Faces and expressions from Bali

These are some faces from Bali, Indonesia - the young and the old.

A young woman on the streets of Bali. Caps and head coverings here are a way of life, not for religious reasons(Bali has a mostly Hindu population) but to protect themselves from the harsh sun.  Both men and women were caps of some sort, or scarves. Women wear head coverings for ceremonious reasons also.

A middle aged vendor from Bali.

An old woman from Bali, Indonesia.

You might also like to see sketches of different expressions: Expressions of irritation, annoyance and anger or if you are looking for more portraits you can check out:  Old Rural Indian Men portraits and expressions
Or try all the posts filed under people for interesting photographs of people from all over the world.

People from Kerala

These are photographs of ordinary and poor people from the state of Kerala. 

Two women, one young and one old, trudging through the jungle. 

Two workers fixing a shamiana or canopy for a function in a hotel.

An old man in a short lungi walking on a road in the jungle

Two Ayappa devotees taking photographs from a cell phone. 

Related Images: Old Rural Indian Men portraits and expressions or Elderly Indian men in ethnic clothes or A village in Maharashtra or Old and elderly women in India or Old men in India
or Ayyappa devotees in Madurai or Tea Gardens in Kerala or Rubber Plantations in Kerala
Or check out any of the labels below this post for hundreds of more photos on the topic you like.

Women cycling in India

In a poor country like India cycling to work is common, but it is the men who usually do it. Sure, upper class women cycle for exercise or leisure  but women's emancipation is more for the upper classes. Well-to-do Indian women do drive to work in motor vehicles but women from the poorer classes avoid taking a cycle to work, unlike their men.
Women cycling to work have been spotted in Puducherry or Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu, and Pune in Maharashtra. These photographs have all been taken in Puducherry.

This is a photograph of a girl in a pink salwar kameez cycling in a village near Puducherry.

A woman in Puducherry on a cycle.

A foreigner cycling in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu. Plenty of people cycle for leisure in Puducherry, and so do the tourists.

Related Pictures: Puducherry or Pondycherry or check out all the posts on Puducherry or Women.
You might also like:  Boy on cycle with his mother in rural India or Cycle carts with three wheels or Cycle Rickshaws in India or Cyclist Silhouette and Sketch or Man ferrying cycle in canoe

Women's earrings

She is a poor tribal woman but she wears her jewellery proudly. A vendor in Mahabaleshwar. Gold is the preferred metal in India. And everyone owns gold, the poor as well as the rich.

Another lady with her gold earrings and black and white gold mangalsutra.

The same woman vendor selling snacks and drinks on a hot day in Mahabaleshwar.

You might also like Portraits of a Gujarati tribal woman or Tribal woman in a city or Fruit Vendors vs supermarkets or Woman selling hair outside temple in India or Flower sellers in shops, markets and on the road-side in India or
Or Village women from India - sketches and silhouettes or Rural women carrying water and firewood or Tribal women in India or Covered Hindu women or Silhouette profile of an Indian beauty
More pictures: Tourists buying jewellery in Istanbul, Turkey or Costume jewellery beads and necklaces sold in Mumbai.

Tribal woman in a city

An Indian tribal woman in Pune city. She has drums with her. She sings and asks for alms.

You might also like Portraits of a Gujarati tribal woman or African orgin tribe of Gujarat the Siddi  or The Tarpa Wind Instrument of Indian Tribes from Maharashtra, or Adivasi Dancers from Matheran or Pilgrims singing and playing the Manjira musical instrument
Or Village women from India - sketches and silhouettes or Rural women carrying water and firewood or Tribal women in India

Portraits of a Gujarati tribal woman

She is an elderly Indian lady, and poor. You can tell that she has had a tough life. Standing and staring. Wearing her traditional Gujarati dress she was seen on the Somnath temple grounds in Gujarat. Gujarati women wear colourful clothes as opposed to the dull whites and blues of the Gujarati men. This woman is wearing a nose ring and has a large tikka on her forehead. The bright red and green (traditional colours of Gujarati textiles) pallav is covering her head. Her arm is tattooed, common amongst tribals.

Her son is by her side. By the looks of him this woman could not be more than fifty, but looks older due to the hard life and exposure to the sun. Or is he her grandson?

You might also like pictures of Women filling water from village well in India or Tribal women in India or Rural women carrying water and firewood or Village women in Gwalior District, India
or Women in burkhas or burqas - photos or Woman Gardener in India or Mothers and children
Or photos of Young girls enjoying an ice-cream bar or Young Women Walking Silhouettes or Silhouette profile of an Indian beauty
Or check out the scores of photographs of Indian Women on this blog.

Covered Hindu women

Traditional Hindu women in a few states in North India cover their faces with their sari pallav. This is unheard of in South or East of India. It is believed that this is due to the Mughal influence.

A closeup of women in red saris with their heads covered.

Gujarati women with heads covered.

Gujarati tribals at the Somnath temple.

Masked girls and women of Pune or Women in burkhas or burqas - photos or Women in Burkhas - Silhouettes or Silhouette profile of an Indian beauty or Tribal women in India or check out the scores of photographs of Indian Women on this blog.

Little girl carrying firewood in the forest

A working girl. Barely ten years old. And carrying wooden logs almost as big as her.

These photographs were taken at the edge of the Gir forest.

Mother and daughter walking home after collecting firewood

The mother too is carrying a fairly heavy load. And balancing it on her head. No hands! Must have been doing it from childhood.

You might also like to see pictures of Child Labour or Working children or Children playing without toys or
pictures of Mothers and children or see the many pictures filed on this website on Children.

If you are looking for image of women try these posts: Urban women workers carrying loads on their heads
Rural women carrying water and firewood or Women construction workers in India or Tribal women in India or photographs of Women filling water from village well in India or Village women in Gwalior District, India

For sketches try this post: Village women from India - sketches and silhouettes

How many rapes take place in India in actuality?

2011 figures from the National Crime Records Bureau of India –  42923 murders (34,305 murders + 8618 dowry deaths) and just 24,206 rapes. But what are the actual, real, figures for rape in India? What is the Indian reality for rape?

(Update - The gang rape of a young photo journalist in the Shakti Mills Compound in August 2013 brought up the gruesome fact that 4 other gang rapes took place in the same area and these crimes were committed by the same people, a criminal gang of four and none were reported by the victims.)

In my estimation - at least 2,40,135 rapes are committed per year in India, not 24,206, and this estimate is a conservative one!  But 4,29,230 rapes every year is probably a more accurate figure! Read on to know how I arrived at this conclusion.

First lets find out how I arrived at the conservative number of 2,40,135 rapes in India per year.

Methodology: It is accepted that murders/homicides are the crimes most likely to be reported with accuracy and there is also an accepted statistical relationship between murder and rape. Countries like Germany, Denmark, France and the US have the best record for correct reporting of all crime so I used their crime and homicide data as a barometer.

In these 4 countries on an average:

• Assaults are 100 times higher than homicides
• Assaults are 12-25 times higher than rapes
• At least 3 of 4 countries had 7-8 times more rapes than murders. One had a lesser figure but in all cases rapes were far more in number than killings.

In India assaults are under-reported, with assault figures only a little higher than the murder figures (6 and a half times as against over a 100 times in the reference countries!) Shocking! Clearly, assaults are highly under-reported in India and cannot be used as an accurate barometer to measure rapes in India.

Strangely, Indian crime data reveals that rapes are actually lower than homicides - in India!
Fewer rapes than murders? Impossible! In most countries the figures are about 7-8 times more rapes than murders.

(portrait of a woman in pain)

As there are 7-8 more rapes than murders in the reference countries, therefore, India would have had in reality about 2,40,135 rapes in 2011 - that is how I arrived at that figure! But this is assuming that we have just 7 times more rapes than murders, like in the reference countries. And also assuming that homicides are being correctly reported in India. Homicides are a crime which are difficult to hide and we have to assume that the homicide figure for India is more or less correct although dowry deaths have not been included in this homicide figure for India.

If dowry deaths of women are added to the murder figure and assuming a figure of 10 times more rapes in India than homicides (because of a patriarchal society where women are forced into submission and the low status of women who are seen as objects), the rape figure jumps to 4,29230!!

Therefore a more accurate number of rapes in India every year is 4,29,230.

More than 4 lakh rapes per year in India is probably depicts reality better. And this is not even counting marital rape as it is not illegal in India to rape your own wife. Marital rape is probably rampant in India, far more than in developed countries as it is legal to rape the spouse.

Indians live in a patriarchal society where women are supposed to be submissive non-earning partners, and this in conjunction with poverty and ignorance leads to exploitation of women far more than in the reference countries.

(Photo of a homeless women)



And this is not taking into account the reported cases of molestation (42968) and kidnapping of women and girls (35565) and sexual harassment (8570). These cases are also under-reported. And then there are the scores of acid attacks on women every year!

Every single Indian woman who has stepped out into a crowded public place or travelled in public transport has been molested or sexually harassed, more than once. The population of Indian women is more than half a billion (1.21 is total population of India) so just calculate the sexual harassment and molestation cases which are probably more than half a billion as women are not molested just once in their life, but up to 7-10 times easily, if not more. And once you count the female foeticide, infanticide, acid attacks and so on, it's not surprising that India is in the top five most dangerous place for women. I think it is the most dangerous place for women. Only countries like Afghanistan and Somalia are worse. Shameful.


More related images: Crime Statistics in India or check out other images on Poverty.

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Silhouettes of Women in Uniform

A half silhouette of an uniformed Chinese woman ticket checker at a train station in China. She is thin and pretty and dressed very smartly like most Chinese women.

A full silhouette of an Indian policewoman wearing a khaki uniform and a beret. She has a walkie talkie hanging on her belt and is standing with her hands behind her back.

A silhouette of an airline personnel, an uniformed woman, at Bangkok airport.

A silhouette of a woman in uniform walking at the airport, holding a small purse.

You can also check out Young Women Walking Silhouettes  or Travelers or Women with bags Silhouettes or silhouettes of Travelers or men with bags or Men with luggage or travel trolley bags

Or try the label "Silhouettes" for all the silhouette images which include that of places, important world monuments and also more silhouettes of people.

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Silhouette profile of an Indian beauty

A silhouette of a the profile of an Indian woman with a bindi and wearing an embroidered saree and earrings.

More Silhouettes of people and places.

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Travelers or Women with bags Silhouettes

A black and white silhouette of a tall, slim young girl with long hair carrying a shoulder bag. She is wearing tight jeans and boots.

Silhouette of a Caucasian woman with a haversack who is walking fast. She is in a hurry!

A silhouette of an Asian woman with her tied up and wearing a suit and high heels. She is carrying a briefcase.

A silhouette of a woman carrying an over night bag and a purse. She has long hair left loose and is wearing a sweat shirt and a pair of jeans.

More: Silhouettes of Women in Uniform or Young Women Walking Silhouettes or you might also like silhouettes of men with bags: Men with luggage or travel trolley bags or try silhouettes of Travelers or men with bags like backpacks.
Or Indian Old Women Silhouettes  or Women in Burkhas - Silhouettes or Wedding couple silhouette
Or try the label "Silhouettes" for silhouettes of more people, places and also of monuments of the world.

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Masked girls and women of Pune

The masked women of Pune are an anomaly. They are modern, drive their own vehicles, work outside the home, and are well educated. Yet they tie a scarf which covers their face and hair. A visitor might think this is some sort of repression going on. A gang of visiting Muslim girls from Kashmir asked one of the masked girls why they did this when they don't have to! Well, the answer was "Pollution!" Pune air is polluted and the sun is harsh. Driving a two-wheeler on a regular basis spoils the hair not to mention the delicate facial skin.

A young girl riding a scooter with a white scarf covering her face.

A young woman driving a scooter with a light blue scarf covering her face and head.

And the kids are learning young to protect themselves against the elements! Here is a small child with a mask and goggles.

A saree-clad woman in a pink mask and another woman in a salwar kameez riding double seat behind her, also in a mask, a purple scarf. Behind her is another jean clad young lady in a white scarf!

Rani of Jhansi Statue in Pune or Women cycling in India or Young girls enjoying an ice-cream bar
Or you might also like other pictures on Indian Women.
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Fruit Vendors vs supermarkets

This is how easy it is for consumers to access produce. Simply walk out of their building and usually they will find some vendor selling fruits or vegetables. They need to do it, as most Indians are poor and do not own personal transport. Or if they do, the expense of gas or petrol pinches their pocket. And these fruit vendors are willing to bargain but there is a catch. If you do not know the current prices you can be taken for a ride. In fact alighting from a car guarantees that the prices will be jacked up.

Here are two women in South India chatting with each other as they sell fresh apples, bananas, tangerines and grapes.  This picture was taken in Madurai.

All types of fruits can be found on the streets in India, just a short walk away. This includes even produce such as sugarcane which many Indians love to eat raw.  Here is a woman on a Thane's Gokhale Road selling bananas and sugarcane sticks.

These fruit vendors line up on the highway to catch customers leaving town. Usually the produce is fresher than what one can get in city markets. These fruits are not cheap, but they are good.

Another fruit vendor on a highway. He is selling custard apples and guavas which are bright red from the inside.

Here is an antiseptic environment of a supermarket. Fruits and vegetables are stacked in the centre of the room. This photograph was shot in Pune.

The section of a supermarket where fruits and vegetables are sold. Cleaner and as there are fixed prices at least you know that the shop is not cheating you. There is not hassle of bargaining. This photograph is from D-Mart.

More images and sketches of Fruits or photos of Markets.

Or you might also like Juices and Milk display at supermarkets in India or Supermarket pictures - crockery, tomato puree, coconut milk, cheese and butter

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Young girls enjoying an ice-cream bar

This is a candid photograph of two young girls in India enjoying an ice-cream on a stick.

More photos of women: Young Women Walking Silhouettes or Women filling water from village well in India or Road-side food stalls or street food or check out any of the labels below this post.
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Statues and sculptures of women at the Sistine Chapel

There are quite a few statues of females inside the museum on the Sistine Chapel grounds in Rome (the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City in Rome), and the sculpted decorations and paintings are famous. Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio worked on the paintings, statues and sculptures and frescoes in the chapel.

This one is one of the most famous ones. It is of the Goddess of fertility. This appears to be symbolized by a multitude of breasts. Smaller sculptures of children surround her.

This statue is of a mother with her two children. One is a baby in her arms and the other is a toddler pulling at her robes. The woman is about to breast-feed her child.

This is one of a woman warrior. There are not many statues of women being portrayed in warring pose or ready to go into battle. This woman is carrying a spear and holding an armour.

A statue of a woman lying down with a serpent. She appears to be sleeping (or is she dead?) on a coffin. A fresco of children is carved into the coffin on which she lies.

Another woman in a warrior pose.

These women appear to be well-t-do ladies of that time. One of them is reading from a scroll, another is holding a small round object (a ball or a globe?) and the third one is sitting down on a chair holding what appears to be a household object.

Related Images: Sistine Chapel Ceiling designs or  Sistine Chapel Corridor Ceiling Paintings and Designs

Or  Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City in Rome Italy or Sistine Chapel floor designs
For more pictures from Italy and Rome:  City of Roma - Pictures or  Photographs of the Colosseum at Rome, Italy or Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) in Rome or the Rome castle or Castel Sant'Angelo - photographs and sketch or try any of the labels below this post.

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