While the World Bank records a decrease in the percentage of people falling under this level (42 per cent in 2005), the measurement itself is under harsh criticism. It has been described as a “starvation line” rather than a poverty line and indeed many people live just above that line of starvation.

Even for people who have a job, the situation is less then ideal. They struggle hard to maintain themselves in unsanitary and insecure working environments.

The India Country Overview 2008 of the World Bank (qtd. @ wikipedia) states:

“India’s labor regulations – among the most restrictive and complex in the world – have constrained the growth of the formal manufacturing sector where these laws have their widest application. Better designed labor regulations can attract more labor- intensive investment and create jobs for India’s unemployed millions and those trapped in poor quality jobs. Given the country’s momentum of growth, the window of opportunity must not be lost for improving the job prospects for the 80 million new entrants who are expected to join the work force over the next decade.”

This worker in his stained shirt pushes a cart through the streets of Bundi. On the street side, trash is being “recycled” or rather burned. The ashes will later be pushed into sewer on the street side.

This young man pushes a bike with chicken cages through the streets of New Delhi. There are around 100 chicken on this cart.

In order to save rent, this barber simply put up a chair and mirror along the road side of New Delhi. With no running water or walls, the sanitary conditions while shaving customers leave lots of room for improvement.

This construction worker in Goa, a comparatively rich state in India, is balancing on a bamboo rod scaffold. The framework is tied together with rope, but not secured at the bottom.

At Jama Masjid Market in New Delhi, home and store, dirt and product, vendor and customer become nearly indistinguishable in the grey dust.

In this little kitchen in Delhi, men are preparing tomorrow’s snack food: Samosas. Huge piles of the little dough-pockets filled with potatoes will be fried in the large pan. A samosa costs about 10 Rupees, the poverty line is at 28 Rupees per day.

In the hectic and bustling city of Delhi, not only the riskshaw drivers and cycle rickshaws are constantly on the move. This mobile snack cart follows them through the streets. It almost appears the vendor has found a market niche.

This woman in rural Udaipur drives goats through the streets. The city is fairly rich as it is a popular tourist destination.

Without proper ways to earn an income people need to find another way to sustain themselves. This little boy in the streets of Kashambi, New Delhi, has found a pack of cookies in a garbage pile.

In November 2011, India voted to allow 51% FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) into the country in the hope to improve India’s overall economic situation. However, the decision will also allow foreign investors, especially the world’s largest retailer WalMart, more control over India.

After the decision, opposition in the population grew strong. Indians fear that the foreign investors will overflow India’s market with subsidized (agricultural) products from Europe and America that will kill small farmers and businesses in India and increase the economic divide between rich and poor in the country.

The government decision is currently (Jan 2012) suspended due to opposition from various political quarters.

Cows are holy in India and feeding them brings good luck. Fresh and nutritious food is not always available, however. Their owners let the cows roam free during the day, hoping people will feed them. They return “home” to be milked.

At Jama Masjid Market in New Delhi, home and store, dirt and product, vendor and customer become nearly indistinguishable in the grey dust.

Living under the poverty line, street children in Panjim, Goa, come to Asha Deep (“Light & Hope”) Day Care and Night Shelter. There, they receive food, clothes, shelter and classes such as reading, writing and music (this is a music class with some children singing).

In a society grown out of a caste system that traditionally deemed those handling dirt and waste “untouchable”, educating people about recycling and waste management can be a challenge. Despite secularization (the “untouchables are today called Dalit), dirt handlers are still looked down upon.
This is a dumpster like many others right in the city of Delhi. Most trash, however, is simply thrown on the ground.

Dancer in front of the eastern side of the Taj Mahal palace. (Thanks to Kanti Mani (Chintu), who was simply dancing full of joy on this wonderful day at the Taj)

The famous tomb palace of white marble: The Taj Mahal near sunset (front view).

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These two boys in their colorful shirts are holding up a kite to the blue sky. Kite flying is a favorite activity of the rooftops of the blue houses in rural Bundi, Rajastan.
Which of the two pictures do you like better?

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She was about to disappear in the doorway when I saw the red of her dress flare in the corner of my eyes and I flashed up the camera. Fortunately, she noticed and not only was she flattered, she came back out to pose and present her beauty!

The streets of Bundi are lined with both: the beauty of strong blue facades and the charm of old, decaying palaces.

Guests at a wedding parade (Baraat) stretching out their arms to catch glistening confetti shot into the sky.

“Indians have always liked the ‘bling,'” a sign in a Puna museum said about the culture’s relation to jewelry. The full extent of this truth came to me when I saw this wedding preparation by an Indian friend of mine. For all those unaware: They’re bangles – they go on your (her) arms ;).

In order to clean the bride and prepare her for the wedding (spiritually and physically), her skin is first covered in this yellow mix of oil and turmeric powder. The anti-septic paste is applied by the women of her family and cleans her skin.

The application of the turmeric cleansing can go from quietly and mystical / spiritual to more modern and extravagant, as Kanti proves

Colorful firework sparkles shooting into the night on the street in Delhi, celebrating an upcoming wedding during the Baraat.

It is almost as if the Macaque knows how extraordinarily beautiful his situation is, being able to watch the purple and orange sun set on the Himalayan mountains.

The American Flag is folded 13 times and presented to the families of those who have given their life for the nation. This flag rested on a can of beer in a cupboard of what used to be “Favalora’s” Sandwich shop.

Favalora’s in St. Bernard used to be what appears to be a thriving restaurant and Po-Boy Shop – judging from what is left of the interior. But the owner has not and will not return to reclaim the place, as the untouched flag in the cupboard tells us.

Roaming the streets of St. Bernard, I found many of these warning signs as that at Favalora’s on windows and doors. Essentially it says: If you have failed to reclaim your house (either because you are dead or have not returned for any other reason), we will soon be tearing down your home. Have a nice day. Oh no, wait. That last part it does not say.

Inside Favalora’s used to be a meeting point for America’s Foreign War Veterans. The facility is no longer used.

St. Louis Cemetery #1 is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans (1789). The graves still showed destruction from the storm 5 years after. Since New Orleans is literally built on a swamp, the tombstones are not sunk underground, but built above ground. When there is heavy rain fall, the cemetery’s alleys gather full of water, creating reflection pools inviting confusion between up and down.

The Dollar General store – like most stores in the Ninth Ward – has not found a new owner. Five years after Katrina, only 60% of former inhabitants have returned. Many of those who lived there before were of lower income and social status. An area not particularly interesting to businesses.

At the door in front of a house filled with children’s toys, sadly-faded Santa greets those who accidently come by.

This free standing house in St. Bernard is filled with children’s toys and sports equipment while the appliances and inner walls have been stripped.

The interior walls have not survived the storm, nor have the windows of this house. The bathroom appliances have been torn and scattered around the entire place are all kinds of children’s toys that neighbors have gathered here.

I took this picture of Snoop Dogg, formerly known as Snoop Doggy Dogg reporting about his only concert in Germany in 2009. He entered the stage at the Europalace in Mainz where he was smoking weed during the short concert, asking the audience to join him.

Here’s the original article and a blog post I wrote about the process of writing / editing the article.

During a  photoshoot in Seattle, Washington.

Outdoor Shooting. Stuttgart, Germany. Summer 2006.

Summer portrait shooting.