, Omar’s father was laid-off from work and after being unable to
pay their mortgage, they lost their home too. Seeking work and shelter,
both of them came to France where they were supported by a social
organization that managed to find a job for Omar’s father. They have now
moved into a rented apartment.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Immigrants come to Marseille seeking a
new life, to find a job and earn money for families back home, to avail
medical care or to find protection. Most of the immigrants to Marseille
still arrive from the Maghreb and Black Africa. But the ongoing
financial crisis has forced many unemployed men and women from other
countries, like Spain, to France. France has already seen several waves
of Spanish immigration, from the Spanish civil war in late 30s to the
arrival of Iberian immigrants in large numbers during the 60s and 70s.
This time it is European debt crisis, and the collapse of Spanish
building and banking markets, that has led to an unemployment rate of
30% in Spain and prompted large-scale emigration. But when France, Euro
zone’s second-largest economy, itself is struggling with a 14-year high
unemployment rate of 10.8 %, chances of securing jobs are quite dim for
the newly arrived African or European immigrants.</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MJKY1yxz3jg/UmqkwFK7fwI/AAAAAAAAA8o/Yv9-REI525g/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary021.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> Mehdy Bibi [left] meets his girlfriend
at Notre-Dame de la Garde. They have known each other for five years and
want to get married. But their families, for reasons undisclosed, have
been opposing their marriage and have asked both of them to end their
relationship.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2r6tK3Tvpic/Umqk2EHwgwI/AAAAAAAAA84/3j-_NkptohE/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary022.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Samra,
19, listens to her 70-year old father, Mohammed Gacem, as he tells her
what all he wants to do when he feels better and is able to walk on his
own again. Due to old age, Mohammed has lost much strength and falls
sick quite often. He needs constant care but the family couldn’t afford
to keep him in a hospital or pay for a home caregiver. Mohammed’s three
sons from his first marriage are all married and live separately. So
Samra, a daughter from his second marriage, decided to take a year off
from studies and stay at home to look after her old father. A private
nurse visits them twice a week. But Samra monitors her father’s daily
medication, helps him with light exercises and provides constant
companionship.</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Generally speaking, health care system in
France is quite developed and available to all. For example, a visit to
the general medical practitioner costs around €23. The state reimburses
70% of this cost and in the event of serious illnesses, like cancer,
100% of the cost is reimbursed. But I’ll quote here an important finding
from an Open Society Foundations report – “In Marseille, the most
prevalent illness may well be poverty. And from poverty there follow
many pathological conditions that local health practitioners encounter
in work… The occurrence of illness linked to extreme poverty has not
diminished in Marseille. For instance, tuberculosis, which was believed
to have been eradicated, is now present. There are estimated to be 18
cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and even more in some <i>arrondissements</i>…Tuberculosis
remains a condition linked to poverty and all that it entails:
overcrowded apartments, inadequate housing, lack of hygiene and
difficulties accessing health care. Analysing the breakdown by <i>arrondissement</i>
of confirmed tuberculosis shows that it is in the city’s lower –class
neighbourhoods that the rate of tuberculosis is the highest. These
neighbourhoods are also the ones where migrant residents originating
from the Maghreb, Africa and Comoros are concentrated…”</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FP4gEI9I6fg/Umqk3iJuIYI/AAAAAAAAA9A/97IGaHfB0rk/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary023.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>A nervous tourist on a ferryboat from Frioul to Château d’If, about a mile away from the shore in the Bay of Marseille.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Located on the southeast coast of France,
Marseille is an important and one of the busiest ports in Europe. The
Phoenicians, a maritime trading civilization, founded Marseille some
2600 years ago. Since then, the sea has always played an important role
in the life of Marseille. For centuries, the sea has brought to the
shores of Marseille innumerable explorers, slaves, laborers, merchants,
sailors, refugees, immigrants, and holidaymakers too. The French empire
utilized the port city to establish direct links to North African
colonies like Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Hundreds of ships and boats
leave Marseille everyday to bring back fresh seafood from the
Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and connect France to the Maghreb,
Corsica, Sardinia, Spain and Italy.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-58gp1KX1-1k/UmqlNlDCWCI/AAAAAAAAA-I/ptyxs5L_A4M/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary024.png" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> Sofia
[left] and Fatima had to wait for more than an hour before Sofia’s
brother could finish work and come to pick them up from a shopping mall.
The northern districts of Marseille, where a majority of the city’s
Muslim population resides, are poorly connected by public
transportation.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">F</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rom whichever part of the world you
might be, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to understand that factors
like urban planning and access to public services play a very important
role in deciding how different communities in a city interact and relate
to each other. A steep economic disparity, coupled with a geographical
separation, always fuels resentment and ‘otherness’. We have observed
such a phenomenon in almost every major city around the world. If a
minority community is made to physically, culturally and politically
leave mainstream territories, if it is systematically pushed away to
poorer excluded areas, and if it does not get equal opportunities to
bridge ever-growing social and economic gaps, then it is impossible to
achieve objectives of ‘integration’ or ‘assimilation’. I have seen it in
Asia, I have seen it in America and I am now seeing it in Europe.</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nd that is why, even when I couldn’t
find any tangible evidence in support of their views, I still somehow
agree with these young Marseillais when they claim that the government
will intentionally not extend the Metro line to the distant northern
districts. Because it wants to keep the poor uncivilized crime-prone <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beur" target="_blank"><i>beurs</i></a> away from the richer sophisticated righteous <i>French</i>.</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yDUanpvtZi8/Umqk2P1af6I/AAAAAAAAA80/74PMskhHEPw/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary025.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> Squatting in a social housing apartment, young men watch a soccer match on TV. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bout a third of Marseille’s population
lives below the poverty line, earning less than 850 Euros ($1150) per
month. In the poor suburbs of Marseille, inhabited mainly by North
African Muslims, youth unemployment is as high as 50 percent. Such young
men are easy recruits for the drug dealers and violent gangs. The
dealers/gangs provide these unemployed men with alcohol, drugs,
television and money. Young men, who act as lookouts, guard the entry
and exit points of a <i>cité</i> and warn drug dealers about the police, are called <i>chouffes. </i> They earn up to 100 Euros ($135) a day. Then there are the <i>charbonneurs </i>who sell the drugs to the customers. Those who take care of the stock, usually kept in apartments like this one, are called the <i>ravitailleurs</i>. They are paid quite handsomely. But the ones who make the most of the money are the <i>nourrices </i>who allow drugs and money to be stored in their homes. These <i>nourrices</i>
are usually poverty-stricken single women who have no direct contact
with any of the other members or drug sellers. They can earn from 5,000
to 10,000 Euros ($13,480) per month. But the earning for each of these
categories varies and depends on the neighborhoods, risks and business.</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I heard a very interesting story while
interacting with these young men. It was about the riots of 2005 that
engulfed Paris and many other cities for 20 nights, leaving 9000 burnt
vehicles and 3000 people in jail. Somehow, not even a single incident
took place in Marseille. This calm was later hailed as a sign of
communal understanding and harmony by the media and politicians. But
these men, and later some other drug dealers, told me that Marseille
remained calm because the top most drug bosses had strictly ordered
young men not to indulge in rioting. A single day of rioting would have
led to a loss of millions of Euros and the highly profitable drug
business in Marseille could not afford such losses. So everyone was
ordered to carry on with their daily business and to ignore whatever was
happening in Paris or other cities. This information is in complete
contradiction to so many of the stories that attempt to portray the calm
of Marseille during 2005 as an example of unity in diversity,
integration of immigrants or peaceful co-existence of cultures and
religions.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span>_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w7gYvQRLA4k/Umqk8C0NQPI/AAAAAAAAA9I/cU1LSy8JhHU/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary026.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b><b> </b>Moonrise, as seen from <i>Les Eglantiers</i>,<b> </b>one of the many social housing buildings in the northern 13<sup>th</sup> <i>arrondissement</i>
of Marseille. These buildings were constructed in late 60s and early
70s to accommodate immigrant communities, especially Maghrebis, in
France. While they did succeed, to an extent, in providing low-income
families with a shelter, this system has also led to the creation of
several ghettos. In these ghettos, especially in the North, marginalized
population suffers from neglect, massive unemployment, drugs and crime,
away from the rich gentrified Southern Marseille. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">M</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">arseille includes 16 municipal districts (<i>arrondissement</i>), divided into 111 neighborhoods. The 13<sup>th</sup>, 14<sup>th</sup>, 15<sup>th</sup> and 16<sup>th</sup> districts are called the <i>Quartiers Nord</i> (North Quarters). More than half of the social housing buildings in Marseille are located in <i>Quartiers Nord</i>. The city center is located in the 1<sup>st</sup>, 2<sup>nd</sup>, 3<sup>rd</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> districts. These are the districts where a majority of the retired migrant workers, the <i>chibanis</i>,
from the Maghreb reside. They are old, poor and have to stay in France
in order to receive their pensions. The normally share apartments to
reduce housing expenditure and live in the oldest housing buildings in
the city centre. The most deprived and rundown neighborhoods are located
in <i>Quartiers Nord </i>and the city center. The least disadvantaged neighborhoods are located in the South, like the 11<sup>th</sup> district.</span></span></span>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<img alt="030Marseille" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-801" src="https://bharatchoudhary.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/030marseille.jpg?w=840&h=672" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> Yusra,
Sofia and Camelia were my guides during my initial days in Marseille.
They helped me to know more about their city, and also convinced some of
their friends to participate in my project. This photograph was taken
one evening on small hill outside Marseille where the girls rested for a
while before driving me back to my apartment.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3GT9jaUg2y8GQsv-zjNGOPvs5QdM1uRwrRfpy4_iHENvidZzohd8QdznOKIFILq3KOuiELgeOQmYcXIz74x_PA-HxYR4n1cD3a6eetLx5EZLTBitCwJSZHX9ut7vTLNIedIMVAJFy9HA/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary028.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013.</b> Residents from the 15<sup>th</sup> <i>arrondissement</i>
of Marseille at a bus stop near lycée Saint-Exupéry.
The school [white building on the left] founded in 1959, is still the
only public high school in the northern <i>quartiers</i> of Marseille that prepares students aged 15 and older for the baccalauréat and other technical qualifications.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">R</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ead more about lycée Saint-Exupéry and its students in this article:</span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/23/marseille-ghetto-lycee-saint-exupery" target="_blank">http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/23/marseille-ghetto-lycee-saint-exupery</a></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uG3TCRGDwEk/UmqlAcMTMfI/AAAAAAAAA9g/s5GlfrrZnNQ/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary029.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>A calanque<b> </b>on Port Frioul, near
the city of Marseille. Formed in karstic regions, calanques are
steep-sided valleys near the sea and are very popular amongst tourists
in Southern France.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--6N4MlSpG2w/UmqlBoLZk5I/AAAAAAAAA9o/JnLLyhFtwyo/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary030.png" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>A teenager on the balcony of his housing unit in <i>cité Les Rosiers </i><i>of 14<sup>th </sup></i><i>arrondissement. </i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A-4SWXi_p8E/UmqlCr1Xw6I/AAAAAAAAA9w/zuyWzRq-6As/s1600/Bharat_Choudhary031.png" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>France. Marseille. 2013. </b>Social housing buildings, as seen from a flyover, in <i>cité</i> Frais Vallon of 13<sup>th</sup> <i>arrondissement</i>.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #999999;">_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "times";">Copyright
© 2008-14 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images/text/articles
contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the
property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b><span style="font-family: "times";"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">No
image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the
photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in
any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be
liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span>
</b></span></b></span></div>
</div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-32486450339754196542013-04-18T19:59:00.000+01:002013-10-06T17:18:26.979+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">This wasn't meant for the blog. So there aren’t many photographs here. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">It actually comes from an email that I wrote to a dear friend<span style="font-size: medium;"> and </span>mentor. Later, it also doubled as a project update to my editor at Getty Images. Both of them encouraged me to share it with everyone. But I was a bit reluctant. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Because I always ask myself how many of us really have an inclination to read what a photographer <i>writes</i>. Or why would a world, which is already so busy confusing issues of aesthetics with ethics and employment with journalism, be interested in my problems? Or what if this honest acknowledgment of my weaknesses or disclosure of my struggle as an image-maker is misunderstood as some sort of professional incompetency? </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">But I am sharing it while being reminded of what Elliot Gould keeps declaring in Robert Altman’s neo noir classic, The Long Goodbye -</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><i>“It’s Okay with Me”. </i></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>——————————————————————————————————-</i></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span">0<span style="font-size: medium;">1 Feb<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>2013, Marseille</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">I am keen to extend my stay in Marseille but my bank statements suggest something else. I think my time in Marseille might not last long. I’d return soon but I believe now is the time to assess what all have I been doing here. There aren’t many achievements that I can be proud of. <span style="font-size: medium;">B</span>ecause Marseille isn’t a friendly place for a photographer. May be it was at some point of time, but now it definitely isn’t. My first time, as a photographer in a country whose language and culture I do not know, is making my work more difficult. And since a name like Getty Images is associated with this work, for the first time, I am also experiencing the anxiety that comes with the need to be focused and productive. </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Working in Marseille has been very demanding for a number of reasons. Crime, undoubtedly, is one of them. Another depressing barrier is the community’s furious reluctance to be photographed. You can pretend to be a tourist and comfortably photograph La Canebière, Vieux Port or the Stade Vélodrome. But be prepared to be kicked, punched or spat on if you intentionally, or unintentionally, aspire to be a photojournalist. Especially, if you are lugging a big ugly DSLR and happen to be anywhere near the social housing projects, or Cité, as they are called here. I<span style="font-size: medium;">n London </span>I had been hearing that I’ll face a lot of resistance from the Turkish community in Germany but I think the Maghrebis in Marseille are no different. </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">I am spending time with young Muslims who live on the margins of the French society, who experience discrimination everyday. But with this chapter, I am not only trying to understand how they feel- to photograph emotions, behaviors and activities-but I am also trying to reveal the socio-economic and political factors that contribute to the feelings or disaffection of young Muslims. </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">My good friends have criticized my earlier work in America and England. They want me to be fearlessly vocal instead of being soft with my words or photographs. They believe my photographs avoid socio-political arguments and say that my work follows the meek ‘we are the <i>‘good’</i> Muslims so love us’ approach. They question why am I always photographing a ‘singing’ or ‘painting’ Muslim. In my defense, I have always said that these are not the only photographs that I seek. Personally, I am more in love with silent, contemplative and less animated moments. And they are much more difficult to locate and photograph. But I don’t know why e<span style="font-size: medium;">very one expects </span>a photographer to come back with <span style="font-size: medium;">hyper and</span> aggressive images, especially if she/he <span style="font-size: medium;">happens to be</span> working on an issue. So I have also been pushing myself to create more hard-hitting gritty images. But the disappointing truth is that I never find such situations or people. Maybe it is my failure as a photographer because every one else does but I can’t. I just can’t find the right subject or never happen to be at the right place at the right time. </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Ever since I initiated this work three years ago, I have been struggling with problems of access. People who have experienced discrimination, been harassed, abused or beaten, they never agree to be photographed. Even ‘everyday’ ‘regular’ middle-class Muslim households despise my presence as a photographer. Fortunately or unfortunately, the only ones who do not mind, and sometimes enjoy, being photographed are painters, musicians, designers or Sufis. Their voice, undoubtedly, has added a unique perspective to the project and I am really grateful for their contribution. But I also accept that my work has somehow not been able to board the train that has been running all along on the track right next to me. Believe me, I have been trying to do a lot more but somehow things never seem to work out. For so long I have been trying to photograph the simple everyday living in the council housing projects in London. Two years of negotiations, and frustrations, and not even a single family has said yes. I have also spent months to persuade the self-appointed Muslim associations, organizations and ‘scholars’. But I always ended up sitting in the office of a greedy pseudo intellectual who prodigiously quotes the Quran but desires nothing more than power, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">payments</span></span></span> and publicity…I am being confronted with an exactly similar situation here in France. And I feel further restricted because of the rampant crime and my inability to speak French. I am not trying to defend my shortcomings as a photographer; I am just sharing what I feel like right now. </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">So what is it that I have photographed so far and what will I do next? Like always, I am trying to focus on individuals, their experiences, emotions and aspirations. I am taking photographs of their every day living; photographs that talk about their lives and also help us to connect with these individuals. To avoid placing Muslims in a ‘sacrosanct’ or an ‘evil’ cage but to present them as I see them; ‘normal’ as the rest of the society that they live in. Moments, emotions, light or just compositions that evoke an interest and establish a bond between the people in the photographs and the ones looking at them. To give a genuine emotional perspective to the everyday situations in their lives. </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">But again, I am not taking these kinds of photographs to sugarize the bitter fact that they suffer due to discrimination, poverty, unemployment and racism. In fact, I have been trying to find situations that clearly speak of all these issues. But honestly, I just don’t know what kind of a situation or photograph can speak of discrimination/racism. This is another wall that I am unable to breach and I only get as far as sharing personal accounts and emotional or behavioral perspectives. I am guilty of looking for sensationalism when I go out hoping to find houses sprayed with ‘Arabs go back’ or when I hope to find someone pulling a girl’s hijab while I am walking on the opposite street. The crime ridden poor housing projects of Marseille are overflowing with ‘photo-opportunities’ but the very thought of being confronted and having my head cracked open or being shot at scares me to the bone. My being brown does not help me and the drug dealers manning these areas don’t give a damn about my intentions. They are ready to tolerate my presence if only I can pay hundreds of Euros in return. Every day I come across some very general photographs - like someone walking down the stairs of Saint Charles station or a woman with a hijab on the street standing next to a ‘liberated’ woman in a short skirt. Or everyone’s favorite – Muslims praying on the streets. But somehow I just don’t feel encouraged to take those pictures. Haven’t we seen enough of these photographs from every co<span style="font-size: medium;">r<span style="font-size: medium;">ner of</span></span> the world? I mean, what purpose –aesthetic or journalistic- can be served by the recreation of such photographs? Everyday I am reminded of works like <span style="color: #666666;"> <a href="http://www.eugenerichards.com/" target="_blank">Dorchester Days</a> </span>and <span style="color: #eeeeee;"><a href="http://www.peggypeattie.com/index.html" target="_blank">Down in Dixie</a></span> but when I go out with my camera, the world looks so different. Or is it just me who is unable to find photographs that shout of racism, Islamophobia or hatred. My friend here said, “What were you expecting; to come here and photograph a <span style="color: #eeeeee;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_civil_rights_workers_murders" target="_blank">Mississippi Burning</a></span>?” Actually yes, I am guilty of hoping to find a burning Mississippi. </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">But my problems do n<span style="font-size: medium;">o</span>t end here. There is another major issue which I am finding very difficult to deal with. Some may not even call it an issue. But I think it is because it actively prevents me from taking or sharing photographs. It is my obsession with the aesthetic appeal of a photograph. I only seek photographs t<span style="font-size: medium;">hat combine a</span> beautiful light, a clean flawless composition, with a strong yet calm emotion or expression. I am obsessed, to the power of infinity, with the visual appeal of my work and if a situation, light, moment, subject or ultimately the photograph, does not posses an amount of longevity or dare I say ‘immortality’, then I am just not encouraged to photograph or retain that moment. This unapologetic conviction, that has influenced the creation of some of my nicer images, is also responsible for my disregard for hundreds of images. Chaitali warns me that not every photograph can carry such a quality and by aiming to only create ‘immortal’ photographs I fail to recognize a lot of informative moments that can describe a story in a much better way. She accuses me of choosing the aesthetic ‘wow’ factor over information. She is right, but for me to create a photograph just for the sake of information is not possible. I did a lot of that as a student but I can’t do it any more. In fact, I won’t. S<span style="font-size: medium;">o<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>m</span>aybe I am just too stubborn with my idea of a ‘perfect’ photograph. Or maybe, it is finally being revealed that I am not a <i>‘good’</i> photographer. I have been working as a professional for two years and I only have 35-40 photographs in my portfolio. Quite a depressing fact, I think. Isn’t it? </span></span></span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">But I hope to photograph some more before I leave Marseille. I am hoping to say more about poverty and unemployment. I am also trying to gain access to a Cité. Another important change in this chapter would be the ample use of text. I wish to share full stories, perspectives, opinions and points for debates. I want to do away with the conventionally brief captions, which I often find demeaning to the people who open their hearts and homes to me with so much honesty and hope. It is such a selfish practice to ignore so much and then create an unintelligent two-line caption, which is often nothing more than a superficial passing comment on someone’s predicament. I am yet to write the full stories behind these and many other photographs but just to give you an idea of what I am doing and what I am trying to say in these pictures, I have included the usual captions. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">à bientôt! </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-size: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Times;">Copyright © 2008-13 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images/articles contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><b><span style="font-family: Times;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-size: 14px;">No image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span>
</b></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-55899403099082275332012-09-24T21:21:00.000+01:002012-09-24T22:44:38.029+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"> Not much was left to say when, during an otherwise sensible discussion, a friend quipped, “The Innocence of Muslims angers them and the nonsense of Muslims angers me”. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">To me, the recent deluge of opinions, accusations and insults has been quite disturbing. Because it has swept away all possibilities of progressive debates and submerged every voice that refuses to side with any one camp of reasoning. Seasoned journalists have abandoned their proclaimed dedication to factually and ethically objective editorials for more personal and aggressive outbursts. TV show hosts and their guests remind me of brawling kids who point fingers at each other and tearfully retort, “He started it”. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">My generation too has been busy fighting for the revolution. On Facebook. We have been diligently slapping each other with links and counter-links to viral articles, cartoons and videos that were neither created nor evaluated by any one of us. But we are enjoying the convenience to cherry-pick the facts that prove our arguments. Arguments that do not question us or make us feel uncomfortable; like the style that suits us more or the size that fits us well. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">So as a non-Muslim, I want to share a cartoon that mocks Muslims who </span></span></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;">ignore hundreds of dying Syrian Muslims</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"> but protest against a trashy film. As a Muslim, my choice would be the cartoon that questions Western media’s silence over the drone attacks on innocent women and children. As a non-Muslim, I can simply ignore Amnesty International when it accuses several European governments for doing nothing to prevent discrimination against Muslims. As a Muslim, I’d pay no attention to a similar Amnesty International report that criticizes Muslim-majority countries for human rights violations of non-Muslims. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;">When I was photographing this mural a few weeks ago, I wanted the hand in the frame to represent the invisible face of the muralist that questions both these extremes. But then, no matter how powerful or relevant a question is, it still cannot be more than a question. It is the response to a question that has consequences; a response that catapults a change and a response that can evoke a much better question. Unfortunately, our noisy responses to the ongoing crisis are horrid testimonies of just these two faces. The third face remains largely invisible with a voice that is too feeble to be heard. </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--wTo6LLWs6M/UGDT_j-z5XI/AAAAAAAAAwo/COsVRDZEXfI/s1600/B042987.jpg" /></div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman'; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-size: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Times;">Copyright © 2008-12 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images/articles contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><b><span style="font-family: Times;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-size: 14px;">No image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span></b></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2569421840887988628.post-15853633131933241062012-01-23T12:29:00.021+00:002012-10-20T15:29:48.531+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'times new roman';"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'times new roman';"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">The Silence of 'Others'</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Around two and a half years ago, I set in motion the physical manifestation of an idea, some emotions and a bit of hope. Thus began the development of images and words that could represent the world around me and many ‘others’. What ails my calm now is the need to identify a route for the onward journey. What more is to be done now? A lot more, is the right answer. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">The Silence of ‘Others’ began with an objective to document evidences of Islamophobia and to present a balanced understanding of the young Muslim community. To understand those who fail to qualify for an appearance in the formulaic images of Muslims prostrating or burning American/British flags on the streets. This work was consciously designed not to fall for exotic religious rituals or to produce conventional images of veils as symbols of oppression and beards as signs of <i>‘fundamentalism’</i>. I have worked hard to keep my pictures honest, focusing primarily on human experiences, emotions and aspirations. These images have essentially highlighted the alienation of young Muslims. Exploring deeper into the issue, over the next few months I am hoping to reveal important social, political and economic factors that are fueling this alienation. To photograph what exists is speaking a half-truth; why it exists is the other half that should not be ignored.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">But this is easier said than done. The presence of significantly divergent and extremely polarized opinions on the issue makes this task complex. It will be a tough job to photographically investigate broader social or political factors contributing to the issue and, without sacrificing neutrality, to also depict the issue’s impact on communities.<br /><br />A good idea for now is to begin by reading some books.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></b></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: 'times new roman';"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-size: 85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Times; font-weight: bold;">Copyright © 2008-12 by Bharat Choudhary, all rights reserved. All images/articles contained on this site are subject to UK Copyright Laws and remain the property of the photographer/author at all times.</span> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><b><span style="font-family: Times;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-size: 85%;">No image may be downloaded or used without express permission from the photographer/author for any purpose whatsoever. Any person involved in any unauthorized act in relation to any content on this site may be liable to criminal prosecution.</span></i></span></b></span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com