Images from South Asia · Global Voices
Akshay

For my first post on Global Voices I decided to look beyond words and instead look at the subcontinent through the lens of another.  Photoblogs in South Asia are abuzz with the chatter of cameras and flickering of the flash; the result is an amazing array of images from Kerala in India to truck art in Pakistan. So without further ado here are some of the images.
Peter Dulvy with ace Indian athlete PT Usha, nicknamed the ‘Payyoli Express’ for her speed on the track. Photo Courtesy: Desmond Roberts
What happens when a runner, a photographer and a writer get together and decide to run over 600 km a month through the Indian state of Kerala ? The answer is …….a very entertaining blog. Peter Dulvy, Desmond Roberts and Rahul Noble Singh in their blog ‘Heels of Fire‘ are doing just that as they blaze through what National Geographic calls one of the ten paradises on earth. There are some great pictures too. They also have one fine website.
Dream-A-Dream is a Bangalore based NGO which helps children from underprivileged backgrounds, enabling them to enjoy a fun-filled childhood and access to a good education . Vivek takes his camera to one of the events organised by the NGO and documents the interaction between the children and the organisation's volunteers.  The set serves up many smiling images of hope. See this Flickr photoset for more pictures.
A Buddhist monk puts finishing touches to a Mandala painting
The Proceedings of The Athanasius Kircher Society points us to a nice time-lapse sequence of photographs of Buddhist monks creating a mandala sand painting over a period of 10 days – and then destroying it.
Mandalas are geometric designs symbolic of the universe, constructed from sand. They transmit positive energy to the environment and to the people who view them.  Mandala sand paintings were introduced by the Buddha himself and there are many different designs of mandala, each with a different lesson to teach.
They are also believed to affect purification and healing.
Last but not the least, BabaSteve brings us colourful truck art from Pakistan.  He adds,
“Pakistan is known for its artistically painted and decorated traffic vehicles, whether they are small autorickshaws, goods-hauling trucks, or buses used for public transportation. The magnficent art, couple with faces peering from windows, always provides a wonderful frame for photos begging to be taken.”