Christopher D'Alves
PHOTOGRAPHER
**Some of these images will expand if you click on them!
**The images are not in chronological order or any kind of order whatsoever! They are just meant for me to view and enjoy. If I was teaching I could note that 90% of them follow compositional rules.
I am recording the following for my own historical account. I went to India by myself, while later my wife went with her Yoga club. It was a Photographer's paradise. Unfortunately while at the TAJ (the first images on this page), I climbed a wall to get the perfect perspective and having just had my knee replacement, fell off! I broke my best Camera and for the remainder of my adventure, I had to shoot with my secondary. This meant my artistry had to rule over the image quality. Some said I was crazy to go to India, but I say I would have been crazy not to experience this amazing country. I was totally consumed. I watched a number of Youtube videos to prepare myself! That was a waste of time! They were nonsense and the true India is only shown by experiencing it yourself. It was an absolute delight and an adventure that will remain strong in my memory. Sure I had my dangerous moments; one being , due to a Terrorist's attack in Sri Lanka, my plane was cancelled and I was stranded outside the Airport (because of security) without a phone and no one to understand me but the armed guards. But I figured it out and just by chance had to hop from one side of the country to the other and back again with the unexpected stop over to Mumbai (Bombay) where my Father was born. Mumbai seen by air was spectacular - uniquely shaped mountains the like I have never seen. It was certainly emotional for me. A secondary goal of my trip was to discover the History of my parents in India. My Mother was stationed in Agra during the War. Here, on Sundays, she used to picnic on the lawn of the TAJ and here, I am thinking, she met my Father (It however, may also have been Calcutta where they were also stationed). He, like her, was in the British Airforce (she was a switchboard operator in communications and he first, a pilot, then later a decoder). After leaving Mumbai I arrived in Chennai where my Father grew up in an orphanage. I visited the school, which still operates, and asked to go inside. At first they refused, but when it was mentioned that my Father attended, I was allowed to roam the grounds. My Father never reveled his past, so here in Chennai I discovered for the very first time that he was a key player in the designing of India's first Commercial Airport in Delhi. In Chennai, I visited Fort George. Here they keep a book on all enlisted men prior too and during the War. But people had ripped out pages and now it was kept under glass. I was certain my Father's name would have been recorded there! However I know it is in the London Archives. Also in the London Archives, we discovered that my Mother's Father married my Grandmother in India then left her there after the War (WW1) to returned to his legal wife and children in London. This was apparently quite common with British Soldiers in India, which resulted in a large population of Anglo Indians residing in India and the rest of the World. My Grandmother was an English Army Nurse from Kent, England (She remained in India after the War and eventually moved to Canada). Turns out I have a number of relatives named Broker (My Grand Father) in England who have no idea I exist. I also learnt that my parent's first House, after their marriage, still stands. Unfortunately, I was unable to see it. I learnt my Father's mother's maiden name was Johnson and her side of the family were Irish. My Father's Mother died when he was young and because she had married a local (Indian) my Father was rejected by the Irish side of the family. They could have lovingly adopted him, but shunned him (they were very fair, blond and blue eyed and he was dark skinned). Orphaned, he was, first given to his Uncle Robert who was a wealthy, kind and loving individual that was able to give my Father a good life. But sadly he too died soon after. Uncle Robert's wife then took the wealth and placed my Father in an orphanage. She, like the rest of his Irish relatives, returned to Ireland after their military term in India was over. My Father named my youngest brother Robert in respect for his Uncle Robert. Prior to his passing, Dad tried to retrieve the heritage he was entitled to from the O'Malley name in Ireland (again, his mother was a Johnson, but her mother was Clementine O'Malley). He had no success! I must mention, this last part was reveled to me by my Mother at her passing and not on my trip. Very little was known of Dad's Father, who was most likely Portuguese and Indian. Difficult to know about the Portuguese line since many of Indian heritage took on Portuguese names. Dad's Father, like many soldiers in the British Army died from alcoholic poisoning. There is a greater chance of my family having a Portuguese background however, since my Great, Great Grandmother also had a Portuguese name and she was Maria Cilva. My Mother's Mother married another man named Player (A British Railway employee working in India) right after Broker returned to England. My Mum was led to believe Player was her Father. When the truth was revealed it was Broker, she decreased her age by one year to make it appear she too was a Player like the rest of her siblings (else she would be shamed). Player, an English man, worked to build the railway in India. He died of Alcoholic poisoning and my Grandmother had her last child with another man named Wotton (Wotton also passed away from alcoholic poisoning). We believe my mother hid the truth about her age so long that eventually she believed the deception herself. After she passed away, we discovered her true age from the London Birth Records. After the War, my parents were considerable wealthy and saw no point in returning to England. However, that was a mistake and after partition got trapped in Pakistan. My Family had to be rescued by the English (and Americans) and we found our way to England in 1957. We lost our wealth as a consequence and had to start over again. So much was learnt; too much to be covered any further on this page. I hope one day to be able to return to India and stay a while - to just hang out on the streets, watercolor painting the people and the buildings. When I was studying to be an Architect I had two goals: visit the TAJ and walk on the Great Wall of China. The Taj, one of the Seven Wonders, is the most beautiful building on this planet. Unfortunately I made it to Beijing, but never walked the Great Wall only seeing it from the air. Next time I try India, the Wall will be a stop over for sure!



Below: So Mum never had a photo of her at the TAJ; but I had an old photo of her about the time and age she would have visited upon one of those Sunday picnics. With one of my own TAJ images and that photo of Mum, I need not have to imagine her there! Two of the most beautiful subjects I have ever seen! Thank you Mum, if not for you (and Dad) I would never have realized my dreams.






Above: The Armenian Church in the above slide appears as run down, but as is with many buildings, it is beautifully kept inside. The Armenians, who once thrived in India, do not so anymore. It has a painting, which I believe is the only painting in a church, that shows GOD as a female. It is also a Church I believe my Father may have visited because it is close to his childhood school. I did see the Church within his school and the assembly hall where I swear I could almost feel his presence. The young gentleman looking at his phone I am proud to say is my Cousin's (on my Father's side) Son. He is a Landscape Architect and I was an Architect so we had the same interest in buildings. He is also a Wildlife Photographer who has been published in National Geographic on many occasions. He has a Black Belt in Karate and is an Instructor as I was when I was practicing Architecture (A draughtsman in the firm was my instructor) and of course, I coached Wrestling for years. He also loves to draw. He would resent this, but essentially he is like me :) I have never experienced such kindness as he stopped everything to show me around. Family I met for the first time, were amazing in India making me feel so welcome. For the first time on my trip (at the end of my trip [I had eaten in 4 to 5 star hotels to this point]), he took me to an authentic Indian restaurant - you have not had Indian Food till you have eaten the food on the street; I was in Heaven (although I must admit it did run through my mind: Street Food, I'm going to die!!!!).






Below: As you enter the compound of the TAJ, there is an optical illusion in the framing of the gate - the Taj occupies the entire frame in entry and opens up to full view on exit.





Below: Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi. In Delhi I went past the Airforce Academy where my Father Trained to be a Pilot in the British Air Force. I then visit Gandhi's last home.

Below: Akshardham Hindu Temple in New Delhi - opened in 2005. The walls are all hand carved - you have not seen anything like it I am sure!

Lotus Temple is a Jainism Temple. An Architectural Marvel.

Below: Humayun's Tomb left and inside Fort Agra left.







Below: This woman was to be married the day after I took this shot! She had apparently, never seen her husband, believe it or not, so I thought what the hell; took her picture and when she asked why I said because I was her future husband. Of course the only way I could get her to stop crying was to deny my claim (but now that I think of it, they could have been tears of joy!). I lie; none of that last part is true!
Left Photo: Hindus believe that the physical body serves no purpose, and therefore does not need to be preserved. They choose to cremate their loved ones as they believe it's the quickest way to release the soul and help with reincarnation.
One old gentleman I met at the Ghat told me he believed he would meetup again with his wife in reincarnation and hoped for an improvement. I told him it was simpler to just trade in your wife when she was 40 for two 20 year old's!
Below: You bathe in the Ganges River to wash away your sins. Luckily I was without sin that day so I stayed in the boat.








Below: This guy was no bigger than myself, yet he rowed this large boat with about 20 people in it for about 1 mile in one direction and another against the current coming back! This is the Narad Ghat (Ghat means river bank). You don't want to bath here if you are married or have designs on anyone! It seems those who do, tend to separate apart. I was pointed out to a couple that were bathing and told that the husband more than likely was trying to save on the expense of separation and was hoping she'd go away!



Below: Ranthambore National Park. Two day Safari here. Was a little disappointing, but did get to see this tiger, which apparently is only seen on rare occasion. Forget her name, but apparently she is famous for a National Graphic Documentary. She was difficult to photo because of all the Safari vans in the way and the armed guards wanting us not to disturb her. To get a good view our driver disobeyed the guard and backed up the van after being told to move on. To our surprise the guard came up to the driver and repeatedly slapped him over the face - this is after all, India! Just as well the park did not amount to much because I had broken my Long Lens Camera at the TAJ. The lodge was amazing! My room had a bathroom with an inside and outside shower, but no door in-between. Had to keep the Bathroom locked from inside the bedroom because Monkeys would force themselves in during the night. When I first entered the room I opened up the curtains to have about six small jackals looking at me - I jumped back, they ran like hell!

Below: Walking down the streets of Varanasi at 5:30 in the Morning. It's relatively cool and the crowds are smaller. Making my way down to the Ghats to take a riverboat ride on the Ganges I felt as if I were in a storybook; another World, and it was hard to imagine I was there. The lighting was amazing because of the time of day. The Sunshine is different in places like India; it's brighter than bright and often blinding to a stranger. Nobody bothered me; everyone was busy to start their day. In Chennai, I tried to walk by myself in a non tourist area. I figured, I would fit right in with the crowd. I was mistaken! They recognize a tourist, a mile away and before you know it, I had to retreat back to my Hotel and at times it was at a running pace. The key to surviving is to know the language well and to talk forcefully - only then it is in the people's nature to respect your wishes.

Below: Most of the Cows I saw in India walked the streets with the cars, buses, and motorcycles meandering around them. A lot of them were half starved and very sad looking. The Cow to the Hindus is not a God like other animals, but it is sacred. Hindus, really only have one GOD like Christians, and he/she is really the same GOD! The Hindu Monkey, Elephant , Rat etc., just manifest into one GOD the same way Christians have Three GODs in One: GOD the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At one time in Indian History there were power struggles and Indians killed Indians fighting each other. Eventually a ruler of the time decided it was wrong to kill and started with the Cow! After all, if you were up to killing a Cow, you would certainly kill another human. Besides the Cow provide Milk, Cheese, Butter, Urine (as an antiseptic) and dung for cooking fuel! So it was more significant to use the Cow for that reason than to eat it for its meat. I do believe Kosher Meat originated as a way to prevent sickness from eating pork that was not purified and what better way to do so than to make it a religious belief so that all would eat it safely. I was fortunate to be taken to a Cow Sanctuary to feed the Cows. The image below I refer to as Bull + Shit!

Below: I visited a farm. We were told the people we came across lived there, but I didn't believe them. There was an old Mercedies-Benz and a couple of cars parked outside the huts that you could tell was their ride home. It was like the Maasi Mara Village I visited in Kenya, all show for the tourist. But here, at least, they really did work and only sheltered themselves and their babies during the hot day as they needed in these enclosures. It's amazing how clean they kept the (dirt) floor - sweeping it constantly. In fact, when when one of the tourist stepped into the house with her shoes on, the Indian women reacted and politely urged her to take them off. She was embarrassed to say the least.





Below: Bathing at the Ghats in Varanasi. Kind of reminded me of a "Where's Waldo" thing! India is so colorful and alive. The Indian saree is largely responsible for this colour display. The Saree is worn mostly by women in agricultural villages these days and not so much anymore by the City people. However, you will see a lot of them. If you are thinking how these people can swim in this polluted water; think again! The Ganges water has demonstrated bactericidal activity (the ability to kill bacteria), claimed by top know scientists in the World. Still you wouldn't catch me doing it!





















Below: Detail (obviously to the image above :) ) There's something very Biblical about the image to me!







Below: You have to pay a priest in order to take their photograph so I asked someone how much and did so. Well after I took this photo, he took the money but insisted on more. A person listening to this came to my rescue and told him in not such a polite way to buzz off; then smiling at me said: he's not a real priest anyway.
Below: Abandoned Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri (1569) - after being occupied for 15 years it was abandoned because of the scarcity of water. Used for filming movies, in particular: James Bond.




Below: It’s believed that if one is cremated in Varanasi, and their ashes are released into the sacred and purifying water of the Ganges, their reincarnation cycle will end and they will reach Nirvana.











Early in the Morning, this Priest goes down to the waters edge to freshen up after a busy night that went into the wee hours of the morning. Well it was bad enough he takes a drink next to an accumulation of garbage (plastic bottles etc.) that sits in a soup of ashes and animal feces courtesy of the up steam cremation sites, but the priest next to him has generously dipped in his own tea bag to boot! I mock, but this is the way of life of 2/3rds of the World that are not as privileged as we through no fault of their own. When the washrooms in Yellowstone National Park, United States of America were closed due to COVID, Park Attendants reported people squatting outside the washrooms to go. I myself could not help but observe in the back streets of Florence Italy the smell and visual evidence of urine and human feces simply because you had to purchase something in a store in order to use the facilities. So If you watch a YouTube video of tourists calling these poor souls monkeys and filming their toiletry habits to shame them, do not judge, understand and question how smug you are if you can't!
