ANOTHER SABRE RATTLING EPISODE!? Once again, tensions flare up between India and Pakistan as they have been doing for the last 50 years and more, ever since the two countries were partitioned and India gained her Independence from the British! According to the Times… "Still, many analysts believe that with the US military presence in neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Washington's efforts to defuse tensions, war may not be imminent." Duckspool is not blinking and we are still accepting bookings; if the workshop does have to be cancelled you would receive a full refund, but frankly cancellation seems unlikely! Even if there is a war in the near future, it is likely to be over by Winter. So we are still rearing to go, so to speak, and I wonder whether anyone has been listening to the serialisation of Alain de Botton’s latest book, “The Art of Travel” which is on Radio 4 this week at 9.45 a.m and 12.30 a.m. It may be a little dry but he has an interesting way of seeing things and his book is full of small but telling photographs! He sees the world he passes by not as a tourist but as an observer. Here’s to… MARK (Amano Samarpan)
All we require at the moment is a £90 deposit which will secure you a place on the workshop! Contact Peter Goldfield at "peter@duckspool.com" and send cheques to Duckspool, Broomfield, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2EG, UK Tel: (0) 1823 451305 or book via the web at www.duckspool.com
Due to the planning required for such an event we do need
a commitment now. The deposit will be refundable up until the 1st July.
For the workshop, you will be responsible for your own travel insurance
against the normal perils. As the organiser, Duckspool will of course have
it's own responsibilities which are under negotiation at the moment. Details
will be available very soon.
We will also require the following payments to be made on the 1st of July (£600) and September 1st (£455); early booking is necessary so that we can make the travel arrangements. You will also need to send 2 photocopies of your passport and proof of your insurance.
The air fares to India have risen since we first did a costing for this journey; we can now expect to pay between £500 to £650 for an economy return flight to Delhi as long as we book early. Unfortunately, we are not able to the offer group travel at a reduced rate as our group is too small. It would, of course, be nice to travel out and back together if possible. If you are interested in making the journey with others then please let us know. One possible flight is from Gatwick with 'Emirates', voted best airline 2 or 3 times during the nineties! The present cost for this is £556 (incl tax) This would be leaving on the Friday morning. We will be booking after 1st July as long as numbers hold up and would ask for your payment then.
The cost of the workshop has also risen. The reason for
this is partly due to an increase in air fares within India. Of course the
tourist industry in India has also been hit not so much by September 11th
but rather by the Indo Pakistan conflict which has been going on since
Partition over 50 years ago! One might assume that prices would have dropped
but the tourist industry in India does not work in the same way as the
competitive one found in the West. At just £1145, however, the cost of the
workshop is still very competitive and we have been asked how we are still
able to offer this at a reasonable rate.
No, it's not because we are asking you to sleep in rat infested rooms and
travel 3rd class! The reason is Mark (Amano Samarpan), a man who "knows the
ropes" in India and how to avoid the excesses that travel agents inevitably
charge, particularly to foreigners. An eco holiday from the UK for the same
period would cost you at least 25% more; furthermore don't forget that we
are going to be spending time with India's No. 1 photographer, Raghu Rai, an
internationally acclaimed member of Magnum Photos.
We feel that this really will be a tremendous experience for all involved; to absorb new photographic knowledge in a fascinating country. Now's the time to write a cheque for £90 to ensure a place and mark the dates (28th December 2002 to 19th January 2003) in your diaries...we shall be sending you more e-mails about the trip relating to different issues such as suitable clothing to bring, medication and film, but the sooner you secure your place the better!
Indraprastha is the name of the ancient city that once stood in the Delhi area and survived as a small village into the early 20'th century when it was demolished by the British; it gives it's name to Hotel Indraprastha which is gong to be the base for Duckspool's workshop while we are in Delhi.
Anyone who feels this is not the place for him or her could upgrade to the Kaniksha (next door at about six times the price) or to Le Meridien (across the way and about 12 times the price). The corridors are neither carpeted or plastered but rooms at Hotel Indraprastha with their tiled floors are clean and have their own shower plus toilet with an orderly who comes every day to clean the room unless you do not wish him to. There is a small shop in the reception area selling books and toiletries, a canteen and also a South Indian restaurant, The Coconut Grove, where we shall be meeting at the beginning of the workshop for those who can make it on the Saturday. The workshop begins the day after but we shall understand if people cannot make it until the Monday when the workshop is likely to start in earnest.
The hotel has a good laundry service, usually same day, with as much hot water as you like in the mornings and evenings. A room on the 10'th to 18'th floor gives one a good view and takes one a little above the ordinary pollution level. Another good point about the hotel is that it has been built to withstand earthquakes, something worth considering since the earthquake that struck Gujerat so tragically early last year was felt in Delhi, although standing in the reception area of the hotel at the time, I felt nothing and wondered what the rush to the exit was all about. Duckspool does not wish to frighten you with talk of earthquakes but we are concerned about your safety!
The Indraprastha is only a one star hotel by international standards but does have everything one needs without the hype and air conditioning that is not required during the Winter months. The hotel has been improved recently in an effort perhaps to upgrade it. The plans are to sell it off to the private sector, a move that would put prices up considerably without much improvement in quality; for the foreseeable future however, it remains State owned which might explain the reasonable cost but also the lack of motivation apparent amongst much of the staff although this is common in India. The staff is all male! This says something about the character of the hotel but mostly they are a friendly bunch of people and you can always leave the card on the door- knob that says, “Please do not disturb! Outside the hotel, there is a shopping mall where one can change money (cash/credit cards/traveller's cheques all accepted) and a cyber-shop with an ISDN line for E-Mailing or internet accessing. There is a small colour-processing lab as well with a taxi stand (most of the drivers know me and are ready to stop and wait while one takes/makes photographs). So this much about the hotel in Delhi that will be our starting point for the rest of the trip.
One can also eat at other restaurants in the area. There is a very good Chinese Restaurant on the 16'th floor of the Kaniksha with a live band in the evenings. On the 20'th floor of Le Meridien there is Le Belvedere where one can enjoy a sumptious “eat as much as you like buffet and take in the views of Lutyen's Delhi spread out below with the Houses of Parliament and India Gate, a kind of Marble Arch or Arc de Triomphe, while beyond is the plateau where the ancient city of Indrapratha once stood, the area these days being surrounded by a fortress known as Puran Qila (Old Fort), a ruin from medieval times; beyond that, on a clear day, one can see the apartment blocks of Noida, post-New Delhi.
A small outing that Duckspool is quite likely to make is to a remarkable temple in South Delhi known as The Lotus Temple. Built by the Baha’i faith, an international non-sectarian organisation, it is a striking piece of architecture in dazzling white marble. There are no icons here and Duckspool does not expect you to go down on your knees in prayer rather to savour the experience as an introduction to India.
It will also be a good photographic opportunity and a chance to learn something about exposure if you want. Getting a “clean white with detail” is seldom easy when there is a lot of contrast so this may well prove to be the start of the workshop proper whether you are working in colour negative, transparency, digital or Black and White.
The place is well kept but will be teeming with people. Raghu Rai has done a book of photographs about the place called “Forever in Bloom” and initially we had thought to do the workshop here with him; however, he has opted for the Jama Masjid and the surrounding environs of old Delhi where there will be much more of interest.
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Even monkeys are worried about humanity. And I have heard monkeys talking. They don't believe in Darwin, they don't say that man has-evolved out of monkeys, they don't think that man is a developed form -- they think man has fallen from the monkeys. Of course -- fallen from the trees, fallen from the height, fallen from the monkeys.
********************************************** OSHO
With My Regards MARK (Amano Samarpan)