Kids in Agra, India, snapped by Flickr user clee130.
I wrote a long paragraph about this image and then deleted it. For the first time since I’ve been selecting images for Photo of the Day at Gadling, an introduction seems to be beside the point.
Upload your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.
“India is amazing,” writes filmmaker Stanislas Giroux in the description of the above video. It’s a simple statement, but it really captures the essence of what this short film is all about. Shot while on a two-week trip to India, the video was entirely filmed from his point of view. From the people he met walking the streets to dancers in thumping nightclubs, this video is a rare glimpse into one traveler’s experiences while exploring the country. It might just inspire you to see India with your very own eyes!
Despite my awareness of sweatshops, I was shocked while flipping through the July issue of Marie Clare on a recent flight, when I came across an article entitled, “What’s Your Slavery Footprint?”
According to slaveryfootprint.org, (which is backed by the U.S. State Department), there are up to 27 million slaves worldwide, many of whom work in the mining and agriculture industries. The result? A lot of our everyday household goods, including shoes, cosmetics, and toiletries, raw materials for cars, and the seafood industry utilize slave labor.
Some of the worst offenders include China, parts of Southeast Asia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (definition: irony) and India. You can actually add up the “slave footprint” in your home by utilizing the website, or by downloading its “Free World” app, which also enables you to send letters of protest to major chain stores known to use products made with slave labor. You can also make donations to Slavery Footprint to help enslaved workers.
As Alison Kiehl Friedman, deputy director of the U.S. State Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, says in Marie Claire, “[businesses] should be transparent in their practices.” We all need to pick our battles when it comes to purchasing power, but it’s fascinating, as well as chilling, to find out just how much of what we own is made using forced labor. Knickknacks for thought.
[Photo credit: Flickr user stevendepolo]
Elephants are beautiful, intelligent animals that are simply amazing to watch – provided it’s from a safe distance. The driver in the video below would probably be happy if he never encountered another pachyderm as long as he lives, however, and after watching the video you’ll understand why.
The YouTube description says that this video was shot in southern India, although the animal in question certainly looks more like an African elephant. I had a very similar experience to this one on the road in Kruger National Park in South Africa and I can tell you that passengers in our van screamed like school girls as we barely managed to avoid our pursuer. I have a feeling that there were a few similar screams in this van as well.
This Delhi train shot by Flickr user clee130 is moody and atmospheric. Devoid of color, it is easily distinguished from typical images of India, which turn on vibrant energy. This snapshot of India feels quiet, pensive and utterly subdued.
The image also leaves me with at least two unanswerable questions. Where is this kid going and where did he get that awesome shirt?
Upload your best moody trains photos to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the batch to be Photos of the Day.