Photographing Trees (and Amir Khan) in India

Last summer after the residency we traveled from the southernmost tip of India in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadir - where the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal all come together and where some of Ghandi's ashes were spread - up the Western Coast, making stops at Amma's Amritapuri Ashram, Fort Cochin, a Dutch fishing town where the Kochi Muziris Biennale is held every year, attracting art collectors and museum directors from around the globe.  We passed through Mumbai long enough to visit a Bollywood film set where we were hosted by the memorable actor and humanitarian Amir Khan, onward through Rajasthan, Agra and New Delhi.  India was overwhelming, magical and filled with faith, ritual, danger and beauty and has forever changed us.  We also learned more about climate change issues and that the drought we have been so consumed with in California is also happening on a global scale.

Brian made this image in a tranquil moment of a harrowing 90 MPH road trip from Jodhpur to Jaipur somewhere near the camel town of Pushkar in Rajasthan.  Trees are often sites for Puja, or worship in India and in the most surprising and remote places we found elaborate altars either inside the tree or at the base.