Goodbye Delhi

I left India at the end of August, and I have finally finished editing the last of my photos from around Delhi. These don't have any larger theme - just a collection of scenes that caught my eye. Looking at these from back in the US, many of the photos, especially those in Old Delhi, seem like worlds apart. Enjoy!

One of the busiest streets in Old Delhi, near the gate of Jama Masjid.

Men making naan in Old Delhi.

A man boards a bus in Delhi.

Connaught Place is the only area in Delhi that resembles a downtown, but the skyline is underwhelming for a city of 20 million people.

A busy street across from Jama Masjid in Old Delhi.

Chickens with wheels in Old Delhi.

People ask me why I became a vegetarian in India...

Women in the back of a bicycle rickshaw in Old Delhi.

A wall filled with political posters in Old Delhi.

A man in Old Delhi takes a photo of me as I take a photo of him.

A man peeks out over the alleyways below in Old Delhi,

A rickshaw driver waits outside a law office in Old Delhi.

A man looks out over the alleyway in Old Delhi.

A cycle rickshaw driver rests on the side of the road in Old Delhi,

A bird sits atop an apartment building in Green Park, Delhi.

One of the many crowded alleyways in Old Delhi.

An engraved arch at the Qutub Minar in Delhi.

A man talking outside a phone store in Green Park Market, New Delhi. India recently passed one billion mobile phone users.

Purchasing camera equipment in Green Park Market, Delhi.

Men watching something on a smartphone.

A small convenience shop in a shantytown in Gurgoan.

A boy warily eyes a stray dog in the road before dashing by.

Passengers at the Delhi Cantt Railway Station.

An auto rickshaw driver in Alwar, Rajasthan.

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Delhi's Air Catastrophe

The World Health Organization recently ranked Delhi's air as the most polluted in the world, worse even than Beijing's. The pollution comes from a number of sources: the dusty environment, hoards of cars and trucks, waste burning, coal-fired power plants within the city, and brick kilns on the outskirts (see this infographic for a more detailed breakdown). Delhi's air becomes especially nasty in the winter, when there is little wind to push fresh air into the city and a large number of the city's inhabitants resort to burning trash and biomass to stay warm.

In Beijing, air pollution is thought to reduce life expectancy by 5.5 years. In Delhi, where PM2.5 levels (a measure of the smallest, most harmful air pollutants) were 45% higher than Beijing last year, the effect could be much more severe. Making matters worse, there is little public knowledge of or concern about the air quality in Delhi. In Beijing, nearly everyone will wear face masks when the air turns bad. In Delhi, most people aren't even thinking about air pollution, and it is exceedingly rare to see anybody wearing a face mask. This will change, I hope, but for the time being, Delhi's air pollution is a public health catastrophe that is unfolding largely unnoticed by the 20 million people in the region.

India Gate is shrouded in smog during a winter morning in Delhi. Air pollution levels in Delhi are some of the highest in the world - posing a serious public health risk to the city's 20 million inhabitants.

Men in Ghaziabad's Sahibabad Industrial Area crowd around a small fire to stay warm in the winter. Waste burning accounts for 27.5% of PM2.5 emissions in Delhi, but for many it is a cheap and necessary source of heat in the winter. 

Delhi's Rajghat Power Station, a 135MW coal-fired power plant located along the Yumuna River in the heart of Delhi. The plant was shut down in early December to improve air quality.

Rush hour traffic on the Mehrauli Gurgoan road. Vehicle traffic contributes to 18% of PM2.5 emissions in Delhi. 

High-voltage power transmission lines dot the landscape in rural Alwar, Rajasthan, around 200km outside of Delhi. A combination of fog and crop burning created a hazy skyline.

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The quality of this photo isn't great because I took it on my phone at night, but it will give you a sense of the scale of trash burning in Delhi. This is a large trash fire outside of my office in the Sahibabad Industrial Area, Ghaziabad. Trash fires like this were extremely common in winter because people needed to stay warm, but also in other times of the year because the municipal trash collection systems in the area seemed to be completely broken, if they exist at all. 

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Dhankya and Delhi

A few months ago, my team made a return visit to Rajasthan for our model village project in Dhankya. Although I didn't take nearly as many photos the second time around, there are still a few shots worth sharing. Also included are a couple shots from around Delhi. Enjoy! 

A customer at the Ganesh rooftop restaurant in Jaipur, Rajasthan. My team and I enjoyed a delicious meal at this open-air eatery.

A child overlooking gates to Jama Masjid in Old Delhi.

An auto rickshaw driver uses the Ola app on a smartphone to find customers. Transportation apps like Uber and Ola are becoming increasingly popular with drivers as smartphones become more prevalent.

Children and an elder in Dhankya village near Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Children smile for the camera at a school in Dhankya village, Rajasthan.

A small child in Dhankya village, Rajasthan carries a large stack of chairs.

Looking south on Delhi's congested historical district.

A tailor shop in Sahibabad Industrial Area, Ghaziabad.

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Surreal Ghaziabad Rickshaw

I don't usually shoot a lot of video, but I've been recently getting in the habit of recording short clips from my day-to-day life. This clip was taken during my commute home one day through the Sahibabad Industrial Area in Ghaziabad. My coworker and I got into a rickshaw with a flashing green LED and huge stereo blasting music in the background. Add in a driver hidden behind a hood and it made for a surreal commute.

Out and About in Delhi

More photos from around Delhi, and a continuation of my unintentional fascination with auto rickshaws as photo subjects. Enjoy!

An auto passes in front of a fruit stand in Green Park, Delhi.

A women peeps out from the back seat of an auto rickshaw on a highway in South Delhi.

Rickshaws in the streets of Old Delhi.

A man cleaning a car in Green Park, Delhi.

The Vaishali metro station at sunset. The Delhi Metro is one of the most beloved parts of the city.

A father and his daughter outside an optometrist in Green Park, Delhi.

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Delhi, The Taj, and Rajasthan

I've moved to Delhi as part of the International Innovation Corps, a yearlong fellowship that places American and Indian young professionals into Indian public sector institutions to work on scalable solutions to social problems. I'm working with Central Electronics Limited, a state-owned solar manufacturer and the first domestic manufacturer of solar cells and module in India. My team is focusing on building a rural electrification program with an emphasis on smart solar microgrids. I've been here Since mid-July, but between finding an apartment, getting over the culture shock, and settling in at work I haven't had time to post photos. The photos below are from around Delhi, a visit to the Taj Mahal, and a field visit to Rajasthan I made for my work. I have at least three blog posts worth of photos in the pipeline, so keep your eye out for more photos coming soon!

Cycle rickshaws in East Delhi

An obligatory photo of the Taj Mahal

Tourist take cover during a heavy rain at the Taj.

An unelectrified home within sight of a high-voltage transmission line in Purkhawas, Rajasthan. The high cost of connecting smaller villages to the grid has left many homes in the area without electricity.

A women from Purkhawas, Rajasthan crouches next to her stove.

Goat herders in rural Purkhawas, Rajasthan pose for a portrait.

The Jodhpur old city seen from above.

Men from a small village in Purkhawas, Rajasthan sit on a mat while being interviewed by my team members.

The long-distance bus station in Jaipur, Rajasthan at 5am. We stopped here to to catch a painfully early connection back to Delhi.

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